The Leadership Institute Faculty

Bill Bowman

Bill Bowman became a newspaper publisher in 1996 without any previous experience in the newspaper industry. He left a successful, nine-year career with Pitney Bowes Corp. to start his community’s first weekly newspaper, Up & Coming Weekly. He credits his success with having enough sense to hire intelligent, enthusiastic and hard-working people.

Two years after starting Up & Coming Weekly, Bowman created a unique and effective literacy and education program for young children his community. Today, Kidsville News! and his “free” children’s newspaper program is enjoying its ninth year. During the past 18 months he has shared this concept with 62 other publishers nationwide, making it one of the fastest growing and largest literacy programs in the county with a circulation of 715,000.

He currently serves as director on several local, state and national boards. Bill was the 2005 board chairman of Cumberland County United Way and is currently serving on the boards of the North Carolina Press Association, Southeastern Advertising Publishers Association (SAPA) and the United Way. He is a past board member of the Independent Free Papers of America (IFPA), the incoming president of SAPA, and serving his second year as a member of The Leadership Institute.

Bowman and his wife, Merrilyn, have a grown son, Grady. A lifelong singer, dancer and actor, Grady’s big break came when at the age of nine, he landed a role in the now classic Tom Hanks film, Forrest Gump. Grady headed for the bright lights of Broadway in March appearing in Broadway’s newest musical, “The Pirate Queen.”

A charter member of AFCP’s Black Sheep, Bowman enjoys riding his pearl white Harley Davidson motorcycle across country. The longer the trip, the better. He is also a nationally-ranked billiards player.

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Chris Brewer

Chris Brewer, President of MS Publishing, Inc. started publishing MoneySaver Marketplace, a monthly 80,000 circulation direct mailed shopper, in 2003. Under his leadership, the company has more than doubled its circulation and revenues. Prior to MS Publishing, Brewer was the leading sales representative for more than five years at Turnstile Publishing Company where he helped launch a national trade publication. Brewer has also operated a successful outdoor media firm where he quadrupled the company’s revenues in a four-year span later selling the business in late 2004.

Brewer recently released a business marketing CD, “Nine Things To Demand From Your Marketing,” and frequently addresses groups on a variety of business and sales topics.

He resides in rural Springfield, Missouri with his wife Jenny and two children, Brooks age 7 and Sivana age 9.

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Elaine Buckley

Elaine Buckley, a 29-year veteran of Harte Hanks Pennysavers, serves as Executive Vice President of Territory Sales, with responsibility for revenues in excess of $90 million. Her staff of 20 Sales Managers and hundreds of sales reps cover an market area with nearly 6 million households.

Elaine has collected materials from her senior reps, as well as her own first-hand experience over the years, and put together a comprehensive, classroom style, sales training program for new trainees. She has spoken on many occasions at AFCP conferences and willingly shares all of this information to be used in your training programs.

Elaine's son, Michael, and grandson, Zackary, are her pride and joy. She is one of 10 siblings, giving rise to her strong competitive spirit. Which is why she will be sharing some way's to be more competitive, and to better understand your Competitors!

Come to the TLI Competitive Courses, and learn how to sell your Publication's advantages! Elaine has collected materials from her senior reps, as well as her own first-hand experience over the years, and put together a comprehensive, classroom style, sales training program for new trainees. She has spoken on many occasions at AFCP conferences and willingly shares all of this information to be used in your training programs.

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Jim Busch

Jim Busch attended the University of Pittsburgh earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. After graduation in 1974, He worked at a number of sales and management positions in several industries. In 1983 Jim began his advertising career as a sales representative with Donnelley Directory, the yellow pages division of the Dun & Bradstreet Corporation. During his 12 year tenure with Donnelley he earned six promotions and worked in a number of sales, sales management and training positions winning numerous local, regional and national sales awards. At Donnelley he was exposed to a wide range of corporate training programs and was selected to be part of the marketing team that developed and executed the first proprietary directory project in company history.

In 1995 Jim joined the Pennysaver as the telephone sales manager. In addition to managing the telephone operation, he has served as a District Sales Manager on several occasions and as the Gateway Newspaper Telephone Sales Manager. In 2001 Jim was promoted to Director of Research and Training, a position he believes to be vital to the success of the Pennysaver corporate mission and personally gratifying.

Jim’s greatest strengths are his creative problem solving skills and the ability to motivate others by building their skill set and confidence. His dedication to life long learning serves him well in his current position and he has made it his personal goal to create a “learning” culture at the Pennysaver.

Jim lives in White Oak, Pennsylvania with my wife Glenda. Jim & Glenda are the parents of two grown children and have one very spoiled grandson

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Jon Cantrell

Jon Cantrell launched his publishing career in the classified department of the Daily Gazette in Sterling, Ill., in the 1980s. He later accepted a position as advertising director with Thomson Newspapers in Mountain, Mich., then worked through a purchase with Ogden Newspapers where he managed the production department in addition to the advertising staff.

In the spring of 1988 he accepted the position of general manager of Clay Today in Orange Park, Fla. Clay Today is a member of the Florida Press Association, Community Papers of Florida, Association of Free Community Papers and the Southeastern Advertising Publishers’ Association.

Active in community activities, Cantrell is the Chairman of the Board of the Clay County Florida Salvation Army, a board member of the Clay County YMCA, an active member of the Clay County Chamber of Commerce, and the 2005 recipient of the Clay County “Business Person of the Year” award.

Cantrell is an active member of the Calvary Assembly of God and serves as communications director.

When not working or at church or volunteering, Cantrell enjoys the beach and Florida theme parks with his wife, Phyllis, and their children: Katie (16), Jennifer (14) and Danielle (11).

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Diane Ciotta

A bit against the norm and quite outside the box, Diane Ciotta is in her 20th year of successfully presenting captivating skills refinement seminars exclusively to print advertising sales consultants and managers.

Her philosophies have developed over the years since her experience of being a top producing Display Sales Representative at a Harte-Hanks shopper in Miami during the early 80’s. Over nine years, her experience additionally included both Classified and Display Sales Management and Sales Coach. Since1989, ‘taking her show on the road’, Diane has traveled the country incorporating an uncommon ability to relate to her participants from a reality selling perspective. She humbly shares lessons learned from personal mistakes and professional mentors, with sales executives from dailies, weeklies, magazines, shoppers, alternative publications and repeatedly for state & regional print associations, as well as nationally for IFPA & AFCP.

While proficient in the advertising sales side of the industry, Diane endeavored into unfamiliar ground, becoming a Kidsville News! Publisher for central Jersey in 2007. Wearing hats of both Sales Refinement Specialist and Publisher, she has added to her repertoire of knowledge in the business and passionately shares both the challenges and rewards of her experience.

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Tom Cuskey

Tom Cuskey is the Associate Publisher of the Scotsman Press Pennysavers in Syracuse, N.Y., publishing weekly community papers with more than 260-thousand circulation. He has been involved in sales and management training for more than 20 years, first with Thomas Publishing, a highly respected international publishing firm known for producing the Thomas Register. He planned and facilitated workshops and presented week-long training seminars for Thomas Regional marketing personnel from Boston to Los Angeles.

Cuskey joined the Scotsman Press in 1990 and since has created and continues to present the two-day New Hire Training Course used by members of the Free Community Papers of New York (FCPNY). He has also facilitated other sales and management training topics for FCPNY and its members. In 2005 he was recognized with an award from the Sales and Marketing Executives of CNY for his work, and was named FCPNY Publisher of the Year in 2007.

A graduate of Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications, Cuskey spent more than three years as a radio news anchor and public affairs producer and host. He is also an experienced facilitator in the VIRTUS Safe Child Awareness program, and donates time to train groups of youth ministry volunteers for the Syracuse Roman Catholic Diocese, where he is studying to be ordained as a deacon.

Cuskey is an active volunteer and teacher with his church, and coaches a youth soccer team in addition to serving as a fundraiser for the soccer club. An avid guitarist, he performs in the Syracuse area with an acoustic trio.

Cuskey resides in Liverpool, N.Y. with his wife, Angela. They have four children and two grandchildren.

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Chris Dayton

Chris Dayton started his advertising career in 1996 as a display sales representative for The Flyer in Tampa, Fla. (He was hired by The Leadership Institute Dean, Rob Zarrilli.) He has since worked his way up the ladder to the position of regional vice president of display sales in Pinellas, Pasco and Hernando Counties.

Other experience in the publishing field includes being the co-publisher of a glossy magazine, The Value Guide, in Pasco and Pinellas Counties in Florida.

Dayton has been active in the Community Papers of Florida, the Independent Free Papers of America and the Association of Free Community Papers.

An avid sports fan, Dayton plays soccer every week. He has spent several years coaching in a soccer youth league. He enjoys reading business and motivational titles as well as fiction.

Chris and his wife, Cory, were married in May of 2004.

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Charlie Delatorre

Not that many years ago, Charlie Delatorre was selling advertising for the Buyers’ Guide in Gainesville, Fla. A year later Add Inc. named him the general manager of the publication. A few years later Delatorre and Add Inc. negotiated a deal for him to purchase the Buyers’ Guide. He established Tower Publications, is now the owner and publisher of the Buyers’ Guide, and has added several monthly publications to the area.

Since assuming ownership, he has turned the Buyers’ Guide into a national and state award-winning publication. He also heads a telemarketing department that has a reputation for being one of the strongest network selling publications in the country.

In 2002 he was named to the Community Papers of Florida board of directors. He currently serves on the CPF board.

Delatorre is a graduate of the University of Florida where he obtained a B.S. in political science with a minor in business administration. He and his wife, Bonita, have two children.

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Jennifer Hackett

Jennifer Hackett has joined The Leadership Institute as a facilitator.

Hackett is the Sales Training Manager for the EPC/NJN Classified Call Center. The center has 15 sales reps and support personnel who manage the classified operations for 18 different publications, both weekly and daily.

She has 12 years of management experience and has established a natural management “style” as it were, to train, coach and develop people. Her love of training people led Hackett to pursue and complete a Master’s Degree in Adult Education & Distance Learning in August of 2004. In 2005 she accepted her current position with Easton & NJN Publishing.

As an undergraduate she studied fine art, which complements her training with her design work skills.

Past experience includes being an operations manager for Staples, and with a company named BOC Gases where she opened a 300-person national customer service center. There she was a contract administration manager in charge of managing a team of 10 people who supported and worked with a national sales force.

In referring to free paper associations Hackett said, “I think the greatest benefit of being a member of any association is the ability to learn from other people within the same industry. Interacting with people from the entire country helps spur our own creativity, which will ultimately drive our papers forward.”

Hackett enjoys skiing, drawing, travel and being creative. She currently resides in Phillipsburg, N.J., where Breaker the Pug lets her live in his house.

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Susan Kremers

Susan Kremers is a passionate presenter who inspires people and organizations to fulfill their dreams and realize their potential. In 1998 she began her career in the newspaper industry and created a profitable business model for www.mcrecord.com. As a result, she was given the opportunity to share her success story through seminars, workshops and round tables across the country. On the forefront of the World Wide Web, Susan has spent the last 9 years formulating a strategic marketing plan for online newspapers, complete with special sections and sales tools. She now owns Newspaper Consulting Services out of Minneapolis, MN.

Susan is a certified trainer for Core Passion, an online assessment and training program designed to discover and ignite the passions of people. She helps organizations create success by transforming human energy into business energy. The Leadership Institute’s mission statement follows her own personal mission statement. Susan is thrilled to be part of the faculty and she looks forward to helping it evolve.

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Jennifer Lackey

Jennifer Lackey has joined The Leadership Institute as a facilitator.

Lackey has 10 years of experience in the publishing industry. She began her career in advertising sales at a local daily newspaper in Shelby, N.C. She later became an account executive at Community Media, where she currently sells advertising for two weekly publications and three Kidsville News.

Her passion is serving her community. Her work includes founding a special needs support group, work on various political campaigns, church-related activities and serving on many community boards.

After having a child on the Autistic Spectrum, she founded a nonprofit organization, “Soar Autism Network,” that raises money to help needy families obtain treatments for their children affected by autism.

Lackey has organized and participated in numerous fundraising events. She has spoken at various civic organizations and churches, and has been interviewed on several television programs.

Most recently she has been instrumental in changing and improving the special education program in her county school system and, working at the state political level, urging our state representatives to change laws to improve children’s health issues.

Lackey lives with her son, Aaron, who is five years old. He currently is making great progress and is on the road to recovery from autism. They enjoy spending time together outdoors, especially horseback riding.

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Danielle Forbes

Danielle Forbes is a lifelong resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and, of course, an avid Steeler and Penguins fan.

Danielle’s “Smoky City” work ethic was apparent from an early age. While earning a degree in business management from Robert Morris University, Danielle worked full time at a national restaurant chain — advancing from waitress to assistant manager.

After seven successful years in the food industry, Danielle decided to expand her horizons, joining the Pennysaver as an inside sales rep in 2005. Danielle soon advanced to assistant manager and then to department manager. Danielle leads a team of 35 and is responsible for over $7 million in classified and display revenue. She has led her department to two consecutive “best-ever” years and is positioned to raise the bar again in 2008. Her department sells everything from classified liners to inserts. So, she brings a wealth of knowledge about our industry.

Danielle was recently selected as one of two young leaders in the Trib Total Media organization to represent the organization at the Pennsylvania Newspaper Associations’ Executive Training Academy.

Danielle is proud to be part of the TLI Team. She enjoys the opportunity to share ideas and get to know the “amazing people” in the free paper industry. Danielle recently married; her husband Anthony, a Certified Public Accountant, is justifiably proud of his very successful wife.

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Bill Osborne

Bill Osborne launched his publishing career at The Baltimore Sun as a training and development manager. He left a training manager position in an insurance company to join the Sun. He is currently the president of The People Business, Inc., a leadership, sales management and sales coaching, consulting and training company. Most recently he was the director of HR and training for Strategic Publications, LLC, a media company which includes the Pennysaver Group, Inc. (Maryland), Metro Community News (a Buffalo, N.Y. weekly paper) and TakeOne? USA (a multi-state distribution company).

Osborne’s past experience spans more than 20 years of training and development including time as the training director at Ingersoll Publications Company (IPCO) at Princeton, N.J., and as advertising training director in Gannett Company’s newspaper division. He has a master’s degree in psychology/counseling and has an Executive Coaching certificate. A member of the Association of Free Community Papers, Osborne is a past president of the Annapolis Society for Human Resource Management, is currently the secretary of the Maryland Society of Human Resource Management State Council, and is a longtime member of the American Society for Training and Development. He recently participated in his third Polar Bear Plunge, organized by the Maryland State Police, to raise money for Special Olympics, and is a longtime supporter of Sunshine Kids Charity.

His subject at The Leadership Institute:“Coaching and Mentoring for Bottom Line Results.”

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JW Owens

JW Owens has been an owner, manager and leader in the Free Paper Industry for more than 25 years. His experience in managing several different free papers in Florida, South Carolina and Georgia provide him with a unique foundation for training free paper professionals.

He graduated from the University of Kentucky, has two children, Jason and Sarah, and currently serves as the General Manager of the Savannah Pennysaver is Savannah, Georgia.

He enjoys fishing, traveling to the Florida Keys, and studying new technology and has earned many honors from industry associations and local community organizations.

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Bonnie Rushing

Bonnie Rushing is the associate publisher of Point of Vue, a lifestyle magazine, and The Weekly Want Ads, a classified paper.

She became interested in the publishing business while attending college, expressing an interest in journalism and public relations. Rushing attended LSU for undergraduate work and The University of Southern Mississippi for graduate work. After completing her Master's degree in public relations, she and her husband Brian, joined his mother's business, The Weekly Want Ads. Since joining the business they have added Point of Vue magazine, the first society magazine in their area, which recently celebrated it's one year anniversary and is showing signs of great success. In addition they have renamed the company Rushing Media to incorporate the expansion of their product line.

Rushing was previously employed as a public relations director at the Council on Aging in Baton Rouge, La., and taught Journalism at The University of Southern Mississippi.

In her spare time Rushing enjoys traveling with her husband by plane, motorcycle or SUV, and playing with their "children," two rescue dogs named Jack and Zoe.

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Tim Rychel

Tim Rychel is a top sales leader and trainer in our industry. A 30 year veteran of advertising, he has a diverse background in both print & broadcast ad sales including newspaper, yellow pages, cable TV and direct mail. Rychel is Executive Vice President of Marketing for Harte-Hanks PennySaver Shoppers. Prior to heading up marketing efforts for HHS, Rychel spent many years leading large, successful inside & outside sales forces, both in the U.S and in the U.K. He also has a passion for improving sales force effectiveness & efficiency through technology.

Tim loves to present. A powerful speaker, he mixes bottom line common sense selling with witty humor to deliver an exciting and dynamic presentation. He has been a student of successful prospecting techniques and account retention tools for many years…and he captures the art form in his training seminars.

Tim and wife, Susan, are Midwesterners from Chicago & Peoria respectively. They currently live in Southern California where they have raised two wonderful daughters who are in college, Katherine at Chapman University and Madeline at Indiana University. Tim enjoys blues piano, running and is an experienced, dedicated Soccer Referee for the AYSO, CIF High School and U.S Soccer Federation.

Tim has been a faculty member of TLI since 2006. His subjects include Prospecting and Account Retention.

Dave Tomasini

David C. Tomasini started his publishing career at his hometown newspaper, The Transcript, in North Adams, Mass. He has since worked as publisher and general manger in the suburbs of Philadelphia, and spent five years in Wisconsin as the vice president of marketing and sales for Add Inc.

Recently, Tomasini spent two years in the Washington D.C. area as vice president of marketing and sales for Times Community Newspapers. Since November, 2003, he has served as senior vice president/publisher for NJN Publishing, a subsidiary of Advance Publications.

Prior to newspapers, Tomasini worked in the real estate industry as a salesperson, manager and trainer for Coldwell Banker and Century 21.

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Rob Zarrilli

Rob Zarrilli was named Dean of Faculty at The Leadership Institute at the start of this program.

Following his graduation in 1979, Zarrilli started his publishing career with two major text book publishers. After a short entrepreneurial stint when he started his own business, he relocated to Florida in 1992 and joined The Flyer in Tampa as a commercial telemarketing manager. In 1996 he was promoted to vice president of sales in Pinellas County. Later he was named the vice president of training and recruiting.

He held a position in Tampa as the national sales director for DirectHIT, a mailing advertising company, before joining Mailbox Publishing early in 2007 as its president.

As a motivator and trainer, Zarrilli is excited about having established the top training program for sales and leadership in the free paper industry.

“The future of the free paper industry will only be as strong as our leadership, and the future is now. We must identify, develop, nurture and guide the leaders of tomorrow so our industry can continue to flourish in the ever-changing business environment,” he said.

A graduate of St. John’s University, Zarrilli has many sales achievements and honors to his credit.

Zarrilli is an avid sports fan. He and wife, Gerry Lynn, have three children. Heather is a social worker at Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto, Calif.; Gara is a registered nurse in Craigsville, Va.; and Rob Jr. is a graduate of Hofstra University where he was a two time all-american kicker and now is a performance specialist for an elite sports performance training company in Orlando, Fla.

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