Team Bios | Westbound

Scott Smith

Title: President and CEO
Education: AA at Cypress, BA at CSUF and MA at USC Annenberg School of Communication
Brands Served: Anheuser Busch, Pioneer Electronics, Nintendo, Coors Brewing Company, Sprint, Technicolor, Toyota Motorsports, Gardenburger, Alaskan Brewing Company - to name a few.
What I love most about working in PR: Coming up with great programs that enhance our clients’ reputations
How life has prepared me for the world of PR: As a youngest child I loved to talk. I enjoy selling - was the only kid on my block to hold yard sales to sell my used toys.
Campaign/project/media hit I’m most proud of: Getting Katie Couric and Bryant Gumble to sing karaoke on the Today Show back when we were first introducing this new concept to the U.S. market.
Career highlight: Building two agencies with many of the same friends and team members.
My greatest adventure: Riding my bike from Canada to Central California
My favorite quote: “It is never too late to be what you might have been.” – George Eliot
When I’m not working, you can find me…: Running, biking, playing golf or tennis

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Carrie Gilbreth

Title: Senior Vice President and General Manager
Education: B.A. from Chapman University in Communications
Brands Served: AQMD, Caltrans, SANBAG, Coors, DeVry University, KB Homes, Macy’s, Rentech, OCTA, City of San Bernardino EDA, Sprint
What I love most about working in PR: The power of persuasion and how communication influences people to live better, work harder and play more.
How life has prepared me for the world of PR: I was raised to be loyal to where you came from and always help those around you. With more than a decade of experience working for national brands and commuting, my backyard came calling. We opened an office in San Bernardino and were able to bring our national expertise to our own region.
Project I’m most proud of: The I-215 groundbreaking, only one of six $100M+ transportation projects to be awarded stimulus funding. The project is launching a revitalization of the entire Inland Empire. We put San Bernardino on the national radar -- and AP, the Wall Street Journal, and even Vice President Biden and Congress took note.
My favorite quote: “This too shall pass” - my grandma
When I’m not working, you can find me…: With my family!

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Rick Miltenberger

Title: Senior Vice President
Education: B.A. from CSUF in Communications/Public Relations, Minor in English
Brands Served: Allergan, Kofax, Mission Hospital, OCTA, Pioneer Electronics, St. Joseph Health System, Technicolor, Toyota
What I love most about working in PR: Much of public relations is about shaping communication in a way that’s most meaningful to recipients. On the surface, it seems so simple. Yet communicating well is so intricately complex. I find the challenge to help others connect fascinating.
A business moment I’ll always remember: Having Larry King personally call me to apologize for being rude…I knew I had arrived!
I’m most proud of: Being a dad, coach, playmate and mentor for my three boys.
My dream vacation destination: The Italian countryside…for months and months!
My guilty pleasure: Mountain Dew!
My favorite quote: “In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” – Abraham Lincoln
When I’m not working, you can find me…: On the baseball and soccer fields with my boys.

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Cindy Taylor

Title: Senior Vice President
Education: A.S. from Mt. San Jacinto College in Business Administration
Brands Served: I am fortunate that in my role I get to work with all of our clients.
Why I decided to go into PR: I enjoy building client relationships and having the ability to positively impact their businesses.
A business moment I’ll always remember: Painting an 8ft banner to acknowledge a client’s birthday so she would see it as she passed by our office on the Metrolink.
The key trend I see in the industry is: The constant evolution of technology and the impact on how we do things
News source I have to check every day: OC Register and CNN
My favorite spots in the U.S.: North Shore of Oahu
My hidden talent: Teaching group fitness classes
My favorite quote: “We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot.” - Eleanor Roosevelt
When I’m not working, you can find me…: At the beach

Robert Chevez

Title: Account Supervisor
Education: B.A. from CSULB in Journalism: Public Relations; Minor in Marketing
Brands Served: SANBAG, Caltrans, OCTA, Rentech, Cambridge Display Technology, BenQ, JVC, Sprint, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota Philanthropy, Centers for Disease Control, Mission Hospital
How PR influences my daily life: I see news and messaging through a public relations lens. I am constantly analyzing news stories and public outreach programs.
A business moment I’ll always remember: Meeting Vice President Al Gore and Jon Bon Jovi at an intimate VIP event in Downtown Los Angeles hosted by our client the Downtown Center Business Improvement District.
Career highlight: Launching the CDC’s "VERB. It’s What You Do" Youth Media Campaign in Washington, D.C. with former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson
My hidden talent: Playing the piano
My favorite quote: "The more you learn, the more you realize what you don’t know."
When I’m not working, you can find me…: Playing electronic/house music on my Pioneer CD turntables and Technics 1200s.

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Phiphi Tran

Title: Account Supervisor
Education: B.A. from CSULB in Journalism: Public Relations, minors in Communication and Marketing; Currently at USC for a Masters in Communication Management
Brands Served: Alaskan Brewing Company, Downtown Center Business Improvement District, Gardenburger, Macy’s, Meade Instruments, Mission Hospital, South Coast AQMD
What I love most about working at Westbound: The people I work with, who are like a second family, and the culture of delivering quality results in everything we do.
The key trend I see in the industry is: Social media is blurring the lines between traditional media now more than ever (and it’s so exciting!)
News source I have to check every day: The Drudge Report
My greatest adventure: Working for CNN in New York during the 2004 RNC
My favorite quote: “There’s only one way to succeed in anything, and that is to give it everything.” – Vince Lombardi
When I’m not working, you can find me…: With my nose in a book or discovering great food at cheap restaurants.

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Jenny Corsey, APR

Title: Senior Account Executive
Education: B.A. from Messiah College in Communication, Minor in Journalism
Brands Served: American Red Cross of Orange Countty, ARAMARK, Kofax, OCTA, ReadyOC, Reproductive Biology Associates, St. Joseph Health System, Turner Broadcasting, Women For Hire
How life has prepared me for the world of PR: I’ve worked for a wide variety of organizations including magazines, newspapers, nonprofits, corporations and PR agencies so I’m able to bring my skill set to any project, any client and any campaign.
How PR influences my daily life: I can never read the paper, browse a magazine, listen to the radio or watch a television broadcast without thinking about how I would pitch a client!
A business moment I’ll always remember: I once interviewed Second Lady Lynne Cheney at the White House for The Washington Times. Apparently, we wear the same type of mascara.
My favorite quote: “Ending a sentence with a preposition is something up with which I shall not put.” – Winston Churchill
When I’m not working, you can find me…: Walking on the beach with my husband Matthew and our adopted dog Polly

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Angela Meluski

Title: Senior Account Executive
Education: B.A. from CSUF in Communications, Minor in Human Communications
Brands Served: DeVry, Macy's, Mojave River Watershed Group, OCTA, SANBAG, San Bernardino EDA, ARAMARK
What I love most about working in PR: Two things - making a difference in my community and working with really awesome clients.
Campaign/project/media hit I’m most proud of: I-215 Widening Project Phase 3 & 4 Groundbreaking. I’ve never had so many sleepless nights – but it all paid off in the end!
A business moment I’ll always remember: My first media hit – a special with ABC’s Denise Dador for my final college project highlighting Ryan’s Reach.
My greatest adventure: It’s a toss up - jumping out of a perfectly good airplane at 13,500 feet or ziplining through the forests of Alaska.
My hidden talent: I danced competitively as a kid and taught tap to little tykes
My favorite quote: “Teamwork makes a dream work…”
When I’m not working, you can find me…: Playing with my son Logan - he's the best!

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Kelly Koehler

Title: Assistant Account Executive
Education: B.A. from CSU San Bernardino in Mass Communications; M.A. from California CSUF in Communications
Brands Served: Macy’s, OCTA, Omnitrans, Rentech, Rotary International, SANBAG, San Bernardino EDA
Why I decided to go into PR: I knew that a career in PR would afford me the opportunities to write, build positive relationships with clients and work in a team environment.
What I love most about working at Westbound: Having colleagues that share a genuine interest in influencing positive community change. I love working collaboratively with creative intellectuals.
How life has prepared me for the world of PR: I learned that there is no endeavor too large and as long as I invest 120% into what I do, I will succeed.
My favorite quote: "The soul like the moon is new, and always new again."
When I’m not working, you can find me…: I love entertaining friends at home. There is nothing more fun than cooking a great meal and playing Cranium!

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