Karen J. Rella, President & CEO, InterFace Partners: Karen is the President & CEO of InterFace Partners. Karen has more than 23+ years experience in Executive speaker placement and event marketing. Prior to forming InterFace Partners, Karen worked for Carat, the largest independent media agency in the world. There, she created a Speaker Placement division. Karen built her team one client and one employee at a time into a multi-million dollar business.
Prior to joining Carat, was the Director of Sales and Marketing Events for Giga Information Group. In this role, she was responsible for providing strategy and analysis for all event-marketing programs. Karen also developed and implemented new events to help Giga penetrate new markets in South America and Japan.
She holds a BA Degree in Marketing, Advertising and Public Relations from Emerson College. She is married to her husband Tony and has two children, Mark and Madison.
Cindy Charlwood: Cindy is the Director of Client Services and Research at InterFace Partners, working closely with clients to research, identify, and secure top speaking opportunities for their executives.
Before InterFace Partners, Cindy was Research Manager at Carat Brand Experience, where she led speaker strategy research projects including client opportunity development, competitive analyses, and event content development.
Cindy brings her clients over 20+ years in planning, coordinating and hosting events and conferences. In addition she has several years of experience in content management, with positions at TripAdvisor, CorpTech, and OneSource Information Services.
Cindy has a BA in English from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude. Her interests include travel, reading, music, and sports/fitness. She is married to Craig and has two daughters, Amanda and Julia.
Janine Vlassakis: Janine is an Associate Director of Client Account Management & Services at InterFace Partners, working closely with clients to research, identify, and secure top Global speaking opportunities for their executives, direct lieutenants and subject matter experts “SME’s”.
Janine joins the InterFace team with over 15+ years working with companies in the manufacturing, software, technology, healthcare, financial and non-profit industries to hone their branding, marketing and communication strategy, develop clinical education programs, enhance their social media presence and to coordinate fundraising campaigns and events. Janine has her M.Ed from Suffolk University is married to Tom and has a beautiful son Milo and two little Yorkie’s.
Ellen Cronin: Ellen is the lead Account Executive at InterFace Partners, where she works directly with event organizers in securing speaking opportunities for client executives. Ellen has more than 25 years of experience in the communications industry, including event research, strategy, journalism, customer relations and technical writing.
Prior to joining InterFace Partners, Ellen spent two and a half years as a Research Associate at Carat Brand Experience. Ellen managed the division's database, proactively seeking out new events and adding detailed information to provide clients with extraordinary insight on speaking opportunities.
Ellen entered the event strategy industry following twelve years working as a journalist in northern New England - nine years as reporter and photographer for The Caledonian-Record, a daily newspaper in Vermont, and three years as the news director for WLTN, a news-talk radio station in New Hampshire.
Ellen is a graduate of Boston Latin, and she holds a BS in Communications from Lyndon State College. She currently resides in Littleton, N.H., in the heart of the White Mountains, where she enjoys hiking, kayaking, cross-country skiing, swimming and running. She is an amateur meteorologist and a former rescue squad volunteer.
Devon Sova: Devon is a Research Associate at InterFace Partners and brings 13+ years’ experience focusing on event research, analysis, and event content management. Devon is instrumental in researching global events, capturing event information, and inputting and updating all event data fields into the InterFace Partners centralized event database. She analyzes and draws conclusions from client data captured, competitive impact and develops client event strategies. She recommends and communicates to the InterFace team leaders, global events most impactful to InterFace clients based on specific business requirements to ensure client success.
Devon joined InterFace after a successful entrepreneurial venture in the gymnastics business. Using that business experience, she immediately engaged and developed strong relationships with global event producers where she can navigate them through the event research and data collection process. Devon also has published novels for a London-based book packager.
Devon lives in Michigan where she enjoys hiking, nature, and spending time with her son and family.
Yvonne Gaudette: Yvonne is an Associate Director of Client Services at InterFace Partners, working closely with clients to research, identify, and secure top speaking opportunities for their executives.
Prior to joining Interface Partners, Yvonne held the role of senior marketing consultant at Magnetude Consulting where she providing strategic direction and thought leadership strategies for B2B technology and services businesses.
With over 18 years of achievement, Yvonne is a versatile, hands-on entrepreneurial marketing executive specializing in brand building, customer acquisition, and go-to market strategies for start-ups to Fortune 500s focused on rapid growth.
Yvonne holds a BS in Marketing from Franklin Pierce College, and lives in Chelmsford, Massachusetts. She enjoys outdoor activities – biking, hiking, skiing and snowshoeing and spending time with friends and family.
Jennifer Walter: Jennifer is the Research Specialist at InterFace Partners where she works with event organizers to compile and update the events in our database.
Jennifer's work experience includes 15 years researching, developing, and maintaining databases at OneSource Information Services and CorpTech. Her research included working with top-level executives at each of the companies, as well as seeking out additional materials and articles pertaining to each company. Jennifer also grew within each of these companies, moving into the Sales Manager position. She gained experience in finding new clients and managing and growing existing accounts.
In addition to her research and sales experience, Jennifer is also a registered CNA, and has worked in the field for over 20 years. Working with the elderly has provided Jennifer the opportunity to meet and care for a wide range of individuals. She finds that working in a nursing home provides her with the ability to gain insight on a different perspective of life and that it is very rewarding.
Jennifer also devotes time volunteering in her children's schools where she has served as the townwide Co-President of the PTO, coordinator of grade-wide events, and has organized several fund-raisers.
Jennifer is a graduate of Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, and holds a BA in both English/Communications and Sociology. She is married to Rob and has two daughters, Morgan and Alexandra.
Mark A. Rella: Mark is the Chief Strategic Officer-Speaker Placement at InterFace Partners
At InterFace Partners, we don’t just find speaking opportunities; we curate transformative experiences for our clients’ executives. As the Chief Strategic Officer-Speaker Placement, I orchestrate the delicate art of working with my clients to bring them onboard so the Team of InterFace Partners experts can connect our clients’ thought leaders with global platforms.
Here’s how I make it happen:
Strategic Industry Analysis:
My keen eye tracks business trends and drivers. I keep a watchful gaze on the horizon, ensuring our clients stay ahead of the curve. Market expansion? Brand elevation? Bottomline revenue impact? Consider it meticulously analyzed.
Competitive Insights:
I dissect major players and vendors, revealing their strengths, weaknesses, and market positioning. Opportunities and threats? I spot them before they even happen.
Client-Centric Approach:
Proactive deal support is my strength. I craft profiles that resonate with existing and potential clients, providing insights that creates meaningful connections. It’s not just about placement; it’s about impact.
Interface Partners has assembled a team of experts who understand the delicate dance of influence, negotiation, and quality placements. When it comes to securing speaking engagements, we don’t just get it done—we excel.
Let’s amplify your impact together.