The Direct Marketing Educational Foundation (DMEF) has revealed its 2009 Rising Stars Award recipients, as well as the firm that has earned its 2009 Corporate Commitment Award. This annual award honors professionals, 40 years of age or younger, for outstanding career achievements in the direct/interactive marketing field. Further consideration is given to executives’ leadership and commitment to giving back through education, and those who mentor to support future generations in this field.
This year’s Rising Stars are: Michael Becker, iLoop Mobile, Inc.; Gretchen Littlefield, Triplex Direct Marketing; Chuck Sharp, iCrossing; and David Ventresca, MAGHOUND Enterprises, Inc. The Corporate Commitment Award winner is Litle & Co.
The Rising Stars include:
Michael Becker, Vice President Mobile Strategies, Mobile Labs, iLoop Mobile, Inc. In addition to his duties at iLoop Mobile, Becker sits on the Mobile Marketing Association’s North American Board of Directors, and is a member of DMA’s Annual Programming Advisory and Mobile Councils. In 2007, Becker was awarded the MMA’s Individual Achievement Award for his contributions to the mobile marketing community.
Gretchen Littlefield, President, Triplex Direct Marketing, an infoGroup company. Littlefield focuses on figuring out how the rising popularity of online social networks and the abundance of new marketing channels affect the direct response community and the world of nonprofits. In 2008 she launched an interactive division to address these needs. Currently, she serves as a co-chair for the DMA Nonprofit Federation 2010 DC Conference, and is on the Board of Directors for the Children of Uganda, a charity that provides support and education to orphans.
Chuck Sharp, Managing Director of Analytics & Business Intelligence, iCrossing. Sharp founded his technology start-up, Sharp Analytics in 2001. He also began teaching entrepreneurship and lecturing on database marketing later that year. In 2007 Sharp sold his company to iCrossing, where he leads the analytics organization. He was recently published in the Journal of Integrated Marketing and was invited by Google to participate in their latest advisory meeting.
David Ventresca, President, Maghound Enterprises, Inc., Time Inc. At Time Consumer Marketing Inc., Ventresca has led the development of Maghound for the past four years. He is a former chairperson and regular contributor to the Magazine Publisher’s of America’s (MPA’s) Internet Working group, and a frequent conference speaker at numerous events including MPA, FMA, and Circulation Management/Audience Development. He has also volunteered his time with Literacy Partners as a reading and writing tutor for adult learners.
The 2009 DMEF Corporate Commitment Award winner is Litle & Co. Founded by DMA Hall of Fame member, Tim Litle, Litle & Co. provides payment management services for businesses that sell directly to consumers through multichannel and internet retail, direct response marketing (TV, radio, and telephone), and online services.
“Receiving a corporate leadership award based on commitment to education, and from an organization so near-and-dear to me is a special honor,” said Tim Litle, chairman and founder, Litle & Co., in a statement.
Litle continued, “The Corporate Commitment Award recognizes something we hold as a fundamental truth: we stimulate innovation when we understand real needs and apply solutions that are rooted in relevant learning.”
The DMEF works to attract, educate, and place top college students in the business of direct/interactive marketing thereby, expanding and enriching the talent pool of trained, market-ready direct marketers. The awards will be presented on Tuesday, June 16 during the DM Days New York Conference & Expo.
