JENNIFER MARPLES
President

Jennifer's diverse public relations background comes from over fifteen years working in both PR agency and in-house corporate positions spanning a multitude of industries including hospitality, travel and tourism, food and wine, consumer and high technology. Throughout her career, she has directed and implemented numerous PR programs including product launches, media tours, image enhancement, corporate messaging and positioning, crisis communications, special event coordination, trade show management, community relations and collateral development.

Jennifer founded Koa Communications in 2003 in order work with clients and products that she was truly passionate about.  Since Koa’s inception, Jennifer and her teams have worked with numerous clients including Constellation Wines U.S., the largest premium wine company in the U.S., on corporate communications and Pacific Wine Partners on the launch of the country’s first super-premium 3L box wine Black Box Wines and the first premium Australian 3L box wines to hit the market – Hardys Stamp of Australia and Banrock Station. Koa’s aggressive media relations strategy has garnered hundreds of media hits for the wines in top tier publications like the New York Times, USA Today, Real Simple, Family Circle, GQ, BusinessWeek, Outside, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Budget Living and numerous local and national TV outlets.  All three wines, as a result, are category leaders nationwide. 

Jennifer's experience also includes managing PR programs for two of Hawaii's premier visitor attractions; creating a culinary program for Vail Resorts, Inc. in Colorado; providing Warren Miller Films with an aggressive media relations program; working with a variety of boutique hotels including the Hotel Monaco and Oxford Hotel in Denver, five-star dude and guest ranches and upscale restaurants; launching an ice cream company in Denver as well as providing pro-bono services for non-profits over the years.

Jennifer also has significant experience working in the international public relations field having lived in Taipei, Taiwan for 1.5 years and working at two multinational PR firms. During her tenure at both firms, she was responsible for global and regional account management of multinational clients including Cartier and Vidal Sassoon.

Jennifer holds a BA in English from the University of Iowa and is involved with numerous Bay Area non-profit organizations including the Junior League of San Francisco, the American Cancer Society and the San Francisco Professional Food Society.

TIM HART
Senior Consultant

Tim Hart knows a good story when he sees one.  An award-winning print journalist and seasoned public relations professional, Tim has developed and executed communications programs for a variety of industries including technology, healthcare, science and biotechnology, nonprofit and food & wine.  Capping more than 15 years combined newsroom, agency and in-house experience, Tim began working with Koa Communications in 2005.

An agency veteran, Tim has led teams large and small at some of the industry's most noted public relations firms including Ketchum, Golin/Harris International and Weber Shandwick Worldwide, representing clients such as McDonald's Corp. and Ronald McDonald House Charities, Argonne National Laboratory, Genentech, Chiron, Levi Strauss & Co., Fleischmann's Yeast, Mattel, Visa, AAA, SGI and Sybase. Tim also served in-house as Communications Director for the American Cancer Society, negotiating media sponsorships, promoting health education campaigns, supporting fundraising efforts and acting as the organization's media spokesman; he remains a volunteer with the organization. Tim has also spent several years in the kitchen as a pastry and catering chef and later as a food marketer. He was owner-founder of Couverture Patisserie & Catering in Detroit and later moved to San Francisco to work in the kitchens of fine restaurants, hotels, museums and caterers including Bizou, The Park Hyatt San Francisco, Taste Catering, Betty Zlatchin Catering and the de Young Museum. He also helped open 2223 Market Street restaurant in San Francisco. Later, Tim began his public relations career at Ketchum, testing and developing recipes, producing an award-winning recipe Web site, assisting with food styling and food photography and garnering media visibility for clients, including acting as the traveling spokesperson for the U.S. Potato Board.

Earlier, Tim was a reporter at The Oakland Press, a Detroit-area daily newspaper. There, he covered crime and the courts, local government, education, food/restaurants and the environment, along with special projects including a series on American business in the former Soviet Union. The Associated Press and UPI awarded Tim several journalism prizes for breaking news and continuing coverage of crime stories, including stories on "suicide doctor" Jack Kevorkian and the abduction-murder of a local couple.

Tim earned his Bachelor of Arts in Journalism degree from Wayne State University in Detroit and has been active in communications industry organizations including Investigative Reporters & Editors, The Council of PR Firms, International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) and the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). He is also a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP).

BEVERLY VISTY
Account Director, Lifestyle and Entertainment

Beverly Visty's career has spanned the worlds of film, technology, fashion, music, art and philanthropy. Today, Visty continues to meet the special public relations needs of high-profile companies and individuals. Beverly has a keen ability to recognize predictors and trends that lead to favorable situations for her clients. Beverly takes her clients to the next level of strategic positioning and success.

She brings a global viewpoint to her work, having spent 10 years living and working in Europe and Asia. She gained high-level exposure to the business side of entertainment working with actor and director Gabriel Byrne, Madonna, and action star Steven Seagal. In 1997, Beverly joined forces with the public relations firm, Jensen Communications, and began producing large-scale promotional and marketing events. Her event strategy and implementation talents include the launch of a web-based music company, the first World Conference on Breast Cancer, launching "Quest for Excellence" with Dina Ruiz Eastwood, two national Read Across America campaigns, in addition to an international campaign for the World Wildlife Fund, and the United Nations Environment Program 25th anniversary celebration.

In 1999, Beverly formed her own public relations firm dharmata, realizing the convergence of media, the Internet, technology, entertainment, and the arts would provide a perfect opportunity for her vast public relations expertise. In 2001, Beverly organized and co-produced the making of " What's Going On", with Bono of U2 for AAAW, bringing together 23 top entertainers. Beverly works with Koa Communications’ clients nationwide and specializes in the Los Angeles and New York media markets.

Ginger Guthrie
Director of Events and Production

Ginger has been in the meeting and incentive industry for more than 20 years. For the first half of her career she held marketing and account management positions at major Dallas and San Francisco event management companies.

In 1997, Ginger started providing consulting services to corporations and event companies for domestic and international events ranging from 50 to 3,000 attendees. Ginger has designed and executed all types of events including product launches, media events, incentive programs and sales meetings in Australia, Mexico, Hawaii, Europe and most major U.S cities.

Her clients have ranged from boutique high-tech firms to Fortune 500 corporations including ING Funds, Ferguson,  Kohler, Charles Schwab, Prudential Securities, Sun Microsystems and the Ford Motor Company.

Ginger is currently the president of Destination Design Group, a destination management and event consulting firm and partners with Koa Communications in the area of event design and management.

Charaighn Sesock
Account Manager

Charaighn’s extensive experience in public relations and marketing communications comes from over 11 years of working in both PR agency and in-house corporate/nonprofit positions across a wide range of industries including consumer, music and entertainment, healthcare, environmental, and technology. Throughout her career, Charaighn has managed many PR programs offering clients various services including media and community relations, product launches, media tours and press events, branding, messaging, crisis communications, media training, trade show management and collateral development. Charaighn holds a BS in Journalism from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.