Academic History
| 2018- Present | College Teaching Certificate candidate (expected Dec 2019) Preparing Future Faculty Program, Claremont Graduate University Claremont, CA 91711 |
| Dec 2010 | Executive MBA Peter F. Drucker School of Management Executive Management Program, Claremont Graduate University Claremont, CA 91711 |
| 2001-2002 | Graduate Coursework in Instructional Technology (12 Units) Focus on Instructional Design and Project Management San Jose State University Open University – College of Education San Jose, CA 95192 |
| May 1987 | Master of Library & Information Studies (MLS) School of Library and Information Studies, University of Hawaii, Manoa Honolulu, Hawaii 96822 |
| 1982-1986 | Graduate Coursework in American Studies(30 credits) TA for American Studies Course on Japanese Americans Seminar in Teaching American Studies University of Hawaii, Manoa Honolulu, Hawaii 96822 |
| May 1980 ……………………… | Bachelor of Arts, History College of Arts & Sciences, University of Connecticut Storrs, CT 06269 |
Qualifications
Education / Learning Program Leadership
- Executive MBA from the Drucker School of Management in 2010. Strong advocate for Drucker philosophy of management as a liberal art and his view of business, government and NGOs roles in a functioning society.
- Currently enrolled in Claremont Graduate University’s Preparing Future Faculty certificate program (PFF) with a goal of developing learning programs on digital privacy best practices.
- Currently enrolled in the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) US Private Sector Privacy Online Training Program, with a goal to obtain the CIPP/US Certification.
- Spearheaded Training program to train new hires on cybersecurity products. Program included the selection of LMS software, authoring tools and webinar platform. Developed self-paced online learning program content. Also worked with SMEs to develop a robust learning program for customers at the annual user conference. (2016-17 Guidance Software)
- Managed a team of 17 professional EnCase forensic security software trainers and provided overall coordination of the Authorized Training Partner program in APAC and EU regions. (Guidance Software)
- Obtained an MLS degree with a focus on business research, electronic information storage and retrieval systems, knowledge of reference sources and special libraries.
- Charter member of The Electric Toasters, Toastmasters club. (1995)
- Other pedagogical learning experienced include a course in Teaching American Studies. Also served as a graduate teaching and media assistant for Professor Dennis Ogawa for a class on Japanese Americans at the University of Hawaii, Manoa.
Software Product Management Leadership & Entrepreneurship
- 20+ Years of experience full life cycle software Product Management including web, mobile, desktop, and cloud-based applications.
- Expertise in Agile, Kanban and Waterfall product development methodologies. (Dialog, Infoseek, Disney, Yahoo!, FastSoft, Earthlink, J2, Guidance Software).
- Success working collaboratively in matrixed organizational structures and with remote development teams. Expert program development and facilitation of offsite meetings to kickoff x-team software development projects. (Infoseek, Disney, Overture, Yahoo!, EarthLink)
- Independent product Marketing consulting experience in start-up entrepreneurial environments. (Guru, Quiver, Perfect Market, FastSoft, Rexter, Health Data Vision).
Project and Program Leadership
- Spearheaded a customer advisory board program to solicit ongoing feedback from early adopter clients to guide continuous improvement. (Guidance Software)
- Led a company-wide Innovations Council to vet and prioritize new product development opportunities after major company restructure. (EarthLink).
- Experience running customer Focus Groups, User Testing, Design Sprints. (Dialog, Infoseek, Disney, Rexter).
- Managed business partner relationships (Infoseek, Disney, EarthLink, Guidance Software)
- Overall project leader of Disney’s Go.com portal initiative which required working with 200+ stakeholders across Disney, ABC, ESPN and Starwave properties to build and launch one of the very first consumer Internet portals.
- Served as President of the Student Video and Filmmakers Association (SVFA) and Executive Producer of UH Magazine TV show while attending grad school at the University of Hawaii.
- Spearheaded a state-wide Hawaii student video and film competition and corollary fundraising, judging, conference planning, awards ceremony and art gallery. Solicited donations from local businesses and introduced celebrity guest speakers. (1983-86)
Other Skills
- Expert skills in Microsoft Office applications including PowerPoint, Excel, Word, Outlook, Access and Visio. Proficient in Microsoft Project and Microsoft Teams.
- Proficiency in Desktop Applications such as QuickBooks Pro, MS Project, TechSmith Camtasia and Sony Vegas video editing software.
- Adept using Jira, Confluence, Salesforce CRM, Adaptive, HubSpot and SharePoint, WordPress applications. Solid experience in budget, planning and financial reporting.
Professional Experience
Taproot Pro-Bono Consulting
| Independent Product Marketing & Strategy Consultant | |
| 2018-19 2010-14 2000-02 | Most clients have been early-stage information service providers. Ramped product management functions including organizational design, hiring and training resulting in a well-defined product roadmap and launch plan. Successfully designed and implemented Marketing and user-driven projects for web, mobile and back office applications for a variety of clients including Guru.com, Sentius, Quiver, X1 Technologies, Health Data Vision and others. QuickBooks for a small franchise and ran Google, Facebook and Yelp advertising campaigns to generate new business. |
| 2015-17 | Sr Director, Programs – Guidance Software |
| Guidance is known for its EnCase Forensic Security Suite which aids digital investigations for government, law enforcement and corporations. Overall product marketing owner for EnCase Training. Managed a team of 16 forensic security subject matter experts in the delivery of OnDemand, vClass and Classroom learning and certification programs. Spearheaded the development of an intranet knowledge base including a cybersecurity learning portal resulting in a 50% improvement in time to first close. | |
| 2014-15 | Director Product Management – J2 Cloud Services |
| J2 provides Cloud Services such as Fax, Backup and VoIP in over 49 countries. Drove product roadmap and life cycle management for j2 Cloud Services messaging platforms, billing applications, CMS and fax APIs. Performed cost-benefit analysis for new features and implemented those that met the ROI criteria. Managed team of 6 Product Management professionals. Managed user requirements, documentation, sign-up funnels, testing, performance analytics and backlog grooming and feature prioritization. | |
| 2006-10 | VP of Search, Commerce & Portals – EarthLink |
| EarthLink is a pioneering Internet Service Provider with 3 Million Users in the US Responsible for revenue optimization of $100M value-added services products including the web portal, subscription services and paid search partnerships. Drove product management roadmap of maximized cashflow initiatives during company transition to B2B markets. Managed a team of 13 Product and Program Managers. | |
| 2006 | VP Market Development – FastSoft |
| FastSoft was a startup, incubated at the California Institute of Technology’s networking lab, it was acquired by Akamai in 2012 Responsible for all aspects of Product Marketing including Product Management, PR, Web site development, product positioning, sales support and beta program administration. Developed and implemented strategic marketing and support programs and set up workflow system for lead generation and CRM. Prepared product roadmap, beta program documentation for the FastTCP acceleration appliance. | |
| 2002-2006 | VP Product Management – Yahoo! Search Marketing (formerly Overture) |
| | A division of Yahoo! providing pay-per-click advertising Responsible for full life-cycle product management and implementation of all aspects of matching and search optimization including delivery, relevance, APIs, auction rules, pricing & policy compliance in 20 markets worldwide. Successfully built a high-performance team and executed several major software releases of the core matching product to improve coverage, generating more than $1.2B in annual sales. |
| 1999-2000 | VP of Communities – Walt Disney Internet Group / Go.com |
| WDIG was created by via merger of Disney acquired Internet companies. Responsible for overall product development for interactive communities under an $11M Budget. Managed a cross-functional team of 30 professionals in engineering, QA, product management and content producer job functions. Delivered several communities applications to market including online clubs, community directory, message boards, GoMail, and online calendaring on time and within budget, resulting in a 50% increase in average page views per user. Integrated product management and development personnel from two acquired companies (280 and WBS) into a single productive team, resulting in low employee attrition. | |
| 1998-1999 | VP Search Product Management – Infoseek Corporation |
| One of the first Internet Search engines – acquired by Disney in 1999. Project leader for the GO Network, a joint initiative between Infoseek, Starwave and The Walt Disney Company. Responsible for the overall coordination and communication of product development efforts of more than 200 cross functional team members. Successfully met the aggressive goal of launching and repositioning Infoseek as Disney’s Internet portal, including 17 major product features within aggressive timelines | |
| 1996-1998 | Director of Technology Products – Infoseek Corporation |
| Responsible for developing new features for the core the matching engine, relevance algorithms, related searches, web directory, taxonomy, spidering, anti-spam initiatives. Managed a staff of 40 professionals product managers, managers and editorial staff. | |
| 1988-1996 | Senior Product Manager – Dialog Information Services |
| ………………… | One of the first pre-Internet providers of Online Information. It provided access to proprietary published information sources on a pay-per-use basis. Developed knowledge of business, legal and scientific information sources. Conducted primary market research including usability testing and focus groups for new product development initiatives. Championed the development of delivery options for Dialog Search results including SitePrints, Print via Email, Fax and X.25 networks. Represented Dialog at key information industry events. Wrote articles on information retrieval best practices in the Chronolog Newsletter and other library trade publications |
| The Taproot foundation helps nonprofits connect with skilled volunteers to implement pro-bono programs that solve critical challenges in their communities | |
| 2011 | Inner-city Arts Served as lead Brand Strategist for a Key messaging and Brand Strategy consulting project designed to help inner-city arts establish its unique brand value proposition as providers of arts education for the under served children of downtown Los Angeles. The project also highlighted ICA’s award winning campus located in the heart of skid row, LA which is seen as a beacon of creativity for the community. Art changes lives. |
| 2012 ………………… | The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul Served as lead Project Manager of Key messaging and Brand Strategy consulting project designed to help the Society of St. Vincent de Paul shift it’s brand recognition from that of a thrift store to it’s broader charter of helping feed, clothe, house and heal disadvantaged member in the community, regardless of race, religion or sexual orientation. |
Achievements and Interests
Awards & Certifications
- Beta Gamma Sigma – The International Business Honor Society (2010)
- Agile Project Management Certificate (2007)
- Pragmatic Marketing Certificate (2003)
- Certified Toastmasters Award (CTM) (1993)
Memberships
- Member of On the Dot – Toastmasters Club Pasadena (2019)
- Member International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) (2019)
- Founding member “Best of Times” Book group (2003-Present)
Community Service
- Westridge School Theatre Program Parent Volunteer – (2013-2014)
- Taproot Pro Bono Consultant –Key
Messaging and Branding Strategy Projects:
- Inner-city Arts (2012)
- Society of Saint Vincent de Paul (2011)
- Wiggle Waggle Walk Charity event for Pasadena Humane Society (2009)
- Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Walk, Pasadena CA (2008)
- Habitat for Humanity, Glendale CA (2004)
Conference Presentations & Press
Conference Presentations:
LaChance, Sue. (1999, May) Search Engines & Portals. Paper presented at theInternet Librarian and Libtech International Conference. London, UK. http://www.infotoday.com/ili99/tuesday.htm
LaChance Porter, Sue. (1998, May) Customer-Oriented Information Retrieval. Paper presented at The 19th Annual National Online Meeting. New York, NY
LaChance, Sue (1998, November) Participated in Panel entitled: Librarians Talk to Search Engines. Internet Librarian Conference, Monterey, CA
LaChance Porter, Sue. (1993, May) The impact of user focus groups on the design of new products. Paper presented at The 14th National Online Meeting. New York, NY
Press Coverage
Interviewed in: Social Networking Online: Is It Safe? (October 2008). Arizona Republic. Retrieved from: http://www.momtalk.com/2008/09/social_networking_online_is_it.php
Quoted in Hansell, Saul “Mouse Attack in Cyberspace: With Go Network, Disney Steps Into the Portal Wars”, New York Times. Dec 13, 1998 Section 3 p1(2).
Publications
LaChance, Sue. Consumer-Oriented Information Retrieval: Informed Communities Find Buying Power on the Net. Proceedings of the Nineteenth National Online Meeting: New York Hilton May 12-14, 1998. pp 223-227. Medford, NJ: Information Today
LaChance, Sue. Developments in Smarter Customized Search Technology on the Web. ASIDIC newsletter. No. 74, Fall 1997 pp 14-15.
LaChance Porter, Sue. Incorporating Dialmail® into your Classmate® Curriculum. Online SearcherMarch 1991. Medford, NJ: Information Today
Professional References – Available on Request
Sue LaChance Porter 