Maria Verven Email & Phone Number

Boston, Ma

Greater Boston Area

Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

Songnificant offers non-profit, for-profit and political organizations that promote a liberal, all-inclusive and all-accepting agenda an opportunity to find songs that express their values, advance their missions and ultimately generate greater support.The most novel business model is a revenue-sharing partnership; when the organization promotes the song to their community, Songnificant will donate up to 50% of the revenue from downloads to the organization.

Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

I work with small businesses to "get found," connect with customers and grow their business. Since content is so critical to getting found online, I develop a strategy and calendar for keyword-rich content that communicates key messages to clients and prospects.Many clients need a new website: I take a WordPress or Weebly template, create a web map around their core products and services and populate it with keyword-rich content. Then I develop a strategy to get that website found, often working with a digital marketing partner that's expert in paid acquisition. I have several sub-specialties, including the e-cigarette industry as well as technology, healthcare and financial services from the years I spent as a V.P. at several companies (see below). I also have a passion for music and have spent many years helping non-profit organizations on audience development.

Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

• Put high growth/entrepreneurial company “on the map” by developing a strategic marketing/P.R. plan that combined analyst and media relations, advertising, trade shows, speaking engagements • Successfully nominated the company for multiple awards, including Deloitte & Touche Technology Fast 500, Cisco and Tekne technology awards, and several mortgage industry awards• Overhauled the company’s brand, led the redesign of sales collateral and website, www.dexma.com• Led and executed B2B web lead generation aimed at banks and mortgage companies• Researched, launched and developed value proposition for several new technology products• Initiated and managed all employee and client communications, managed writers and designers• Wrote industry thought-leader articles as well as whitepapers, case studies and news releases

• Managed accounts for several key clients in the financial services and healthcare industries, including Conseco Finance, Medica and Dexma• Led the firm’s entry into bio-tech, serving on MNBIO board and leading HTS Biosystems account• Planned and handled change management for a local client that was bought by U.S. Trust• Led a successful multi-office pitch for Fiserv, a Fortune 500 company; wrote the P.R. plan, budgets.

• Managed five full-time staff members and eight P.R. agencies to effectively manage and promote the firm’s reputation through proactive media relations; wrote the company’s first media relations policy• Handled crisis P.R. and served as spokesperson during the settlement of a major class action suit• Developed P.R. strategies for many other crises and issues such as the advent of online trading, new investment strategies, interest rate changes, Y2K and market volatility• Handled change communications when Piper Jaffray was purchased by U.S. Bancorp• Initiated innovative media-worthy surveys to draw attention to the value of financial expertise• Created an innovative media relations measurement system that tracked a 60 percent increase in the number of clips in one year, and an even more dramatic increase in key media placements in the Wall Street Journal, Business Week, Forbes, Fortune, CNN, CNBC, and the Nightly Business Report

Head of P.R. “Agency” specializing in healthcare. Developed strategic communications plans and provided a wide range of P.R. services for several clients, including:• Healthcare: Evercare, the Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians, UnitedHealth Group, and Medica Health Plans, where I was the sole media relations expert for two years• Medical Devices/Pharma: Diversified Pharmaceutical Services, and Dacomed, where I successfully helped the company defend a core product to HCFA• Other Clients: Jewish Community Center of St. Paul, Junior Achievement, M.A. Gedney Company, and Reliastar

St. Paul, Mn

• Led the news bureau, which averaged 350 media contacts a year. Trained and coordinated a team of disaster/crisis P.R. volunteers• Provided P.R. leadership and counsel to Red Cross Blood Services, Disaster Services, the Bone and Tissue Bank and First Call for Help• Promoted National Marrow Donor Program and publicized the nation’s first unrelated bone marrow transplant coordinated through the NMDP• Managed, wrote and edited the annual report and six publications (a total of 36 issues a year)• Supervised a full-time writer, freelance writers and interns• Developed budgets and directed the department in the director’s absence

B.A., Music

Activities and Societies: Honors in music. Performed full-length senior recital on harpsichord.

Education record