Ron Jacobs
President

Ron Jacobs has been president of Jacobs & Clevenger, since the agency first opened its doors. Today, Ron works with governments, post offices and stakeholders all over the world to evangelize the tools and techniques of multichannel direct marketing.

Over the last 24 months, his itinerary has taken him to Bangkok, Thailand; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Beijing and Shanghai, China; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Fukuoka, Nagoya, Osaka and Tokyo, Japan; Madrid, Spain; Mexico City, Mexico; Montevideo, Uruguay; New Delhi, India; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Seoul, Korea; Bloomington, IL; Chicago, IL; Denver, CO; Las Vegas, NV; Kansas City, MO; Louisville, KY; San Francisco, CA; Seattle, WA; Tucson, AZ and Charlotte, NC.

He is Senior Lecturer in the Medill/Integrated Marketing Communications Program at Northwestern University and received the 1994 Outstanding Direct Marketing Educator Award from the Direct Marketing Educational Foundation.

Ron is also a past president of the Chicago Association of Direct Marketing (CADM), and served on the CADM Board from 1988-2000. In addition, he was the CADM’s 1998 Direct Marketer of the Year.

Ron co-authored with the late Bob Stone the Eighth Edition of Successful Direct Marketing Methods, published in 2007. The Seventh Edition was translated into Russian, Romanian and Spanish. More than 250,000 copies have been sold worldwide, making this the best-selling book on the tools and techniques of direct marketing.

The Eighth Edition of Successful Direct Marketing Methods
co-authored by Ron Jacobs.

Order the book!

Penny Clevenger
Vice President, Chief Financial Officer

As Chief Financial Officer, Penny serves many important roles at our agency. She manages our agency finances and administrative operations. In addition, she acts as our Chief Information Officer, making all hardware, network, and systems support decisions.

Prior to the founding of Jacobs & Clevenger, Penny was the Director of Financial Systems and Reporting at Tribune Broadcasting Company. During her time there, she led the effort to apply best practices knowledge to the company’s internal accounting processes and helped to streamline its consolidated financial reporting. She also served on the diversity steering committee, which aided job growth and a better work environment for its employees.

As a result of her experience in accounting practice re-engineering, Penny has been instrumental in the development of our client service procedures. She is always looking for new ways to improve our efficiency and serve our clients better. In addition, she directs our targeted hiring practices, the development of employee roles and responsibilities, and oversees the employee benefits programs for J&C.

Penny received a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a Masters of Science in Accounting from Roosevelt University.

Sheera Eby
Vice President, Director Strategic and Client Services

As Director Strategic and Client Services, Sheera provides strategic guidance for clients such as Consumers Energy, American Marketing Association, Household Finance, and the Federal Reserve Bank. She has more than fifteen years of experience in marketing planning and direct marketing.

Sheera is skilled at developing, launching, and implementing integrated multichannel programs from the ground up. She helped launch successful programs for Consumers Energy, ComEd, Unicom, Orbitz, National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, International Truck and Engine, American Marketing Association and Country Insurance.

Sheera has extensive experience in telecommunications and other newly competitive markets. She spent several years on the client side in marketing at AT&T and Ameritech. She managed several multi-million dollar programs, including product launches, cross-selling, and customer retention efforts. She also directed overall marketing planning including product positioning, contact and messaging strategies, segmentation strategies, offer and pricing development, operational requirements, and the development of promotional calendars.

Sheera started her career at Frankel & Company, where she managed projects for Oscar Mayer and United Airlines and helped launch the United Airlines/McDonald’s Friendly Skies Meal promotion.

Sheera earned a Bachelor of Science in Marketing at Bradley University and a Masters in Integrated Marketing Communications from Medill, Northwestern University.

Kim Redlin
Vice President, Creative Director

Everyone who works with Kim Redlin would describe her as “a true creative leader.” While that description is certainly accurate, it hardly captures all of the pivotal roles she fulfills for Jacobs & Clevenger.

Kim is a mentor, who gives her team the freedom to excel and the guidance to grow. But she also leads by example, as she readily helps out on any aspect of any project that moves through the agency.

Kim has a unique understanding of marketing communications, which has proven instrumental in integrated campaigns, branding initiatives, product launches and in driving results on every project. She is also extremely dedicated to her craft, with a thorough knowledge of the creative and production process. And Kim possesses an uncommon blend of experience and originality. This allows her to draw upon over two decades of success, yet still generate fresh ideas and new approaches on a daily basis.

Perhaps the strongest testament to Kim Redlin’s extensive abilities is the scope of accounts she has worked on. Her client experience includes iPay Technologies, the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, Consumers Energy, Cars.com, the American Marketing Association, Federal Reserve Banks, Household Financial Corporation, Orbitz, International Truck & Engine, Preferred Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, AccuData America, Chicago Botanic Garden, Roosevelt University, Ulta Cosmetics and Salon, Boise Cascade Office Products, Newark Electronics and RR Donnelley & Sons. She has also developed pro bono work for a variety of charities, including Lifesource and Marklund.

Finally, Kim appreciates the fact that “as a creative professional, you will be judged primarily by your work.” And hers has been exemplary. She has won numerous national and regional awards for her work, as well as the respect of clients and coworkers alike.

Randy Mitchell
Associate Creative Director

Randy Mitchell has been in advertising and marketing for over 25 years, as he is quick to remind any intern within earshot. During this eventful period, Randy has lost a good deal of sleep and numerous copies of Communication Arts. But he has gained an exceptional ability to immerse himself in his target market’s world, and form a meaningful connection on their terms.

Randy is a firm believer in the power and potential of an original idea. But he also understands that the daily details of any project are equally critical to successful results. With this in mind, he is an avid supporter of extensive research, proven procedures and careful proofreading. In fact, to prove this commitment, Randy is willing to send you a shiny new dime if you can find the typo in this biography.

A quick study of Randy’s recent background provides a glimpse into every area of business to business and business to consumer communications. His client experience includes iPay Technologies, the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, Consumers Energy, Cars.com, the American Marketing Association, Federal Reserve Banks, Household Financial Corporation, Orbitz, International Truck & Engine, Preferred Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, AccuData America, Chicago Botanic Garden, Roosevelt University, Ulta Cosmetics and Salon, Boise Cascade Office Products, Newark Electronics and RR Donnelley & Sons. He has also developed pro bono work for a variety of charities, including Lifesource and Marklund.

During his career, Randy has won numerous national and regional awards for his creative work. He will be happy to tell you about these in excruciating detail, if you’re ever silly enough to ask.

Ellen Bakal
Business Development Manager

A creative, well-organized, high-energy professional, Ellen Bakal has a proven track record of achieving results for her clients.

Her greatest asset is a seasoned insight into business opportunities and challenges. This is gleaned from a career that has spanned a diverse cross section of companies, including travel, technology, and non-profit.

Ellen’s business development expertise in multiple industries and vertical markets enables her to provide direction and encourage dialogue. This ensures that products and services accurately align with the individual needs of clients.

Her work with the software industry resulted in strategic partnerships within the public sector including Ivy League and Big Ten schools, university hospitals, and international consortiums.

Ellen earned her MBA from Loyola University. At Jacobs & Clevenger, she leverages her education, practical experience and boundless energy to engage prospective clients, build strong relationships and demonstrate added value.

Perhaps the strongest asset that Ellen brings to her clients comes from her proactive approach and positive attitude. She consistently discovers solutions where others encounter problems. The goals that Ellen commits to are accomplished with impeccable standards, above and beyond set expectations. And she does it all with a laugh and smile.