Primary Team Bios

Barbara Wasserman, MBA

President

Barbara (Bobbie) Wasserman, president of Wave2 Alliances, offers over 20 years of experience spanning the political and corporate sectors. She advocates and communicates on behalf of global corporations, emerging companies and organizations working to solve issues of national and global importance.

Bobbie is an award-winning executive with a successful track record in developing and executing strategic, comprehensive marketing communications programs along with building partnerships and alliances. Her MBA in finance and functional analyst expertise affords her the ability to communicate issues, business successes and challenges in a compelling manner to various audiences. Bobbie is an expert in building diverse coalitions that bring resources together to achieve a more synergistic and powerful impact. On both the communications and business fronts, she identifies and reaches the key influencers that move markets and sway public opinion.

Client categories of focus are emerging and clean technology manufacturers and services, financial services, utilities and public policy organizations. Specific clients include Bank of Montreal, the California Women’s Law Center, Chevron, Environmental Law & Policy Center, GE Capital, Hewlett-Packard and Pacific Gas & Electric Company. Emerging technology clients include Green Plug, Total Immersion, Sportog.com and True Point Systems. Bobbie is a veteran of global public relations agencies Fleishman-Hillard and Edelman, where she served as a vice president in the public affairs and the corporate reputation and crisis management practices.

Bobbie’s diverse past experience includes over a decade in politics highlighted by appointment to executive director of The White House Project, a national nonpartisan 501c4 organization. In the executive director role, she ran national operations, served as a national spokesperson and guest lectured at Columbia and American Universities. Bobbie also participated in the 1994-5 presidential advance team, organizing events for the U.S. President and U.S. Vice President.

Bobbie earned an MBA in Finance from the University of Southern California and a BA in Economics from the University of California at Los Angeles. She currently serves on the board of directors for California Women Lead – Los Angeles, advisory board for The Luncheon Society, Environment Commissioner for California Assembly Speaker-Emeritus Karen Bass’ People’s Commission, and Edison Awards National Judge; Best New Products Division. Bobbie blogs on the Huffington Post, is an active member of Marketing Executives Network Group, as well as the Women’s Council of Environment and Energy. She is a former county committee representative for California’s 41st Assembly District.

Pam Abrahamsson

Pam Abrahamsson has provided over 20 years of strategic marketing and public relations program counsel for technology, financial services, retail/consumer and real estate clients, with an emphasis on managing launch and acquisition strategies for fast-growth, privately held companies in the U.S. and abroad.

Under her supervision, program efforts have been instrumental in helping emerging technology companies secure acquisition from such global brands as IBM, Verint, and Harland Financial Solutions.  Clients have been featured in such leading outlets Christian Science Monitor, Wall Street & Technology, Sirius Networks, CNBC, New York Times, USA Today, Investor’s Business Advisor, Los Angeles Times, Dr. Laura syndicated radio program, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, American Banker, Bank Systems & Technology, Mortgage Technology, ComputerWorld, InfoWorld and others

She has served as executive counsel for organizations, founder and president for a retail/real estate-focused West Coast agency, and as vice president for a nationally-based public relations agency serving technology and financial services clients.

She has also overseen launch and communications projects for consumer luxury products and services in the U.S. and Europe.

Pam’s primary focus includes customized public relations program development, managing communications teams, project writing, media and analyst relations, client media training and social media outreach.

Her educational background includes Bachelor of Arts degree in communications, public relations emphasis, CSU Fullerton; certification in e-marketing strategies, University of California, Irvine.  She has also served as a guest lecturer: CSU San Luis Obispo, Communications Department, and has had both articles and commentary published in the field.

Julie Du Brow

As an entertainment executive in marketing, operations, artist management, production and distribution, Julie brings her energy and experience for a broad, more nimble “quarterback” approach that integrates traditional and emerging methods of delivering any message appropriately.

Julie has created and led successful media campaigns in the fields of green design technologies, building/architecture/design, trade and consumer shows, natural foods, mobile entertainment, film, and the visual arts. With a passion for launching companies and their products, she focuses efforts on long term strategy, revisiting their overall marketing goals and target audiences at strategic stages in their growth to help ensure forward movement.  Her Media Relations efforts to brand both the product, and often company personnel, also include speaking opportunities, sponsorships and cross-marketing partnerships.
Julie has garnered millions of media impressions for her clients across a wide variety of media.  Traditional: Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Copley News Service, Associated Press, Bloomberg News.  TV (news and entertainment programming): CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox, NPR, Univision, HGTV.  Monthlies: INC Magazine, Rolling Stone, OUT, People, InTouch, Dwell and multiple regional lifestyle publications.   Hundreds of industry-specific publications and sites, across the green / sustainability sector, design, architecture, hospitality, entertainment, etc.

Previously, Julie was the first Marketing Director for the Mobile Entertainment Forum, Americas Branch.  Through marketing and PR efforts she helped connect companies (aggregators, content owners, mobile companies); built MEF membership; established the MEF at trade shows (CTIA, Digital Hollywood); and established the Americas Chair as a top media “go to” person on mobile in the U.S.

Julie worked for the Left Bank Organization, a top entertainment company, where she co-managed various platinum artists (including Mötley Crüe, Deana Carter, Duran Duran), and then launched and ran multiple departments of the independent label Beyond Music.  As Director of Operations for Capitol Records, Julie determined the financial, physical and time feasibility of new releases and ongoing inventory, and worked to balance the goals and needs of marketing, promotion and sales.  She was Associate Producer on the Oscar-nominated documentary, Speaking in Strings. Julie was one of four founding editors of U. The National College Newspaper, a commercial endeavor distributed through universities across the U.S., with over 1.4 million circulation.

Julie graduated from U.C.L.A. with honors, earning a B.A. in Communications/Mass Media.  She sits on the Steering Committee of the Westside Branch of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Los Angeles Chapter, and donates her time to non-profit charity The World Is Just A Book Away.

Agnes Gomes-Koizumi

Agnes is a public relations professional with more than nine years demonstrated media relations and management expertise.  She has spearheaded campaigns for international trade organizations, technology sector businesses, green tech / clean tech and blockbuster exhibitions. She has serviced numerous trade, b2b, technology, cultural and entertainment media relations campaigns.

Agnes has worked with both start-up and established companies to develop key branding and long-term media relations strategy.  Agnes served as the Director of the Americas for the Mobile Entertainment Forum, a non-profit group with a goal to grow business opportunities worldwide.  While at MEF, Agnes developed strong connections to entertainment and tech media. She also developed key programs at major entertainment and tech conferences, including Digital Hollywood, CTIA & CES.

Agnes has created thousands of print impressions in traditional publications and on-line syndicates, including: the New York Times, USA Today, the Wall St. Journal, Los Angeles Times, The Financial Times, Investors Business Daily, Los Angeles Business Journal, Miami Herald, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune and others.  Television coverage includedCNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, KTLA, KTTV, KCET and their network affiliates. Radio results included NPR, KPCC, KCRW, KPFK, KNX, KFWB, KJLH, KROQ and others.  Major features have also been secured in prominent lifestyle, tech, entertainment, art, shelter, luxury and architectural publications in English, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, Korean and the Indian languages.

Agnes holds her Masters in Museum Studies and an Honors Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Toronto. She has worked in the museum community for the past ten years, with positions at Pacific Asia Museum, J. Paul Getty Museum, Sacramento Zoological Society, Ontario Science Center, Royal Ontario Museum and the Metropolitan Toronto Zoological Association.  She was a founding member of the Los Angeles Museum Marketing Roundtable, Pasadena Museum Marketing Association and the Playhouse District Marketing Committee. Her research has been published by the College of William and Mary and the ArtEZ Institute of the Arts in the Netherlands.

Mary Jo Mrochinski

Mary Jo Mrochinski offers over 20 years’ experience as a marketing and business development executive. Trained as a marketer and writer, Mary Jo’s writing has evolved into awarding-winning design and building proposals from her journalistic business roots.

Mary Jo served Westfield, the world’s largest retail mall owner/operator/developer as Design Consultant Manager to produce Requests for Proposal, contracts, award submittals and documentation for their super-regional mall properties in the U.S. on projects valued from $5 million – $1 billion in construction costs.  During her tenure, Mary Jo was instrumental in broadening LEED consultant activities through Westfield’s design teams to initiate the process of “greening” Westfield’s large retail properties, particularly those in California.

Prior to Westfield, Mary Jo served as a professional marketer, where she wrote countless winning proposals, web pages, press releases, award submittals and marketing pieces for architects (Leo A Daly, Hardy Holzmann Pfeiffer/Pfeiffer Partners), engineers (Gotama Building Engineers) and general contractors (Tishman Construction of CA).

As sustainability in the building trades has moved to the forefront of design consideration, Mary Jo researched and wrote about the greening of mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineering, including an article on the Santa Monica Public Library, Southern California’s first LEED Gold projects, on behalf of the Society of Marketing Professional Services (SMPS), and established an active network in the A/E/C industry while employed with respected publications as Investors’ Business Daily and the Los Angeles Business Journal.

Originally from the Bay Area, Mary Jo served as an advertising copywriter at the San Francisco Bay Guardian. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from San Francisco State University, an Associate Arts degree from Diablo Valley College, and is an active member of SMPS.

Ann Stephenson

Ann founded the public relations firm that bears her name in March 1987, after more than a decade of corporate communications and national media relations.  As President and CEO of Stephenson Group, she oversees all financial, operational and business development efforts. Additionally, she is the lead contact for Stephenson Group clients, counseling management on such matters as strategic and action communications planning, issues management, investor relations and crisis communication.

Under Ann’s leadership, Stephenson Group has consistently enjoyed a track record of securing vast amounts of quality client publicity.  In 2003, Ann took advantage of this competitive edge and launch a new division: PayPerClip.  The first of its kind, pay-for-performance business model, whereby clients enjoy risk-free publicity.  Ann is also CEO of PayPerClip and oversees all aspects of the division.

From 1983 to 1987, Ann served as Vice President, Public Affairs, for Beneficial Corporation (now HSBC). During her tenure, Beneficial won the President of the United States’ Award for excellence in community service and 15 national/state first place awards for outstanding corporate communications.  Previously, Ann served as Manager of Public Affairs for First Interstate Bank of California (now Wells Fargo Bank) and Director of Corporate Communications for Kentfield Investment Corporation, both headquartered in California.  She has held several editorial positions for various major metropolitan publications.

A frequent speaker at industry and business forums, Ann’s work has been recognized by several major publications and documented in industry reference material.  She is also listed in the Who’s Who of American Leaders.

Somer Stephenson

Somer shares with CEO Ann Stephenson, the company’s business expansion and financial management functions.  She also heads up the Media Relations Division of Stephenson Group and is responsible for the profitability of the division, the agency’s largest, which has grown by 500% since her appointment.  Her day-to-day work includes overseeing client media outreach, including journalist relationships, press releases, media/analyst tours, press kit and collateral execution, customized story development and thought leadership writing/placement.

Somer has served major corporate leaders, including SAP, IBM, Oracle Corporation, National Philanthropic Trust, and Siberian Energy.  Somer’s clients have been featured on Oprah, The Today Show, Good Morning America, CNBC, Fox News, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, USA Today, Crain’s Business, New York Post and hundreds of others.

Philanthropically, Somer currently directs a non-profit organization where she was solely responsible for passing a federal congressional bill on prison reform.  She and her work have been featured on the Today Show, NPR and NJ Star Ledger.  She sits on the board of several other non-profit and volunteer organizations.

Somer is a graduate of the Anglo-American University, St. Petersburg, Russia

Lory Torgerson

Lory Torgerson brings over 20 years of broad experience to her role with SG, ranging from accounting and account management to technical support and web design in public relations firms and advertising agencies in Denver and San Francisco.

Since joining SG in 1995, she has performed a variety of roles including that of accountant, HR manager, webmaster and IT manager, all of which now round out her role of Director of Operations.

Lory holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Colorado State University, and her affiliations include the Public Relations Society of America and the Denver Advertising Federation.