HEALTHCARE SUCCESS - Key Persons
Since graduating from the University of Notre Dame in 2016 with a bachelor's degree in Graphic Design and Pre-Health Studies, Alex has been honing her craft both agency-side and in the freelance jungle. With a keen eye for branding, she brings a versatile skill set to the team spanning the identity, digital, and print disciplines. Alex enjoys art and design particularly because of its effectiveness in communicating without words. Her other creative interests include photography, illustration, and visual storytelling.
Most of her friends describe her as bubbly and energetic, but she largely prefers alone time to make pillow forts and read comics late into the night. During her off-hours, she likes trying out new eateries, traveling with family, playing video games, and hiking with her two pit bull rescues.
Andrea started her career in account management in San Francisco at an ad agency specializing in high-end digital and traditional media for clients like Blue Shield, Sephora, LinkedIn and Levi's.
For the past 7 years she has held roles on digital marketing teams at B2B and B2C software companies in the healthcare, wellness, education and infrastructure spaces. She has developed extensive knowledge on paid direct-response strategy and beginning-to-end media execution (social, SEM, display, PPC, programmatic).
Andrea is a Certified Google Partner (Google Ads, Display, Youtube), Facebook Blueprint-Certified and has a plethora of marketing technology platforms in her toolbox. She loves making marketing tools and data accessible to businesses to help create stellar campaigns that drive results.
Job Titles:
- Senior Digital Media Strategist
Ashley is a paid search and paid social expert with over 8 years of agency and in-house experience in managing enterprise-level spends across several verticals. Seeing her campaign builds and optimizations make an immediate impact on accounts is what really drives her.
She has a passion for cooking (more importantly eating), traveling, soccer, working out, reality tv, hanging out with family & friends, and doing everything she can to be the best mom she can be to her baby girl.
Job Titles:
- Director of Project Management
Barbara has over 25 years of experience in interactive project management, software development and marketing. She earned her degree in Computer Science at the University of California at Irvine where she also received the Distinguished Student Scholar award for her research in Natural Language Processing.
With more than 18 years of brand and marketing experience, Brett is an award-winning multidisciplinary designer with a proven track record in helping companies (B2B + B2C) to realize the full potential of their brands and communications.
Combining a passion for measurement innovation and performance-based marketing with his deep experience in corporate identity, Brett has contributed to the success of brands including Align Technology, Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Aston Martin, Cornerstone OnDemand, Dodge, Invisalign, iTero, Keck Medicine of USC, Life Technologies, Merck, Schering-Plough, Sharp Healthcare, Tandem, and Time Warner.
Brett provides a unique perspective, having worked as an integral part of global design teams both in-house and agency-side, providing informed and beautiful design solutions spanning print, digital, environmental, and visual design to over 175 companies of every size and maturity.
Brett received his BFA in Graphic Design from The Rhode Island School of Design in 2004 and is an active member of the AIGA, the Professional Association for Design.
Brian started as a graphic designer and web developer in 2015. Within a few years, he realized coding was much more fun.
Job Titles:
- Director, Client Services
Catherine joins Healthcare Success with over 20 years of experience in the advertising industry, specializing in client service, account management and operations. She has worked at major ad agencies in NY and LA on multiple Fortune 500 clients.
She tapped into this vast experience to bring her knowledge of the marketing industry and her operational tool kit to businesses to her consulting practice, CCS101s, and prior to that at Hawthorne Advertising in Los Angeles as Director of Account Operation and then New Business Operations.
Catherine spent over 10 years at Ogilvy & Mather in both the NY and LA offices:
At Ogilvy LA she led the integrated Ogilvy & Mather 360 team efforts for creative branding and strategy for the newly formed California Health Benefit Exchange - now called Covered California. She also worked on Cisco, Sony LATAM, ampm/ARCO and TravelNevada.
At Ogilvy NY, Catherine worked on Goldman Sachs for seven years, first with the Events group and then expanding her role to include Corporate Communications when she led the account for the agency. She then transitioned to the newly won UPS account, where she set up and led Global RedWorks' training and operations.
Prior to her tenure at Ogilvy, Catherine worked at several NY agencies including J. Walter Thompson, FCB and Grey Direct where her client experience ran the gamut of industries, including, USPS, Kodak, Volvo and KeySpan Energy Delivery.
She holds an A.B. in Cultural Anthropology from Duke University and has completed multiple post-graduate business education courses at NYU. In December 2019 she completed a year-long certificate in Organizational Leadership and Communication at UC Irvine.
In her free time, Catherine enjoys all that life in California has to offer, whether spending time at the beach or in the mountains hiking, biking, running or paddling. She is on the boards of the SoCal Duke Women's Forum and Gold Rush Adventure Racing and volunteers as a floor educator at the La Brea Tar Pits.
Job Titles:
- Associate Project Manager / Media Coordinator
Celeste works hard behind-the-scenes to coordinate client projects and make sure we meet our goals and deadlines. Her attention to detail, flexibility, and organizational skills are key to client success. Celeste also works alongside our media buyer to execute traditional media buys. She is in constant communication with representatives from different media outlets, handling paperwork, coordinating creative projects, and monitoring traffic. Celeste holds a BS in Business Administration from San Diego State University. In her spare time, she practices traditional Tahitian dance and plays the piano.
As Healthcare Success' Senior Media Buyer, Charlie DeNatale has overseen and executed traditional media plans for over 75 healthcare clients. With over 35 years of experience, Charlie has purchased advertising in virtually every city and town in the US (200 DMAs). Charlie prides himself on his adept media strategy, research, planning, buying, and implementation of both direct response and branded media campaigns.
Originally from New York City, Charlie joined the Healthcare Success team in 2010. Before Healthcare Success, Charlie served as VP/Advertising for several in-house media corporations and worked as Media Director for New York-based advertising agencies Christopher Thomas Associates and Lobo & Petrocine. Beyond healthcare, Charlie has led hundreds of media campaigns for higher education, finance, and sports.
A graduate of Upsala College, his career has also included public speaking, radio broadcasting, and sports reporting for national sports networks and news outlets. Charlie currently resides in San Diego, California.
Job Titles:
- Strategic Advisor, Pharmaceutical and Device
For more than 30 years, Darlene has worked with healthcare clients across nearly every therapeutic category and has launched an impressive roster of brands in the pharmaceutical, biotech, diagnostic and device spaces. She has held executive positions at some of the top global healthcare agencies in the pharma industry, including Ogilvy and McCann. She has received the SmartCEO Brava Award, Medical Marketing & Media Hall of Femme Award, Healthcare Businesswomen's Association Rising Star Award and the prestigious PharmaVoice 100 award, which celebrates the top 100 most inspiring people in the life-sciences industry.
Gabby Villegas is an account manager at Healthcare Success. Gabby has over three years of digital marketing experience, particularly in the areas of paid search, social, and email marketing in an agency setting. She has worked with many clients to generate successful campaigns, increase website visitors and overall revenue while helping guide and teach clients in all aspects of digital marketing. Gabby graduated with a B.A. in Communication, with an emphasis on Societal Communication from Point Loma Nazarene University. When she is not working, she is reading one of the hundreds of books on her shelves or perusing TikTok to find the next food hotspot.
Job Titles:
- SEM Specialist
- Digital Account Supervisor
Garrick is a SEM specialist with over 10 years of agency and enterprise level experience managing paid search campaigns on Google, Yahoo! and Bing. Helping clients at Healthcare Success acquire new patients through paid search and other various digital marketing initiatives is what fuels him.
A positive, persistent, and fun attitude is what he brings on a daily basis along with detailed optimization skills. He has a passion for travel, playing tennis with his dad weekly, eating Vietnamese food, and keeping up with his rescue dog Bear.
A healthcare digital marketer for more than six years, Jacob began his career as a Strategist on the Internet Brands/WebMD team. Jacob later transitioned into the digital agency world, and today he leads relationships for many of Healthcare Success' new clients. Jacob helps all sizes of organizations, and his most recent clients range from a single location addiction treatment center to a 65 location senior living community. Jacob prides himself on his ability to assess his clients' needs, and then guide them to the optimal digital marketing strategy for their business.
Jeff brings more than 20 years experience as a CFO to Healthcare Success in his role as strategic partner and trusted advisor to the CEO. Jeff is a process expert, a proven leader in performance management and has extensive experience in financial reporting & modeling, audit & compliance and M&A. Jeff's previous career stops include National Medical Enterprises (Tenet Healthcare), Centex Homes (Pulte Group) and Birtcher Real Estate Ltd. (Mitsui & Co. Ltd.). He is adept at identifying cost drivers and substantial areas of savings, overcoming obstacles to company growth and is able to gain a long-range outlook of business through solid financial planning and strategy. Jeff earned his undergraduate accounting degree from California State University, Long Beach and did his graduate work at Golden Gate University. Along with his wife and daughter, Jeff is an ardent supporter of people with special needs and together they regularly donate time and money to a variety of organizations.
Job Titles:
- Senior Marketing Strategist
In her career, Kathy has helped over 4,000 clients all over North America achieve their growth goals. As an award-winning strategic marketing planner, Kathy has been involved in both the high-level strategies required for long-term sustainability, plus the tactical execution used to accomplish the day-to-day successes. In addition, Kathy is an accomplished speaker, appearing at countless national, local and state healthcare associations. Kathy is a member of the American Marketing Association and The Direct Marketing Association.
Mark J Tager, MD is Chief Enhancement Officer (CEO) of ChangeWell, Inc., a San Diego organization that trains and coaches healthcare practitioners to enhance their presence in person, on camera and online. A veteran of more than 1,000 presentations, Mark shares his skills and passion to empower those who attend his trainings. As a physician, he is well grounded in aesthetic, lifestyle, regenerative and integrative medicine. A highly sought-after speaker and consultant, he has lectured and trained extensively in the United States, Europe and Asia.
Job Titles:
- Director of Content at HS
Melanie comes to Healthcare Success with 15 years of professional experience in content production and marketing. With a strong organic search and SEO background, her specialty lies in producing quality content that aligns search, brand, and performance objectives across all consumer touchpoints.
Among various in-house positions, she's worked as Senior Content Writer for two major digital marketing agencies, including Submit Express, where she wrote for small to medium-sized businesses, and Bruce Clay, Inc., considered the "father of SEO." At Bruce Clay, she honed her SEO copywriting skills and had the opportunity to write for larger, enterprise brands.
As Director of Content at HS, Melanie leads a strong team of senior copywriters who write for the Healthcare Success blog, website, and the agency's health and wellness clients. She holds a B.A. in journalism from California State University Northridge.
Naghmeh is responsible for technical search engine optimization (SEO) and developing ongoing SEO strategies to improve our clients' organic traffic and presence. She has over eight years of experience working with national and international clients across various industries, including enterprise-level healthcare businesses, multilocation practices, retail, and e-commerce. She always strives to deliver excellent work that is in-depth, thorough and meets the highest standards. What's more, she always takes a proactive approach to her projects, continually searching for ways to drive more organic growth.
Before joining Healthcare Success LLC, Naghmeh worked for two of the nation's leading SEO firms: first as SEO Analyst for the venerable Bruce Clay, Inc, and then as SEO Architect Manager, Earned Media, for ForwardPMX (aka The Search Agency). She has optimized websites for many nationally known brands including eBay.com, Century 21.com, Realtor.com, WeatherChannel.com, Redbull.com, GRAMMY.com, CapitalOne.com and Pacific Dental (SmileGeneration.com). Naghmeh received her BS in Computer Science from the University of Tehran-Iran. Her industry certifications include GoogleAnalytics, Amazon SEO, and SEOToolSet.
Netania is a graduate of Chapman University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Sciences and a minor in Psychology. Netania gained a passion for healthcare marketing through a combination of her academic, internship, volunteer, and work experiences. Her health sciences capstone investigated health disparities, building on well-established research concerned with the unequal distribution of health and disease. Before joining Healthcare Success, she worked in a variety of healthcare organizations, including being a part of the marketing department at Pacific Dental Services. Netania is invested in promoting health and wellness and influencing successful patient engagement.
Ryan has spent nearly a decade as an SEO specialist in a wide range of industries in addition to healthcare including legal, travel, and e-commerce. He spent 3 years doing doctoral work in History at UC Santa Barbara before working for multiple high-profile digital marketing agencies.
When not at work he enjoys reading, playing music, and spending time with his wife.
Sara has more than 15 years digital and content marketing experience. She specializes in writing engaging, educational, and on-brand content for healthcare clients across the nation. Sara enjoys distilling complex topics into relatable, readable content whether she's taking a new product to market, promoting emerging technologies, or explaining complex medical concepts.
Sara is also a wife, mother of 5 (3 human, 2 furry), gardener, author of the children's book, "Banana Island," and volunteer VP of Communications for her children's elementary school PTA, where she manages all inbound marketing.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Creative Director
- FREE Marketing Assessment
- Healthcare Marketing Executive
Stewart Gandolf, MBA, is Chief Executive Officer of Healthcare Success, one of the nation's leading healthcare and digital marketing agencies. Over the past 20 years, Stewart has marketed and consulted for over 1,000 healthcare clients, ranging from practices and hospitals to multi-billion dollar corporations. A frequent speaker, Stewart has shared his expertise at over 200 venues nationwide. As an author and expert resource, Stewart has also written for many leading industry publications, including the 21,000 subscriber Healthcare Success Insight blog. Stewart also co-authored, "Cash-Pay Healthcare: Start, Grow & Perfect Your Cash-Pay Healthcare Business." Stewart began his career with leading advertising agencies, including J. Walter Thompson, where he marketed Fortune 500 clients such as Wells Fargo and Bally's Total Fitness.
"I love what we do. Our agency delivers tangible results for our clients, and at the same time helps educate the public to receive better healthcare."
For the past 20-plus years, Tim has focused on client relationships and account management in advertising. He has amassed a repertoire in direct response, database marketing, brand identity and source integration while working in the New York offices of J.Walter Thompson, Bates, Bozell, FCB and Merkle. His client experiences include the United States Marine Corps, Ford Motors, Warner-Lambert, Pfizer, FEMA - National Flood Insurance Program, Wolters Kluwer, Fresh Direct, Oriental Trading and Gulf States Toyota.
Tim has a degree in Communication Arts from Cornell University. As a native New Yorker, he wanted to be a farmer but then became an advertising aficionado. He loves critiquing television commercials and tracking the origins of the latest ads appearing on his computer. He is also involved in diversity and inclusion activities for The Dalton School and the Boy Scouts of America. From regular trips to Mexico, his favorite food has become Mexican. Thankfully, Mexican cuisine has improved tremendously in New York. And he does, in fact, have flood insurance and drive a Toyota.