We come from all sorts of different places.
We come from all sorts of different places.
We’re all headed in the same direction.
Our people are from all over the country and beyond. We’ve worked for big marketing agencies, small design firms, Fortune 50 companies and startups, and some of us have worked in all of the above.
Today, we’re focusing this rich background on companies who have an idea that might just change the world, have some early momentum, and are ready for some expert business consulting and smart, aggressive marketing. In other words, companies who are exactly as optimistic as we are.
So meet the people who are pumped to start working with you.
Dean Zikria, Chairman & Founder
One of Dean’s strong points is that he’s never worked at a marketing agency. But as a senior executive for some of America’s best-known brands in healthcare and business, he’s had decades of experience learning what marketing agencies offer and what their clients actually need. So Dean founded Mind Machine to bridge the gap.
He has an especially diverse background in many areas of the healthcare value chain. including management consulting, healthcare technology, marketing & sales strategy, M&A (strategy, targeting, transactions & integration), medical/pharmaceutical distribution, and leading cross-functional/complex teams.
Early in his career, Dean worked as a life science researcher at Columbia University – College of Physicians & Surgeons, where he conducted research focused on the “effects of macromolecules in capillary permeability.” This research led to Dean being an inventor or co-inventor on several patents for biopharmaceuticals in this field. Dean also holds multiple patents in the medical device field.
Dean serves as an independent Board Member for Tivic Health (NASDAQ: TIVC), a company selling a bioelectric device for the reduction of sinus pain and congestion (direct-to-consumer brand). Dean is also the Chairman of the board of directors of Brev.Dev (www.Brev.Dev), a private company revolutionizing the way coders/programmers work.
Before Mind Machine, Dean worked at: Accenture, Deloitte Consulting, McKesson, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, LifeScan, Animas, and iHear Medical. Dean was also CEO of Spirosure, Inc, (Silicon Valley venture-backed company) where he raised $30 million and launched an asthma diagnostic/medical device in 2017.
Dean earned a BS in Biology from Rutgers University while playing defensive back on the football team. He also has an MBA from Rutgers University.
Dean lives in Danville, CA with his wife, Dana (who is also Mind Machine’s President) and their three children. He enjoys golf, tennis and traveling with his family.
His favorite quote is “Fortune favors the prepared mind.” -Louis Pasteur
Dana Masino, President & CFO
Dana is responsible for the quality, quantity, and timeliness of everything we do for our clients, from our pre-marketing services all the way through our customer retention initiatives. In line with our lean, efficient business model, Dana supervises a growing team of full-time staff and specialized associates from a variety of financial, legal, strategic, technical, and creative disciplines.
Dana has a wide range of experience in agency operations, creative design, and account management. She started her advertising career on Madison Avenue in the early 1990s at Adler Boschetto Peebles and Partners. Moving west, she worked with Industrial Light & Magic, George Lucas’ studio that created the special effects for the Star Wars series, along with countless other films and commercials. Look closely at the credits of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, and you’ll see Dana’s name. She also worked with Time Magazine in San Francisco and went on to evolve her art-buying chops at BBDO Atlanta for three years.
Dana has a BA in Education from New York University. She lives in Danville, CA with her husband Dean Zikria (yep, that Zikria), three children and two dogs. She enjoys yoga, reading, hiking and travel with her family.
Her favorite quote is “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” -Teddy Roosevelt
Allan Ezial, Creative Director
Allan is well-known for creating compelling brand stories by developing a unique blend of strategic messaging, powerful imagery, fresh design, and crisp writing. In 2019, he was one of the first people to join Mind Machine, where he leads overall direction in brands, campaigns, design, and photography. Unlike most creative directors, he is a successful commercial photographer as well.
Allan has over 20 years experience as a Creative Director, including ten years as Founder and CEO of Ezial Design Group, a full-service design agency in Berkeley, California. In that role, he served a wide variety of domestic and international clients, from Napa Valley wineries to upscale restaurants, biotech, motorcycles, and lifestyle brands. He balances his strong sense of purpose with an upbeat energy that makes meetings with clients fun and memorable.
Allan earned a BA in Design from Los Angeles State University. He lives in San Rafael, CA, and enjoys cycling, hiking, cooking, and non-emotional games.
His favorite quote is “Do, or do not. There is no try.”–Yoda
Charlene Petuship, Director of Agency Operations
One of the original members of Mind Machine, Charlene is responsible for overseeing agency staffing, supervising the company’s daily operations (Finance, HR, Client Management), managing relationships with key vendors, and more.
Before Mind Machine, she worked at Giant Evoke and Havas San Francisco, where she became an expert in a wide spectrum of pharmaceuticals used to treat rare disease states, including pulmonary arterial hypertension (Actelion Pharmaceuticals portfolio [Opsumit, Tracleer, Uptravi, Ventavis, Veletri, Zavesca]; acquired by Johnson & Johnson), phenylketonuria or PKU (BioMarin Pharmaceuticals portfolio [Kuvan, Palynziq]), CLN2 (BioMarin Pharmaceuticals [Brineura]), and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (Roche/Genetech [Esbriet]).
She also oversaw effective communications for well-known therapies used to treat more pervasive disease states, including multiple sclerosis (Roche/Genentech [Ocrevus]), migraine (Amgen Pharmaceuticals [Aimovig, Speak Your Migraine]), osteoporosis (Amgen Pharmaceuticals [Prolia]), and age-related macular degeneration (Roche/Genentech [Lucentis]).
Charlene earned a BS in Psychology & Social Behavior, with a double minor in Biology and Civic & Community Engagement, from UC Irvine. She lives in Daly City, CA, and enjoys Spartan (obstacle course) racing. She loves learning new languages and is learning Arabic, Italian, and Polish at the same time. She also volunteers for the American Cancer Society.
Chris Savage, Marketing Strategist
A results-oriented management consultant with over 20 years of proven successes, Chris has helped companies successfully overcome business challenges and uncover market opportunities. His clients range from <$1MM entrepreneurs to >$1B multinationals in industries that include consumer products, health sciences, and medical technology. Johnson & Johnson is a noteworthy example.
For a multibillion-dollar MedTech client, he conducted an assessment of healthcare categories and facilitated regional planning workshops that informed their global growth strategies. For a Canadian footwear and apparel company, he developed US and international expansion plans, including strategies for sales, marketing, innovation, and systems. He also assessed the market potential of a portfolio of biotech and nutritional supplement products for an emerging company and developed a recommendation for establishing a business presence in North America.
Chris earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of British Columbia.
He lives in Vancouver, BC, is married with four children, and enjoys skiing, cycling, and sailing.
His favorite quote is “Be the type of person your dog thinks you are.” -J. Frick
Holly McGarraugh, Market Strategist
Holly has spent her career almost exclusively in the medical device and diabetes data areas. She has held leadership positions in startup organizations that excelled in innovative technologies, services, and diabetes data platforms. Holly was an early member of LifeScan prior to its acquisition by Johnson & Johnson and was on the original leadership team of TheraSense, which was later acquired by Abbott, where she led the early worldwide FreeStyle Navigator commercial team (precursor to the FreeStyle Libre CGM). She also was CEO of a private venture-backed asthma device company, Apieron, which launched an innovative measurement tool for predicting potential asthma exacerbations. More recently, she held leadership roles at Glooko, a universal medical data and AI platform, and has been continuing her work in the field consulting and volunteering since January 2020.
Holly has a Master’s Degree in Medical Education from Vanderbilt University. She lives in Healdsburg, CA with her husband, a chemist who played a fundamental role in developing CGM technology. They recently finished building a house with a small Zinfandel vineyard. She loves to cook, entertain, and celebrate with her friends and family. She is also an avid reader and walks five to seven miles a day.
Her favorite quote is “The future belongs to those that believe in the beauty of their dreams” -Eleanor Roosevelt
Greg Karraker, Writer
Greg Karraker is an actual Mad Man, who started his career on Madison Avenue writing ads for Barney’s Clothes. A few years later, he moved to San Francisco and worked with a number of well-known agencies, including Chiat/Day and J. Walter Thompson, where his campaign for California Lottery increased sales from $1.4 billion to $2.1 billion in four years.
His favorite clients are the ones who have a mission to make the world better and the means to do it. Some of them include Abbott Diabetes Care, Dell Computer, Intel, Kaiser Permanente, McKesson, and Varian Medical Systems.
He earned a BA in Journalism from Penn State and an MFA in English from San Francisco State.
Greg lives in La Quinta with his wife Kathryn, and their two British Shorthairs, Lizzy and Thatcher. In his spare time, he enjoys photography, desert hiking, and writing short stories and essays.
His favorite quote is “I’m trying to think, but nothing happens” -Curly
Jane Conner, Valuation Analyst
Jane began her career with Deloitte and has been a key contributor to the success of many startup companies over her 40-year career. For the past 25 years, she has focused on strategic planning and new product development, providing hands-on guidance for managing growth, ultimately leading to successful exits, including an IPO, mergers, and acquisitions.
Jane has served multiple entities as a Board Member and directed finance, human resources, and administrative functions throughout her career.
She holds an MBA from the University of Portland and a BS In Business Administration from Humboldt State University. She is a Certified Public Accountant in the state of Oregon.
Jane lives in the Pacific Northwest, where she enjoys spending time in the outdoors with her family. Her greatest joy comes from time spent with her grandchildren.
Her favorite quote is “Out beyond the ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I’ll meet you there.” -Rumi
Jeff Christensen, Public Relations
Jeff is an award-winning PR professional specializing in the healthcare industry and known for creating and leading media-winning communication and engagement campaigns for clients ranging from cutting-edge startups to Fortune 500 industry leaders. He has a broad background serving hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, and medical device manufacturers to produce inventive PR programs for product launches, health awareness campaigns, digital initiatives, employee communications, and crisis management.
Having served his client organizations in communications roles both from within and as an external agency expert, Jeff is known as a strategist and team leader that generates big, media-winning ideas for creative, effective storytelling campaigns as well as an expert writer who creates clear, concise and moving content.
Jeff has led all facets of public relations and communication campaigns across a range of therapeutic areas, from diabetes, cardiology, and chronic pain management to substance abuse, women’s health, gastroenterology, and anti-infectives. Organizations he has served include Johnson & Johnson, Glooko, Kaiser Permanente, Senseonics, St. Jude Medical, Autonomic Technologies, and the Diabetes Hands Foundation.
Jeff has an MA in Mass Communication with a concentration in Public Relations from San Jose State University. He lives in the Bay Area with his wife Erika and does his best to keep up with his high schooler, Miranda, and his sons, Sam and Finn, who are in college. In his spare time, he enjoys riding his bike and playing the drums.
Mitty Chang, Director of Digital
Mitty Chang is a seasoned web development and e-commerce specialist who heads up our agency’s web development team, creating user experiences that are as enjoyable to use as they are inviting to interact with. As a web developer who has transitioned to a leadership role as a project manager, Mitty brings over 12 years of web development experience to the team he leads.
Before Mind Machine, Mitty created quality digital transformations and experiences for a wide range of companies, including leading brands such as Samsung, Cisco, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Rotary International, and Public Goods.
Mitty received his BA from the University of California, Davis, in political science and communications. He lives in San Jose, CA. Mitty spends his free time exploring the phenomenal variety of cuisines in the Bay Area and planning his next trip, probably from an Anthony Bourdain point of view.
His favorite quote is “As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.” —Bill Gates
Jeff Baker, Project Manager
Jeff Baker is a digital project manager with over six years of experience helping creative, production, and development teams deliver quality online experiences for clients. He currently supports multiple projects with the design, production, and delivery of digital assets.
His past experience includes managing web design, development, and creative campaigns for Kaiser Permanente, Banfield Pet Hospital, and others. Jeff also has over ten years of experience in the financial services industry, starting with corporate banking and later working in the insurance industry with national leaders including AIG and others.
Jeff has a BA in Business from Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA. He lives in Daly City, CA and follows the Premier League (British football), and is a fan of vintage VWs. He is a proud dog dad of a miniature poodle.
His favorite quote is “The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” -Nelson Mandela
Jen Hamilton, Project Manager
Jen is a decisive problem-solver who starts with a deep understanding of her team’s vision and focuses on strengthening the team by encouraging cohesive collaboration, not just to reach enterprise goals but to crush them. Jen prides herself on being a learner and enjoys partnering with others to bring visions to fruition.
She has over 20 years IT experience with leading technology companies, such as Citrix and Hotwire Telecommunications, and also in the investment, corporate banking, and marketing industries.
Jen earned a BA in Administration from Barry University, Miami with a concentration in technology, and an MA from Barry University.
She lives in South Florida and acts as a caregiver to both her elderly mother and aunt, an experience that she finds rewarding and enlightening. Caregiving has given her a great perspective on humanity and the true meaning of life.
Her favorite pastimes are music, film, and stimulating conversation.
Her favorite quote is “The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.” -Bob Marley
Sandra Mausner, Market Research Strategy & Execution
Sandy has been a marketing research consultant in the San Francisco area for over 30 years. She specializes in competitive analysis, new product introductions, target market identification, and pricing strategy. She has consulted with companies in a full spectrum of industries, including diabetes management, new ventures, medical devices, healthcare, and consumer packaged goods. Her expertise is combining quantitative and qualitative data to provide an insightful, realistic view of the market.
Sandy earned a BA and an MS in Social Sciences from City University of New York and an MBA, Marketing, from Adelphi University.
She lives in Corte Madera, CA with her husband and has two children who also live in the Bay Area. An avid traveler and hiker, she and her husband walked the Camino in Spain. Sandy loves to make friends from countries she visits and strives to maintain those friendships.
Her favorite quote is “Mi casa es su casa,” a phrase she actually lives.
Andrea Parrish, Social Media Strategy & Execution
With nearly 20 years of experience in communication and digital marketing, Andrea has a deep respect for the power of interconnected communications. She has worked with solo business owners up to multinational organizations, with a special focus in communications and social media for highly regulated industries. She also serves as a keynote speaker and trainer.
Hettie Stroebel, HCP Strategist
Hettie is a former Merck & Co., Inc executive with 25+ years’ experience in life sciences. Her focus is on global strategic marketing and commercialization creating value for clients, patients, providers, and payers. She led seven product launches, all exceeding profitability targets in major global markets. Her impact on running business units ranges from $100 million to $1 billion per year.
Hettie is the Founder & CEO of Launch Excellence Partners, a strategic marketing planning and commercialization advisory firm to the Life Sciences industry optimizing launch and commercial success to meet both internal and external expectations.
She is an active volunteer and is Vice-Chair of Women in Bio, Greater Philadelphia Metro, and also a Board Member of the nonprofit Alliance of Women Entrepreneurs (AWE), helping high-growth female founders scale their companies.
Outside of her volunteer and company responsibilities, she spends time with her husband, Nico, and their fur babies, Daegan and Maya. She is an avid reader and passionate about walking, arts, and entertainment.
Her favorite quote is “Life is a one-time opportunity – use it well.”
Chris Gingras, Medical Compliance Strategy & Execution
Chris is an experienced compliance and business ethics leader who provides expert advice on resolving complex regulatory issues and helps develop global compliance programs that effectively minimize business risk.
In his previous career, he was Chief Compliance Officer Ernst & Young, and he acted in a similar capacity at an academic health system and global medical device company.
Christopher proudly serves as a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy and previously deployed in support of contingency operations as a Captain in the U.S. Air Force.
He has a BA from the University of New Hampshire and an MBA from Rice University, and he completed Joint Professional Military Education at the U.S. Naval War College.
He lives in Gainesville, FL with his wife, two daughters, two dogs, and one horse.
His favorite quote is “All you can do is all you can do: but all you can do is enough.” -Art Williams
Andrea Yee, Jr. Web Designer
A digital native and resident Gen Z expert, Andrea brings a high-energy approach to every pixel she moves around the screen.
A multidisciplinary creative, she has spent the past six years serving a diverse range of clients in jewelry, luxury skincare, nonprofit education, and B2B.
Andrea grew up in Silicon Valley but moved to Manhattan, where she earned a BA in Media, Culture, and Communication from NYU. She currently lives in San Jose, CA. When she’s not on her laptop, Andrea is probably drinking boba or looking for her next favorite bakery.
Jeanine Bekas, Market Access Strategist
Jeanine has over 30 years of experience working with startup and fully commercialized companies, primarily in the consumer medical device market. Her experience includes more than 22 years with Johnson & Johnson (LifeScan, J&J Vision Care, Acclarent). She also worked at Forest Pharmaceuticals, Ventus Medical, and Accuray. Her diverse therapeutic background includes blood glucose monitoring, insulin delivery, digital solutions, obstructive sleep apnea, ENT surgery, and radiation treatment. She has broad expertise in director-level roles in market access, sales strategy development and execution, contracting, pricing, operational excellence, and health policy and reimbursement. Jeanine thrives in complexity and helping companies build new capabilities or launch new products or services.
Jeanine has a BA from Lake Forest College with majors in Business and Biology. She received her MBA from the University of Phoenix.
Jeanine recently moved with her husband, John, from the Bay Area to Scarborough, Maine. She enjoys sailing, entertaining, pickleball, reading, knitting, gardening, walking the beach, and spending time with family and friends.
Her favorite quote is “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.” -Steve Jobs
John Donaghue, Creative Strategist
John Donaghue is an award-winning versatile advertising art director. He has created work that has run on the Super Bowl all the way to ads on coffee cups. A campaign he created for DHL had a 98% recall. And DHL’s business rose 25% that year. He created a campaign for Nevada Power that starred an Alien Elvis impersonator and a jackrabbit. After his “Blue World” campaign ran, Lake Tahoe’s daily room rate went up 25%. He was also the group creative director for the launch of Salesforce.com.
Some of his other projects include IZZE(PepsiCo) Jamba Juice, Boise Paper, Microsoft, Peet’s Coffee, Mondavi Wine, Kashi Foods, Proctor and Gamble, Wells Fargo, Yogi Tea, AT+T, Mushroom Council, The Beef Council, Clorox, Wells Fargo, Kikkoman, Abbott Health Care, and Lake Tahoe Tourism.
He has won at the Clios and Cannes plus the NY Art Directors Show, Addys, and SF Show. His work has been featured in Newsweek and on CNN and PBS. He was also voted Adweek’s Art Director of the year.
In his spare time, he works on a comic series he developed called “Under Cardiac Arrest.” He has published a book of the Under Cardiac Arrest comics, plus greeting cards and calendars that are being sold in several stores in the SF Bay Area.
Liz Seif, Brand Editor
Liz is a copyeditor, proofreader, and word buff. She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a law degree from the University of Kentucky and is a licensed attorney who has practiced law for more than twenty years. She opened her freelance editing business, In A Word Editing Services, LLC, in July 2017. In November 2020, she was pleased to join Mind Machine’s team. Liz is from Lexington, Kentucky, where she still lives with her husband (and two cats). She has a daughter, son-in-law, and grandson. When she’s not working, she likes to read, hike, play bridge, travel, and spend time with her family.
Nick Ernst, Digital Ads Manager
Nick has 18+ years of digital marketing experience across multiple industries with a focus on paid search, paid social, SEO, and tracking and analytics. Nick has worked with many clients to help increase online sales and drive leads across multiple industries. Currently, Nick supports the operational efforts at Ernst Media as the COO.
Evan Ernst, Digital Ads Co-Manager
Evan is the CEO and founder of Ernst Media. He’s got a degree in Business Management with a minor in Marketing from Washington State University. He is a digital marketing professional with over 15 years of experience in deep demand generation, social media, and search engine marketing experience, with a proven ability to deliver exceptional results. He co-founded a software/ad-tech company, Adworkz, in 2008 and served as its COO for 10+ years before the company was acquired.
Zachary Stephan, Digital Ads Strategist
Zachary has 8+ years of digital marketing experience with a focus in paid search, social media marketing, and conversion tracking. Zachary has worked across multiple industries covering lead gen + e-commerce clientele utilizing platforms such as Google, Facebook, Amazon, Shopify, Magento, Linkedin, and more!
Jennifer Phillips, Digital Ads Strategist
Jennifer brings nearly 10 years of digital marketing experience with a heavy focus on lead generation and sales. She primarily uses paid social, paid search, web tracking, and data analytics to increase conversions, revenue, and ROI for clients in a variety of industries, including healthcare, e-commerce, and much more.
