Leadership Team
Leading Authorities boasts a veteran staff. Our top client service executives have more than 75 years of combined experience, making them a valuable resource for speaker recommendations, top entertainment picks, and inside information on the latest trends in the event industry.
Mark French, President & CEO
Mark French is president and CEO of Leading Authorities, one of the nation’s most prominent strategic event firms and lecture agencies. French founded Leading Authorities in December 1990 following more than a decade of achievement with two major national associations.
French serves on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, and has served on the Board of Directors of the International Association of Speakers Bureaus (IASB), the Associate Alliance of the American Society of Association Executives, and a special IASB-National Speakers Association (NSA) task force. He has participated as a speaker at numerous industry events and is considered a key leader in the speaking industry. His commentary on the speaking industry has been featured in numerous media outlets including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, CNN, ABC News, and NBC News, to name a few. French is a member of the American Society of Association Executives, the City Club of Washington, and Meeting Professionals International.
Read Mark's full biography here.
Matthew Jones, Chief Operating Officer
A fifteen-year veteran of Leading Authorities, Matt Jones heads the company’s effort to recruit and manage new talent and handles many of the company’s day-to-day operations including marketing and new business ventures. He has been cited as an expert on the lecture circuit and the events industry in the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Fortune, the New Yorker, and Time magazine.
Rainey Foster, Executive Vice President & Partner
Rainey Foster is executive vice president and partner of Leading Authorities, and manages many of our most important client relationships, including a majority of Washington’s more prominent trade associations and corporate clients. After fourteen years in the industry, she understands the critical needs of the company’s high-profile speakers and the requirements of major companies and associations who book their services.
Program Consultants
When clients begin planning their events, a Leading Authorities program consultant works with them to design the best program by learning about their organizations and understanding the business behind their meeting. Because our program consultants are well versed in the hot issues of the day, they can provide tailored research for each client and make recommendations that stay in line with the budget, theme, and location. These professionals are dedicated to packaging the perfect blend of speakers, entertainment, and production to create a winning event.
Headquarters, Washington, DC:
- Tony Berardo, CMP, Senior Vice President
- Debbie Saylor, Vice President
- Lisa Raines, Senior Program Consultant
- Lisa McFadden, Program Consultant
- Saul Farber, Program Consultant
- Kathleen French, Program Consultant
- Morgan Giddings, Program Consultant
- Tara Newman, Program Consultant
- Katherine Bentley, Program Consultant
- Fred Suss, Director of Entertainment
Mid-West Operations, Chicago:
Ned Jovanovich, Vice President
Western Operations, Beaver Creek:
Marina (Mimi) Hair, Senior Vice President
Minneapolis:
Ryan Foltz, Program Consultant
Asian Operations, Singapore:
Antoine Ting, Managing Director
Click here for more information about our team.
Event Advisory Services
Leading Authorities Event Advisories Services improves the impact, effectiveness and ROI of corporate and association meetings and events. We help clients position meetings and events as a form of live branded media that aligns closely with organizational business objectives, promoting meetings as a key driver to accelerate brand development, increase revenue and build constituent loyalty. EAS provides event advice, strategy, planning, marketing sponsorship development and delivery to associations and corporations.
- Helena Lehman, CMP, Senior Vice President, Client Services
- JP Moery, Vice President of Event Strategy
- Tori Furphy, Production Associate
Event Coordinators
As the liaison between the talent and the client, Leading Authorities' event coordinators make sure that every booking runs like clockwork. This detail-oriented team handles all of our speakers' logistics and provides a range of services from developing itineraries and scheduling conference calls to managing book purchases and arranging meet-and-greets. By guaranteeing convenient access to your event coordinator at all times, Leading Authorities ensures a smooth and hassle-free event.
- Lucinda DeCastro, Events Manager
- Lisa Felipe, Senior Event Coordinator
- Lauren Wolf, Senior Event Coordinator
- Christine Norton, Event Coordinator
- Janel Schepman, Sales Coordinator
Marketing
Leading Authorities has distinguished itself among other groups by establishing strong relationships with the finest talent in the industry. By continuing to attract top speakers and entertainers to our company, our business development staff enables you to get the most from your investment. The marketing team provides detailed and polished information about our talent offerings through print materials, videos, and our Web site. In addition, the marketing team hosts many events each year to showcase Leading Authorities' roster of speakers and range of production capabilities.
- Kate Burns, Vice President, Marketing and Creative Services
- Shani Ben-Shlaush, Manager, Marketing Events
- Brie Karpf, Marketing and Operations Manager
- Whitney Sayce, Writer
- Mike Gutierrez, Marketing Coordinator
Production
Leading Authorities’ cutting-edge production house offers full-service event production and marketing communication services. With a team of the industry's top talent, the production staff delivers fresh ideas, creative production, and limitless resources. By capturing the speakers, entertainers, and events on film, our producers create top-quality promotional materials to use online, onstage, or in the boardroom. In addition, the creative media staff provides range of on-site production services such as site selection, staging, show management, and more. Running the backstage, behind-the-scenes action is what this team does best.
- Kim Adomanis-Chomicz, Vice President, Production
- Elizabeth Macy, Production Manager
- Tim Reber, Executive Director of Client Services
- James Favata, Senior Editor and Producer
- James Loizou, Editor and Producer
- Ian Scott, Videographer and Producer
Operations
Our business operations staff keeps the company online, organized, and operational. Specifically, the accounting department is available to assist with billing or payment questions. And, if you are interested in a rewarding career in a dynamic and growing organization, please click here to see the opportunities available at our company.