WISE BOARD MEMBER BIOS

Anne Warner Cribbs is currently the Chairman of the board of WISE SF/Bay Area, and has been actively involved in the organization since its inception.  Anne is the President of Anne Cribbs & Co, a public relations and community relations consulting firm for for-profit and nonprofit organizations, including the Monterey Horse Park, the 2005 Men’s Hardball Roller Hockey World Championships, the Bay Area Council, FINA Masters 2006 World Championships, the Northern California Olympians, Stanford Athletics, 2007 Junior World Table Tennis Championships and Nike.  Anne also acts as the CEO of the Bay Area Sports Organizing Committee and was the driving force in its bid to be the 2012 US Candidate City.  She currently chairs the 2009 National Senior Games Local Organizing Committee, the largest multi -sport event in the United States, with 18 sports and 15,000 athletes over the age of 49 competing. Anne is active on many boards for businesses and nonprofits in sports, health and business fields.  In 1960, she competed as a member of the Gold medal winning 400-meter medley team in the 1960 Rome Games.

Beth Schnitzer was the key driving force in the establishment of the SF/Bay Area chapter of WISE.  Through her wide network of contacts, Beth helped pull together the founding board members and fueled the establishment of the organization.   She has been the President of WISE SF/Bay Area since its establishment in 2005.  Beth is the Vice President of Business Development for PIER 39 responsible for partnership marketing and sponsorship alliances.  Beth has had a successful 16 year career in the sports and entertainment sector specializing in event marketing, promotions, and sponsorship sales working with such clients and properties as NFL Properties, 1994 FIFA World Cup Soccer Organizing Committee, The Atlanta Centennial Olympic Games, The San Francisco 49ers Foundation, NHL, and Skate Nation. Beth received her business degree from the University of Massachusetts/Amherst and recently attended the 2007 WISE National Women of the Year Awards luncheon in NYC. She serves on the Management Board for the Richmond Ermet Aids Foundation and is a Board member of the SF Sports Council, Family House, and serves on the Advisory Council for Dress for Success and the Executive Committee for the American Heart Association Heartwalk.

Alison Ross is the current VP of WISE SF/Bay Area as well as one of the founder's restarting the Bay Area chapter in 2005.  Alison has been instrumental in coordinating and developing the Bay Area events, and moderating as well as managing all the online communication with the members and friends of WISE.  For the past 15 years, Alison has worked in consumer marketing focused on sports and entertainment.  Alison started out her career with the World Cup NY Host Committee in 1993 and has since worked with various agencies and Fortune 500 companies on strategic alliances, product/brand management, retail marketing, events, promotions and sponsorships.  As a 9 year veteran in the Bay Area, after 6 1/2 years at Electronic Arts, Alison is currently the Director of Marketing for Fitness Anywhere, the pioneers of Suspension Training located in San Francisco.

Mary Beth Carpenter has been a member of WISE SF/Bay Area since its establishment in 2005, and has served on the board since 2008.  Mary Beth has been instrumental in coordinating both the summer of 2008 Golf Series and the inaugural launch of the Wise Within Mentor Program.   For the past 8 years, Mary Beth has been with The Coca-Cola Company, and most recently has managed Coca-Cola’s partnerships with some of the San Francisco Bay Area’s premiere properties such as UC Berkeley, Great America, and PIER 39.  Mary Beth also volunteers with Pathways Home Health and Hospice giving in home caregiver relief.  Mary Beth received her business degree from The University of Georgia and has lived in the Bay Area for 7 years.

Patty Hubbard was instrumental in the establishment of WISE SF/Bay Area as one of the handful of women who pooled their resources to incorporate and set up the organization. She has been a director of WISE SF/Bay Area since its establishment in 2005, and is currently responsible for membership administration and the Membership Committee. Patty is one of the partners at mktg.com, a full-service marketing agency located in San Francisco and New York which focuses on sports, entertainment and lifestyle marketing.  Prior to joining mktg.com, Patty spent 3 years with On Board Entertainment in Sausalito, and 7 years with Clear Channel Entertainment group in their New York, Atlanta and San Francisco offices.

Bobbie LaPorte  is a Financial Advisor in Morgan Stanley’s Global  Wealth Management Group. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley’s flagship San Francisco office in 2008, she was Founder and Principal of RAL & Associates, a consulting firm providing leadership and career development services to Fortune 100 companies. Before founding RAL & Associates, Bobbie served in GM, COO and CMO roles in several companies, including IBM, GE, Citigroup and United Healthcare. A certified career coach, she provides pro bono career consulting to Bay Area WISE members and holds membership in the Professional Coaches and Mentors Association (PCMA), the International Coach Federation (ICF) and The Career Masters Institute (CMI). Bobbie has a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts, and an MBA from Harvard. A frequent speaker and author on the powerful relationship between physical fitness and career success, she is also an accomplished triathlete and multi-sport coach. Bobbie is currently training for her fifth Ironman triathlon. When she is not providing investment counsel or coaching Ironman triathletes, she proudly serves on a number of Bay Area non-profit Boards, and happily rescues Golden Retriever dogs.

Jennifer Rowland is one of the founding board members for WISE SF/Bay Area, and has acted as the Events Committee Chair throughout her term.  Jennifer has fifteen years of experience in the event marketing and sponsorship industry, having worked in roles on the property, agency and corporate sides of the business.  Her career has provided her the opportunity to work with a variety of sports and entertainment properties such as the FIFA World Cup, Rugby World Cup, the Olympics and Paralympic Games, Disney and James Bond.  Currently, in her role as Senior Director of Global Sponsorships at Visa International, Jennifer is responsible for maximizing activation of Visa’s global sponsorship properties through strategic development of marketing communications tools and platforms, and consulting with the Visa regions and targeted member banks.