President, Rustin Communications

Joanna Rustin is founder of Rustin Communications, a Silicon Valley-based marketing communications and public relations consulting firm specializing in the technology market. She brings nearly 15 years of experience in technology, services and non-profit communications to her role as a Judge for the Dalton Pen Awards.

Ms. Rustin's creative, results-oriented approach has propelled mindshare and market share for companies throughout the technology arena, including Kinzan, Iteration Software (now Istante), and Docent (now SumTotal Systems). She currently serves as Interim Director of Marketing Communications for the Small Business Technology Institute and Managing Editor of Small Business Technology Magazine, a non-profit publication dedicated to helping small businesses adopt technology to propel their success. Her firm specializes in thought leadership & executive visibility; media outreach strategies; customer evangelist campaigns; influencer & analyst communications; marketing communications tools; product awareness; news programs; events and speaking bureaus.

Ms. Rustin previously served as director of Public Relations for Zaplet, Inc., where she was responsible for promoting the company's products, customers and partners to the media and analyst communities. Before joining Zaplet, she led PR for Hyperion, a global provider of business performance management (BPM) and business intelligence (BI) software. Ms. Rustin previously managed PR and analyst relations programs for Arbor, a pioneer of the business intelligence (BI) market, where she was instrumental raising awareness during its growth to $80 million in revenues, initial public offering (IPO) in 1995, and subsequent merger with Hyperion. Prior to joining Arbor, she held marketing and client services positions with Peninsula Advisors and The Executive Committee (TEC).

Ms. Rustin lends her communications skills to a wide range of philanthropic causes, from Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose, to State propositions to AmericaOne, challenger for America's Cup 2000. She's on the Planning Committee for the AIDS Coalition Silicon Valley's 2005 "Unmask the Mysteries" Gala & Award of Distinction, and Co-Chaired the Furry Friends Pet Assisted Therapy Services 2004 "Diamonds in the Ruff" Fundraiser. She also supports Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose.

Ms. Rustin is a member of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Management from San Diego State University.