Laura McNew – Vice President of Merchandising, Petra Industries
For more than two decades, McNew has been a driving force behind Petra Industries’ thriving product offering. Through a keen understanding of the market and discerning leadership, McNew creates new, innovative opportunities for Petra in untapped markets and cultivates crucial relationships that allow Petra to grow and thrive. Her strategic approach, industry knowledge and foresight enable Petra to pursue new technology, product lines and vendors and adapt to changing markets.
Petro Shimonishi – Director of Global Marketing, URC
Petro Shimonishi has over 20 years of experience in global consumer marketing and product management. As Director of Global Marketing for URC, she is responsible for all aspects of URC’s marketing efforts. Shimonishi has served in executive marketing and product management roles for Sennheiser, Klipsch, Tempur Sealy, Denon, and NetStreams, to name a few. Shimonishi earned a Bachelor’s of International Business & Economics at University of Mount Union, and an MBA in International Business from Thunderbird Graduate School. She speaks 5 languages – English, Japanese, Spanish, Greek and Swedish.Cindy Stevens, Senior Director Publications, Consumer Technology Association (CTA)™
Cindy Stevens is the Senior Director of Publications for CTA, the U.S. trade association representing more than 2,200 consumer technology companies and which owns and produces CES® – The Global Stage for Innovation. She is editor-in-chief and publisher of CTA’s award-winning bi-monthly magazine, It Is Innovation (i3) and also oversees Five Technology Trends to Watch, Digital America, CTA’s Corporate Report and the CTA Foundation Report. She also directs the CT Hall of Fame program including the awards dinner and the Innovation Entrepreneur Awards program. Before that, she was editor-in-chief of Wireless Business & Technology magazine with Phillips Business Information Inc., and directed the editorial efforts of three additional magazines, Mobile Product News, Mobile Products Europe and Mobile Products Asia. Stevens holds a B.S. in journalism from the University of Maryland. Christa Wittenberg – Director, AR/VR Global Retail Sales, Facebook
Christa Wittenberg is the Director of Global Retail Sales for the AR/VR division of Facebook. She leads the global retail team focused on developing channel strategies and growing the install base for Facebook hardware efforts. She joined Oculus in January 2016, where she launched the first hardware device — Oculus RIFT — for Facebook; and has continued to launch multiple virtual reality and smart home products including Oculus GO, Oculus Quest and Portal hardware. Prior to Facebook, Christa held various positions in Marketing and Sales in the videogame industry including Sony PlayStation, Midway Games and Nintendo of America.
Woman to Watch: Danielle Karr, Designer and Architect Program Manager and Certified Showroom Program Specialist, Control4
Danielle Karr is the Designer and Architect Program Manager as well as the Certified Showroom Program Specialist at Control4, where she connects with interior designers and architects to explore and shape the future of smart homes and the professional design industry.
Carol Campbell Inspiration Award: Megan Pollock, Vice President, Strategic Communications, Samsung Electronics America
As Vice President of Strategic Communication for Samsung  Electronics America, a U.S. subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co. of South Korea, Megan Pollock – based in Washington, D.C. – is responsible for creating the message, identifying the key audiences and securing the means by which to educate policymakers and the policymaking community about Samsung’s employees, innovation, investment, and philanthropy in the U.S. She also oversees the strategic planning and partnerships for Samsung’s Veterans and Military Families portfolio. Prior to joining Samsung in 2014, Pollock was Vice President for DKC Public Relations, Marketing and Government Affairs. Earlier, she was with the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) as Director, Division and Policy Communications and served as their media spokesperson and focused specifically on intellectual property, the DTV transition, and women and technology. Megan graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. |
