Meet the Staff
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Ryan Miller
Founder & President
Ryan has worked in Web development and Internet business consulting for almost 15 years. With a passion for systems and understanding his clients' needs from the inside out, Ryan has built two companies on the idea effective Web design and ethical online marketing are essentially intertwined. Today, Etna Interactive is a leading provider of Web site design and online promotion for the medical industry. Committed to learning, Ryan is currently working on a master's degree. Equally committed to giving back to the Central Coast community he loves, he volunteers his time each Thursday to teach personal safety skills and Aikido - a defensive martial arts - to kids ages 4-14.
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Brent Cavender
Sales Manager
Brent brings a wide range of technical Sales and Marketing experience to Etna Interactive, helping us to share our message of return on investment in Web marketing and guiding clients towards solutions that fit their style and financial objectives. He's the sales professional with an organized, analytical approach who also appreciates and nurtures personal relations. In fact, Brent insists that interacting with so many people is what he loves most about his role at Etna. Brent earned his Engineering Physics degree from U.C. Berkeley, has an MBA from the University of Phoenix, and has traveled to over 30 countries, including a lengthy South American sojourn in Chile and Argentina where he learned conversational Spanish.
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Scott Tobin
Account Manager
Scott has worked in the Internet industry since his days in the San Francisco Bay area, where he served as an Internet Strategist and Web Project Manager, working a great deal with HP. A graduate of Cal State Fullerton, he possesses an MBA in Global Management from the University of Phoenix. We're not sure but we also think he has a degree from a reputable Clown College, because he keeps us well-stocked with jokes, amusing trinkets, and the occasional witty t-shirt. Scott is a father of four, including twin toddlers, which may explain why his favorite saying is Homer Simpson's, "Alcohol – the cause of and solution to all of life's little problems."
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Jason Varley
Account Manager
Jason won't sleep until he has satisfied every one of his clients' needs. And even then, he still won't be sleeping - ah, the joys of being a new parent! As an Account Manager, Jason ensures that client projects stay on track and provides continued support for a variety of client Web initiatives. Like most of the nerdy nerds around these parts, he has plenty of technical training, including a B.S. in Electronics & Management from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale and an M.S. in Computer Science from Cal Poly, which helps him understand the nitty gritty of our clients' Web needs. Jason also has a pilot's license, a real estate broker's license, and apparently a license to ill - he claims he can do a better Caddyshack gopher dance than anyone alive, but we have yet to see it. Someday, Jason hopes to return to the trails, waves, and slopes he enjoyed B.C. (before child).
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Amanda Nelson
Account Manager
Amanda N. puts the "pro" in project management, with over ten years of experience as an account manager. In 2004, this Towson University grad headed west from Washington, DC to California. We're sure glad Amanda N. made the trip, because she's spent the last five years on the Central Coast providing efficient, strategic client support. Don't let her warm, personable demeanor fool you – from her high school field hockey team to our team, Amanda's goal is winning and she's got the marketing know-how to make it happen for our clients. On her time off, Amanda N. enjoys snorkeling in tropical locales, hiking, and tasting our famous local wines.
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Nancy Bruce
Client Services Manager
Nancy has a knack for being in the right place at the right time. During the heyday of the 1990's Internet revolution, the Cal Poly grad was at Microsoft. The next seven years, during which California wines became more likely than those from France or Italy to be served in American restaurants, she was at Robert Mondavi and Tolosa. Coincidence? We tend to think the avid knitter's just really good (we're the lucky ones). So, what wonders will she work for our industry? Actually, as Client Services Manager, her job is to work wonders for you and yours. And when she isn't visiting quirky roadside attractions like the Liberace Museum or the World's Largest Egg, that's exactly what she'll do.
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Shannon Edam
Account Management Assistant
Shannon is a true world traveler. She lived in Ghana, West Africa for a year, studying African politics, history, religion and culture at the University of Ghana as part of her degree in International Studies from Humboldt State University. She also lived in Belgium for a year during high school, and speaks Twi (a Ghanaian language), French and Spanish. Shannon's work experience is also "all over the map" (from non-profits to real estate), and she brings a high degree of professionalism to her role at Etna. Her many hobbies include photography, music, and dance, and her time overseas has sparked her passion for issues in the developing world, including improving access to drinking water.
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Jenna Mitchell
Office Manager
Although she's officially Etna's Office Manager, Jenna also oversees Human Resources. Trained as an architect, she also owns a dance studio and is a Massage Therapist. It's safe to say that she knows quite a bit about quite a lot. Her vast experience includes business planning and video game development, and she has worked in the medical, mortgage and software industries. When she isn't working - and who knows when that might be - she enjoys traveling to the Middle East to further her dance studies. Also serving as Ryan's assistant, her work frees him to concentrate on the work of Etna's clients.
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Laurie Hobbs
Office Assistant
Laurie has a passion for finding the soul in everything she does, from teaching and practicing hoop dance as director of a local performance arts collective to handling a wide range of administrative tasks for our clients (yes, there is indeed soul in that too!). Laurie graduated from Cal Poly with a BFA in Art and Design.
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Scott Feldman
Director of Online Marketing
Scott comes to Etna after a decade spent in the music business where he worked from both Chicago and LA, marketing famous people, places and products. Today, he puts his B.S. in Marketing from Ithaca College to work, focusing on marketing strategy, link building, keyword and region targeting and pay-per-click advertising. He enjoys watching and playing sports and continues to indulge his love of music, especially when it comes to attending live concerts. Although he's extremely proud to be from the East Coast, since relocating to San Luis Obispo he's learned that the Central Coast has just about everything he could ever want...except a decent Philly cheesesteak and Tastykakes, whatever those are.
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Kristin Bertsch
Online Marketing Manager
After 4 years of being an Account Manager at Etna, Kristin decided to take on a new challenge by moving to the Marketing Department. With a degree from Cal Poly in Management Information Systems, Kristin began project managing Web sites in 2000, and now manages and coordinates an ever-expanding list of online marketing tactics for our clients. She's dedicated herself to the principle of teamwork, helping to make Etna such a great place to work and providing our clients with stellar service. She enjoys her role on the Etna Party Planning Committee and takes full advantage of the many outdoor activities San Luis Obispo has to offer, especially hiking and mountain biking. She's married to Bret.
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Kristina Wing
Social Media Manager
Kristina is a trailblazer. She spent her senior year of high school taking college courses, made 3 trips to Europe by the time she was 24, and visited Japan, where she climbed Mt. Fuji in the remarkable time of just 4 hours. Now she's putting her degree in journalism to work by blazing a different kind of trail – helping Etna's clients navigate the brave new world of social media.
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Michelle O'Hara
Online Marketing Coordinator
Michelle is a recent graduate from Cal Poly, earning a B.S. in Business with both Marketing and Management concentrations. She assists the Online Marketing department staff in organizing critical client metrics, executing link building and link exchange campaigns, and analyzing our clients' competitors. Originally from the Bay Area (hence her baseball team of choice), Michelle is an avid reader and enjoys taking advantage of all the San Luis Obispo area has to offer, including the beaches and jogging trails.
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Rachel Rossicone
Marketing Intern
Rachel is a 4th year Cal Poly business major with a penchant for getting the details right. When she's not hard at work analyzing our clients’ competitors, tracking their search engine rankings, or setting up link exchanges with partners all across the Web, Rachel channels her energetic personality and taste for competition into her intramural basketball team. A San Diego area native and avid Padres and Lakers fan, Rachel can usually be found out in the sun, enjoying San Luis Obispo County’s beaches and hiking trails.
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Matt Moore
Director of Copywriting
Born in "Wild, Wonderful" West Virginia, Matt moved with his family to Pittsburgh when he was just 6. He spent a couple of years at Cornell, before trading in the Ithaca winters for a Creative Writing degree from Carnegie-Mellon. Creative writing? What's a fella gonna do with a degree like that? Apply it and his extensive research skills to writing amazing SEO copy that gets amazing results. Oh, and he went to school with Christina Aguilera. Not at Cornell. Not at Carnegie-Mellon. Not even at UCLA School of Law from which he earned his most recent degree. Yes, back in high school, briefly. An avid runner, Matt's also a vegetarian who's active in animal advocacy. A car nut since age 2, he's been collecting 1:18 scale model cars (those pesky full size ones take up a lot of space). Poor Christina. Lucky us.
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Chris Hogue
Copywriter
After growing up in the Silicon Valley area, Chris discovered the unique qualities of the Central Coast while earning a B. S. degree in Applied Math at Cal Poly. After college, she began a career writing high-tech software manuals, Web copy, and marketing collateral. One husband, three sons, and a German Shepherd later, Chris and the "Guys" settled on the Central Coast for a more grounded lifestyle. Chris, who still values correct grammar and punctuation, cringes whenever she sees "it's" used as a possessive and a period used in place of a semicolon. At Etna, she writes on a wide variety of medical topics for our expanding list of clients in a wide range of medical fields. Chris maintains her calm demeanor through yoga and distance running, including the occasional marathon.
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Jeri Marks
Copywriter
As a former high school English teacher with a young family of her own, Jeri joined Etna Interactive in part to spend some more time around adults. Boy, has she been disappointed. When not sending us for "time outs" or taking away our radio-controlled toy helicopters, Jeri trades on her B.A. in English from Cal Poly to write Web copy that makes the connection and gets results for our clients. When not enjoying the wildlife here in the office, Jeri enjoys heading to the Sierras for hiking and camping with her family. She also enjoys 80's music and high-intensity spin class, preferably in combination. She has the unique distinction of having The Cutest Kids on the Planet.
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Susan Westwood
Copywriter
Susan hails from Susanville, California. She's a fast-swimming, Italian-speaking, copy-writing force to be reckoned with and she never runs from a challenge. This former Cal Poly English instructor is no stranger to the medical field – before joining our team she worked as an organizer for medical conferences across the country.
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Emily Youngman
Copywriter
Emily would like to make one thing clear: she's not a "stuffy" writer. Sure, she has worked for attorneys in the past as a paralegal, but those dark days are over and she now uses her creative spark to deliver content that's just what the doctor ordered - literally. Outside of the office, she's an avid runner, voracious reader, and picky eater (keep those mushrooms and shrimp OFF her plate!).
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Kurt Schulz
Director of Design and Development
Kurt is a mystery, wrapped in an enigma, shrouded in a veil of unknowingness. Someday, we hope to uncover just what it is that makes this veteran member of the Etna team tick. But until that time, we'll console ourselves with the fact that Kurt has a true passion for delivering excellent design and development work for our clients, trading on a seemingly infinite knowledge of All Things Web and helping to make the company such a fantastic place to work.
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Geoffery Rowe
Graphic Designer
As far back as elementary school, Geoff displayed an artistic skill and vision that set him apart from the other kids. Unfortunately, early on in his college career, he learned that he would likely starve as a street artist drawing pictures for tourists. So, he decided to major in art education with the goal of teaching. Then, he learned that he'd likely starve as a teacher. Finally he discovered computer graphics, eventually graduating with a degree in advertising design with a focus on illustration. He worked in print and packaging design before joining Etna. Today, in his spare time, Geoff continues to paint, fine tuning his fine art.
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Andrea Bowers
Web Developer
No longer using the BS in Secondary Education she got from the University of Nevada, Reno, this former math teacher is now our rocket pop super coder. At Etna, she develops sites and assists in everything from Web design and editing to planning our company get-togethers. After hours, she goes to her other full-time job being a mom. To keep up her energy, Andrea drinks copious amounts of coffee and goes biking to lunch spots all across town. Her talent for crafting puns is closely matched by her talent for creating tasty desserts.
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Kevin McGinn
Web Developer
Having grown up in Southern California's Inland Empire, Kevin is of course a die-hard fan of baseball's Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He's also passionate about the entertainment industry, specifically feature films. It comes with the territory, although most people don't spend a summer interning for a Producer the likes of Julie Richardson ("Collateral"), as Kevin did. Someday he hopes to combine his entertainment experience with his joy of creative writing and pen a screenplay or two of his own. Until then, he assists in Web development, concentrating on issues of quality assurance. Additionally, Kevin was a Graphic Communication major, so he applies his numerous creative talents to both Web and print design projects.
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Bret Heenan
Director of Engineering
A programmer for over 20 years - the last 10 for the Internet - Bret has written hundreds of Web based applications for clients such as Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Kaiser Permanente and ESPN. He enjoys helping clients solve the problems that plague their day-to-day work. Bret's a firm believer in the simple, useful tool, rather than the complicated piece of software. In his spare time, he indulges his passion for music, enjoys hanging out with family and friends and works on his alter ego - The Dude.
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Amanda LeNay
Engineer
Amanda has contributed to the industry since 1998, building servers and working in server administration, development and engineering. Like Bret, she's a natural problem solver, always looking for and usually finding creative, simple solutions. She enjoys riding horses with her children and growing her own organic garden.
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