Team

Genevieve T.
Founder and CEO

Genevieve Thiers is the oldest of seven kids and two sets of twins. She and her twin have been babysitters and nannies for over 100 families in Boston, Philadelphia and Chicago. She's also worked hand-in-hand with Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Telly Monster and a host of Sesame Street characters, including the amazing Elmo. Her articles on childcare have been published in magazine including Big Apple Parent Magazine and Dallas Child Magazine, her work as a childcare speaker includes Wheelock College, Bentley College, and over 30 mothers' forums across America, and she is the Childcare Expert for iVillage. Genevieve is a graduate of Boston College and Northwestern University.

100 Things About Genevieve...

Brad T.
Vice President, Operations

Brad joins Sittercity.com with extensive experience in Web program development and client implementation. Most recently he was Director of Project Management at Driveitaway, the leading provider of Web-based upstream re-marketing programs for commercial, rental and government fleets. Prior to that, he gained extensive experience in software and Web-related programs through his six years of service at Hewitt Associates in Lincolnshire. Brad received his Bachelor of Arts degree from The University of Iowa.

100 Things About Brad...

Brenda G.
Customer Service

Brenda comes to us from EZLinks Golf Inc. A native to the south side of Chicago Brenda has gained popularity among golfers nationwide for assisting them with their reservations at high-end award winning golf resorts. As their Customer Service Manager, Brenda was responsible for managing the online inventory program, and assisting in call center operations. After 7 years with EZLinks Brenda makes the move to Sittercity, applying the skills and knowledge she has gained in the Customer Service field, and hopefully getting the Sittercity team some free golf!

100 Things About Brenda...

Ramon T.
Operations Manager

Ramon is our Operations Manager. Ramon worked for a tee-time software company named EZLinks Golf Inc., while attending Columbia College in Chicago for a degree in Fine Arts. He gained working knowledge of call center operations and quickly became one of three Call Center Supervisors for the company. He was later promoted to the EZLinks IT department, where he was introduced to computer networking and repair. After four years with EZLinks Ramon joins the Sittercity team to help maintain quality assurance in our software and operations. Thanks Ramon.... You da man.

100 Things About Ramon...

Kim F.
Customer Service

A south side Chicago native, Kim has extensive customer service experience ranging from retail to e-commerce. Kim brings experience as a Customer Service Representatives from Applied Merchant Systems. Kim received a Bachelor of Business Administration from Robert Morris College. She also has an MBA from Governors State University.

Dan C.
Customer Support

Dan comes to us with over four years of extensive customer service experience. Before joining Sittercity.com Dan was a call center supervisor for a software company. A graduate of Robert Morris College with a degree in drafting and design Dan brings knowledge of call center operations and customer support.

Jay S.
Project Manager

Prior to joining Sittercity, Jay spent seven years in several technical positions at Hewitt Associates. Most recently, he was a Configuration Design and Deployment Analyst which refined his skills in project managing, business analysis, and system configuration. He received his degrees in Physics and Mathematics from Monmouth College.

Jen K.
Office Manager and Customer Service

Jen comes to Sittercity a year after graduating from the University of Iowa. Originally from Canada, she moved to the suburban oasis of St. Charles in 1996. She enjoyed a plethora of sports in her younger years, only one of which she succeeded in. Running track and cross country throughout high school kept her active and prepared her for the joys of college. She went on to Iowa to major in International Studies and minored in French and Art history. Dreading the idea of graduating after only four years, Jen reluctantly moved on and got a job working for Club Med. After one year of beach, belly dancing and pirate costumes, she moved back to Chicago to begin life in the real world.

100 Things About Jen...

Jason H.
Vice President, Online Marketing

Jason has been in the field of direct marketing for over 12 years, and online marketing for over 9 years. He currently holds the position of Vice President of Online Marketing at Sittercity.com. Prior to his tenure at Sittercity.com, Jason worked at FTD.COM, the online floral retailer, managing online and offline database marketing programs. Prior to FTD.COM, Jason was at Orbitz.com for over three years. While at Orbitz.com, he successfully implemented a campaign management solution and developed custom, targeted customer communications. Jason also has extensive online and offline direct marketing experience through tenures at Yesmail.com, Euro RSCG 4D, and DraftFCB. Jason holds a B.S. in Advertising from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

100 Things About Jason...

Melissa U.
Vice President, Marketing and PR

Melissa comes to Sittercity with over 15 years experience in strategic marketing and brand development. Before joining the team, Melissa served as the Senior Marketing Director for Cold Stone Creamery, an international ice cream franchise. While at Cold Stone, she managed all brand and site design initiatives. She also has extensive experience in the advertising arena, holding executive positions at relationship management agency Intrasight as well as at advertising agencies Moses Anshell and Pearson Crahan Fletcher England. She got her undergraduate degree at University of Richmond and holds an MBA from Arizona State University.

100 Things About Melissa...

Angie T.
Senior Designer

Angie is a gold medal athlete, rising jewelry designer and our resident graphic designer. Prior to Sittercity, she attended the University of Dayton where she fell in love with typography, played on the Women's Tennis Team and made life long friends. After graduation, Angie relocated to the great city of Chicago and worked in packaging and branding. Several of her designs can be found at your local grocery store (no signatures, please). Currently residing in Lakeview, Angie also enjoys photo booths, road trips and playing with puppies.

100 Things About Angie...

Lisa M.
Managing Editor

Lisa joins Sittercity with a diverse writing background that includes work in corporate communications at A.G. Edwards, communications at the Alzheimer's Association and online marketing at StyleChicago.com. In addition to writing for high profile clients, she has also worked with magazines across the country, including her stint as a stringer for Glamour. Before launching her writing career, Lisa was a babysitter and nanny for seven years, creating oh-so-fun activities such as "Wash Lisa's Car Day." Once her car was totally spotless, Lisa decided to focus on her writing skills at St. Louis University, spending much of her free time cheering on the Cardinals (don't hate).

100 Things About Lisa...

Michael C.
Marketing Manager

A New York City transplant, Michael has worked for a variety of service-oriented organizations. He is a graduate of Northwestern University and was a professional actor for many years. In New York, Michael supervised office operations for the noted design firm, EyeballNYC. He is a FREAK for cars, especially old Lancias and Alfa Romeos. An avid animal lover, Michael is most likely to end up as an old man with a house full of cats.

100 Things About Michael...

Noreen S.
Online Marketing Manager

Noreen joins Sittercity as Online Marketing Manager. Prior to joining Sittercity, Noreen managed online and offline consumer marketing at FTD.com. Noreen also gained experience at Orbitz.com, Performics and OneStepAhead.com, managing marketing and database programs, along with doing web development projects. Noreen holds a B.S. in Computer Science from DePaul University. She has lived in the Chicago area her whole life, but she enjoys getting away to Wisconsin on the weekends. Noreen currently resides in Elgin, close to the bike path and the ranch where she rides her horse, Shasta. You can watch Noreen work!

100 Things About Noreen...

Suzanne M.
Marketing Assistant

Suzanne has been living in the windy city for three years. She is currently attending Columbia College Chicago for a B.A. in Marketing Communications concentrating in Advertising. She has been working for Sittercity since 2005 as an assistant to the marketing staff. Her other current ventures include theatre marketing in Chicago.

100 Things About Suzanne...

Gina R.
CFO

Gina joins Sittercity as our Chief Financial Officer with over 15 years of financial and accounting experience. Her professional financial experience includes bankruptcy consulting, mergers and divestitures, budgeting and analysis and new product development at companies including: Duke Energy, Monsanto (Searle and NutraSweet divisions) and Ameritech. Her accounting experiences includes controller for a Chicago area bank broker/dealer and audit at Deloitte & Touche, where she also received her CPA certification. She obtained her undergraduate degree in accounting at Indiana University and her MBA at the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. In her spare time, Gina enjoys caring for four children, one dog and a husband.

Sierra
Lead Accountant

Mike P.
Vice President, Technology

Mike comes to Sittercity with nearly a decade of technology consulting experience. As a Senior Manager with Accenture's Complex Solution Architecture group, he led architecture and development of large-scale web sites and enterprise systems for Fortune 500 clients across the United States. Mike has extensive experience in highly-scalable software architectures, and has led large, distributed technology teams for many years.
Mike holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Computer Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign.

100 Things About Mike...

Brendan G.
Technology Manager

Brendan is a student of technology and an E-Commerce software developer. Prior to joining the Sittercity team Brendan gained hands on E-Commerce experience as a java developer with a start-up. Before that Brendan deepened his knowledge of software at Hewitt Associates. He is secretly training for the Cirque du Soliel try-outs, but he is going to first see where this software development role leads him. He received his undergraduate degree in Finance from Michigan State University Eli Broad College of Business and has Masters of E-Commerce from DePaul University.

100 Things About Brendan...

Cory F.
Senior Interface Development

Cory is a developer at heart, be his pursuits practical or theoretical. After viciously wringing a B.S. in Computer Science and a minor in Japanese out of Northern Illinois University's limp and battered form, he fled Chicago's harsh winters and enjoyed a year of unending sunshine as a web developer / administrator in Hawaii. Cory's position here marks his return to the Windy City, prompted by the revelation that Hawaii was just "too perfect" for his tastes. In his free time he manages N-Sider.com, a labor-of-love endeavor fueled both by his desire to create and his passion for gaming. He's also been known to dabble in conceptual game design, though his delusions of grandeur are often stymied by harsh reality. As Cory's hair continues to grow, fueled by tropical memory and unfettered by societal restriction, so too do the wails of those unfortunate enough to travel in his wake.

100 Things About Cory...

Stephen G.
Senior Web Developer

A graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago, Stephen brings some Opa! to the already fun-loving Sittercity team. His work in the Web-developing world has ranged from designing flashy, ajax-ified Web sites to building solid E-Commerce applications for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Stephen's roots go back to D.C. — and as a native to the East Coast, he's always on the lookout for cheap-eats seafood joints in the City by the Lake. When he's not wearing his developer's thinking cap or on the hunt for grub, he enjoys cycling and rekindling his passion for playing guitar.

100 Things About Stephen...

Melissa A.
Vice President, Business Development

Melissa leads the Business Development and Corporate Sales efforts at Sittercity. She brings more than 13 years of strategic business development and marketing experience across multiple industries. Melissa comes to Sittercity with a proven track record of achieving dramatic growth in entrepreneurial ventures both in the U.S. and internationally. Prior to joining Sittercity, Melissa created and launched an innovative web based marketing solution at Amacai Information Corp, within just 90 days, that received nationwide industry media attention. While at Toplander Corporation, Melissa built a network partner program from the ground up through developing strategic partnerships with key web based properties. As head of marketing and business development at Taxback.com, Melissa was instrumental in transforming the Irish startup into the international industry leader through creating and directing a broad range of international marketing, partnership and sales strategies. Melissa graduated Cum Laude from Le Moyne College.

100 Things About Melissa...

Jennifer G.
Corporate Sales

After leaving behind her biology, babysitting and waitressing- filled college days at Loyola University, Jennifer headed into the world of Sales and hasn't looked back. Her first sales job was booking new business for a growing law firm. After mastering this task, Jennifer headed into the educational arena and worked for a top Chicago design school, recruiting talented students from across the country. After seeing many of her students through graduation, Jennifer was up for a new challenge - Sittercity! Jennifer is a Chicago native and a bit of a 'foodie' - while she is not hard at work, she loves eating her way through the city! Luckily, running is her next favorite hobby!

Mary Kay
Corporate Sales

Prior to joining Sittercity, Mary Kay worked for 10 years as a successful pharmaceutical rep. Though she enjoyed her time working with a dynamic sales team, drug company bigwigs and doctors, while generating sales that placed her in the top 7% of salespeople in her division, she is happy to have made the switch to child care yenta in Sittercity's challenging Corporate Sales Department. A native of California, Mary Kay abandoned the persistent sun and warmth to move to Chicago one frigid February a decade ago to pursue her ambitious sales dreams and has never looked back. Now a confirmed Midwesterner, Mary Kay spends her off hours exploring the city and walking in both marathons and half-marathons, generally to help benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team-in-Training

100 Things About Mary Kay...

Dan R.
Vice President

Dan is a veteran of high-tech startups. Prior to Sittercity, he was Executive Vice President and CTO of Driveitaway.com, an online automotive remarking company and co-founder and CTO of Wired Business, one of the first nationwide providers of DSL Internet access. He began his startup career as the founder and CEO of Snapdragon Technologies, an IT consulting firm specializing in information systems and strategies for clients nationwide, and worked before that for Zeller Research Ltd. as an electrical engineer and project manager doing projects for Fortune 500 companies and the U.S. government. Dan holds a B.A. in engineering and economics from Brown University, is a Visiting Scholar at Northwestern University, and has written two books on nanotechnology. In 2001 he was selected by PhillyTech for their "Thirty Under 30" list.

100 Things About Dan...