U.S. Partnership Awards

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

April 17, 2024   |   Miami, Florida

The 2024 Judges

Bri Bannick

Bri Bannick

Brand Cycle

Business Development

LinkedIn

Bri has 8 years of experience in affiliate marketing and strategic partnerships world and has developed a deep understanding of how these two disciplines can work together to drive success for businesses of all sizes. Over the years, Bri has seen the benefits for a company through identifying and engaging with key partners, negotiating mutually beneficial deals, and optimizing affiliate partnerships for maximum ROI. Whether it’s through building relationships with publishers, creating compelling content, or leveraging technology to track and measure performance, she has seen firsthand the power of affiliate marketing and strategic partnerships in driving growth.

Brook Schaaf

Brook Schaaf

FMTC

CEO

LinkedIn

Brook has been in the affiliate marketing space since 2000. He is a former in-house affiliate manager, agency owner, and PMA board president. He currently runs FMTC, a purveyor of monetized deal and product feeds for enterprise coupon, reward, and commerce content affiliates. Brook lives outside Austin, TX with his wife, children, and chickens

Christie Frazer

Christie Frazer

Assembly Global

Global Vice President, Affiliate Marketing

LinkedIn

Christie has over 18 years of Digital Marketing experience and has overseen the Affiliate Channel at Assembly for 12 years. ​ As the Global VP of Affiliate Marketing, Christie is responsible for growing Assembly’s affiliate program management business and has built a team of 40+ employees over the last 10 years across North American, EMEA, MENA and APAC. She launched affiliate programs for several large brands over the years and her global teams currently manage programs for brands such as Ace Hardware, Boden, American Girl, Foot Locker, Champs, Tommy Hilfiger, Make Up For Ever, Janie & Jack, MCM, Forever21, Ballard Designs and Frontgate. Christie began her career in the airline and publishing business and spent several years in London running the marketing programs for various PR/Communications consultancies before moving back to the US to work for Vonage. Christie lives in New Jersey with her husband, 12-year-old daughter and 9-year-old twin sons but is a Midwest girl at heart! (St. Louis) She loves traveling with her family, playing tennis, going to the movies and having fun with her mini Irish doodle, Belle.

Daniel Winschel

Daniel Winschel

DICK'S Sporting Goods

Performance Marketing Manager

LinkedIn

Daniel currently leads the affiliate marketing program for DICK’S Sporting Goods. In past roles he has managed multiple digital marketing channels including social media, paid search, SEO, and display advertising.

Diana Lysenko

Diana Lysenko

Taimi

Global Partnerships Lead

LinkedIn

As the Global Partnerships Manager at Taimi, an LGBTQ+ Dating App, Diana is passionate about connecting with brands that champion diversity, justice, and love. Her passion lies in exploring innovative ways through which Taimi can contribute to enhancing the lives of LGBTQ+ individuals, advocating for equality, and shaping a more inclusive future

Dmitri Cherner

Dmitri Cherner

Self Employed

Influencer Consultant

LinkedIn

Dmitri has over 10 years of experience building, scaling, and optimizing Influencer marketing programs. He’s managed agency campaigns for clients such as Coca-Cola, Walmart, and Samsung, and built multiple D2C Influencer programs from scratch at Ruggable, Quince, and OneSkin

Faique Moqeet

Faique Moqeet

Hamster Garage

Founder, CEO

LinkedIn

Faique Moqeet is the Founder and CEO of Hamster Garage. Hamster Garage manages programs for some of the world’s most loved brands like Uber, Canva, Hopper, MasterClass, etc. In 2021, Hamster Garage acquired Swipehouse to help streamline working with creators at scale. Prior to Hamster Garage, Faique built and managed a large global partner program at Airbnb. Prior to Airbnb, Faique was a management consultant for financial institutions.

Gazelle Bakhtari

Gazelle Bakhtari

Internet Brands

Affiliate Marketing Manager - eCommerce

LinkedIn

Gazelle started her career in the beauty world, diving headfirst into social media management. That’s where her fascination with influencer marketing began, sparking a passion for exploring its ins and outs. Shifting gears to affiliate marketing, she found her groove in building and, harnessing the power of partnerships. Gazelle loves to stay up to date about industry trends and given the chance she’d test any campaign type in performance marketing.

Heidi Rumpf

Heidi Rumpf

Foot Locker

Senior Manager, Affiliate Marketing & Partnerships

LinkedIn

Heidi has been in the affiliate space for the past 7 years with a majority being spent on the advertiser side at Foot Locker. She is passionate about bringing excellence to Foot Locker through unique partnerships and enhancements to platforms that would reap benefits to all. She has earned recognition in the space through awards such as Best Use of Data, Best Performance Based Partnership, and has been ranked amongst her peers as top in the world. This is her 3rd year as a judge and is excited to see how everyone has been evolving the space & pushing Affiliate forward within their organizations/clients. Outside of her work life, Heidi is a new mom to a baby girl. When she has any spare time, her favorite activities are catching up on all things Bravo, reading the latest thriller, checking out a new wine (Spanish wines are her current favorite), and dreaming of home projects for her husband to do.

Jade Mayberry

Jade Mayberry

Dentsu International

Head of Affiliate & Performance Partnerships, North America

LinkedIn

Jade is an experienced marketer trusted by best-in-class digital marketing agencies, start-ups, and direct-to-consumer brands. She has a breath of experience across direct response, paid media and specialises in affiliate marketing. Jade sits on the board of the Performance Marketing Association and is currently Head of Affiliate & Performance Partnerships at dentsu, North America.

Jasmine Salamat-amoli

Jasmine Salamat-amoli

Block/Afterpay

Affiliate Sales Lead

LinkedIn

Jasmine is currently based in San Francisco, CA. She’s been in the affiliate industry since 2017, with a bulk of her experience on the publisher side. She has worked in roles across Operations, Partner Management, and People Management. Jasmine is extremely passionate about all things affiliate partnerships, e-commerce, and strategy. She thinks of herself as a people-first leader, aiming to cultivate a psychologically safe and efficient work environment for all.

John Szendiuch

John Szendiuch

Checkmate

Head of Partnerships

LinkedIn

John Szendiuch has been building new partnerships and publisher platforms in the affiliate space for the last 17 years. With stints on both the network and publisher sides, as well as time at early stage start ups, he brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in hands on building.

Jordan Carter

Jordan Carter

SharkNinja

Manager, Affiliate Marketing North America

Jordan currently resides in Delray Beach, and is at the helm for growing the affiliate channel for both the USA and Canadian markets for Shark and Ninja. Jordan’s enjoyed getting to work on GTM strategies for innovative products that is used on a daily basis! Jordan’s been in the performance marketing space for nearly a decade and have seen it from all sides. He has helped startup DTC brands establish and grow their programs from the ground up to eclipse 7 figure annual revenue. Additionally, he’s been on the publisher side working to amplify DTC brands through commerce content so appreciates the nuances of the industry but more so values the power of performance.

Kelly Johnson

Kelly Johnson

Capital One Shopping

Head of US New Client Development

LinkedIn

Kelly is passionate about the intersect between technology and commerce. Kelly finds comfort with ambiguity and enjoys using a data-driven approach coupled with creativity to problem solve scaled solutions. Kelly currently serves as head of US New Client Development at Capital One Shopping. Previously, Kelly managed the Global Emerging Partnerships Team at Honey, a LA-based startup acquired by PayPal.

Lacie thompson

Lacie thompson

LT Partners, by New Engen

Chief Growth Officer

LinkedIn

With over 15 years of partnerships experience, Lacie founded LT Partners in 2018 and the company and Lacie joined the New Engen family in 2023. Lacie’s focus has always been on deeper levels of data, building tools and innovating in order to create the most robust strategies that bring the most value for brands and partners alike.

Lana Ivory

Lana Ivory

Amazon

Product Marketing Lead

LinkedIn

Lana Ivory is the Product Marketing Lead for Global Enterprise Partnerships at Alexa Smart Home. Her experience is in Enterprise Sales, Retail, and full-funnel Demand Generation Marketing within the Tech, eCommerce, Fashion, and Cloud verticals. In her current role, she bridges the gap between cutting-edge smart home technology and global audiences execute B2C marketing campaigns for Amazon and its partners. As a GenZ in Big Tech, Lana’s experience provides unique and fresh perspectives for the next generation of leaders. Outside of work, she is passionate about the future of work, reverse mentoring, and empowering GenZ voices in the workplace.

Lindsey Grillot

Lindsey Grillot

Ziff Davis

Director, Commerce

LinkedIn

Lindsey Grillot is the Director of Commerce at Ziff Davis, a prominent digital media and internet company known for its portfolio of leading brands in various industries, including technology, shopping, entertainment, health, cybersecurity, and more. In her current role, Lindsey oversees commerce strategy and partnerships for Ziff’s popular publishing sites PCMag, Mashable, Lifehacker, AskMen, and ExtremeTech. With a wealth of experience in the affiliate marketing industry, Lindsey has a proven track record of driving revenue growth and effectively managing strategic partnerships with brands, agencies, and networks. Her work experience spans companies of all stages, ranging from Series A startups to Fortune 100 organizations. Lindsey Grillot’s multifaceted background, professional achievements, and passion for affiliate marketing make her a respected figure in the industry. Her extensive experience in commerce strategy, performance partnerships, and leadership enables her to offer unique perspectives and actionable insights in various domains of business and technology.

Lissette Alvarez

Lissette Alvarez

Partnerships

LinkedIn

Lissette Alvarez, is in a leading Affiliate Partnerships role. She has been part of the digital and performance marketing industry — as a marketer, globalization advocate, and partnership manager — since 2001. Lissette began her career with Warner Bros Entertainment, Digital Group helping create digital media plans during the start of the e-commerce industry. She has managed marketing tactics , content development and strategies at Playboy Enterprises, Scripps Networks, and Fox Sports, Digital. Lissette established her performance marketing background at Google and Rakuten Advertising, where she helped create global communication and outreach for publishers. She moved on to the publisher side as Senior Director of Global Partnerships for JoinPiggy US, UK, and EU. JoinPiggy which was acquired by Klarna. She became Head of Affiliate and eCommerce Sales for ID.me and later joined ShoppingGives as Vice President of Partnership Strategy before joining Capital One Business Deals. Lissette is a Chicago native, a Cubs fan and avid traveler. She earned her BA in History and her MA in New Media from DePaul University

Luca Kim

Luca Kim

Neo Media World

Director — Affiliate Marketing

LinkedIn

Luca brings ten years of affiliate experience – 4.5 years of which was spent on the brand side leading a global affiliate program in the automotive industry. Luca prides herself on being a marketer championing technology to enable meaningful data-driven experiences with a people-first authenticity. In addition, she loves solving challenging problems and developing strategies that deliver meaningful and measurable business impact. Before joining the affiliate world, Luca taught German language and literature at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Lynsey Kmetz

Lynsey Kmetz

Apogee Agency

Managing Director

LinkedIn

Lynsey Kmetz is the Managing Director at Apogee and oversees affiliate program management, public relations, influencer, and paid advertising. Her collective work as a content creator and experience in the direct sales industry led her to be the focal point of strategy and operations.

Megan Shuffleton

Megan Shuffleton

Expedia Group

Influencer Marketing Manager

LinkedIn

Megan is an influencer marketing specialist with experience in both agency and in-house settings, across multiple industries, with creators of all levels both in the US and internationally. She’s spent 7+ years shaping overall strategy, building relationships with creators and agents, supporting paid and organic social teams, pioneering into new platforms, and collaborating with affiliate networks. Megan is forward-thinking, community-oriented, and adaptive, and leads with the balance of art and science when it comes to creating impactful, brand-led content.

Melissa Feemster

Melissa Feemster

Team Bespoke

Co-Founder

LinkedIn

Melissa Feemster loves the affiliate marketing space and enjoys connecting more people within it every day. She is one of the three Co-Founders of Team Bespoke, an agency that focuses on affiliate, influencer and PR for emerging brands. Before founding Team Bespoke, she was the GM of Rakuten Advertising, and also was part of the founding team of two startups that were acquired within two years – one by Google. She is an advisor and angel investor in multiple startups, and holds an MBA from Wharton.

Meredythe Tecson

Meredythe Tecson

Discover

Marketing Campaign Manager, Affiliate & Aggregator

LinkedIn

Meredythe’s 12 years of affiliate marketing experience for F500 companies such as Symantec, HP, Inc., Yahoo Small Business and now Discover Financial Services allows her creativity and partnering abilities to flourish within the relationships she manages. She enjoys collaborating with partners to find the magic in data driven digital campaigns and loves advocating for the channel within the organizations she’s a part of.

Noelle Spagna

Noelle Spagna

The Motley Fool

Affiliate Marketing Manager

LinkedIn

Noelle has been in the world of partnership marketing for over 10 years with experience working with top networks, agencies, and partners. She’s had the privilege of collaborating with a variety of successful brands while managing their affiliate programs across a wide spectrum of industries including fashion, retail, travel, B2B, and finance.

Teresa Grammatke

Teresa Grammatke

eAccountable

Sr Director

LinkedIn

Teresa is an experienced manager and marketing growth expert with an entrepreneurial spirit and a passion for helping clients meet their sales and marketing objectives and helping team members discover their purpose and achieve their potential. With over 20 years of experience she has led customer acquisition, lead generation and e-commerce growth strategies for both small and fortune 100 businesses, through a variety of digital marketing tactics, such as affiliate marketing, inbound marketing (including content and SEO), paid media (display/retargeting/AdWords), email marketing and social media marketing. As a manager and business owner, Teresa has owned P & L statements, organized team structure, recruited team members, created and managed employee retention programs, revamped performance reviews and have been trained in coaching.

Tricia Meyer

Tricia Meyer

Performance Marketing Association

Executive Director

LinkedIn

Tricia Meyer is the owner of Sunshine Rewards, Helping Moms Connect and other niche sites. In addition, she serves as the Executive Director of the Performance Marketing Association. She speaks and writes about topics such as monetizing blogs, managing affiliate relationships, and current events in the industry. A graduate of Indiana University School of Law, she combines her legal background and marketing experience to educate and open conversations about legal and ethical issues. As a consultant, she helps companies monetize through affiliate marketing.

Vikki Danielson

Vikki Danielson

tvScientific

Director of Partnerships & Growth

LinkedIn

Vikki’s involvement in partnership and affiliate goes back to 2010 with great career growth and success network, agency, brand and publisher side. She joined tvScientific a CTV platform in 2022 quickly bringing her expertise in affiliate to the world of CTV. She has already integrated tvScientific’s platform into the major affiliate networks and become the go to person for affiliate agencies and brands to learn about how they can blend brand and affiliate budgets to get measurable results from TV spend.

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