SocialChord

Management
Michael Melillo, Founder & Chief Executive Officer

Michael is an online entrepreneur, community organizer and social reformer. Michael began work on the SocialChord concept in 2004 in response to the degradation of media and politics during the 2004 presidential election. The concept began as YourDemocracy.org, a civic participation platform that aimed to do for independent politicians what MySpace had done for independent musicians.

The project moved from the grand goal of fixing national politics to a more local focus in 2007 when Michael founded CommunityDoneRight with the help of several angel investors.

In December 2007 we realized we can’t say how a “community” is “done right”, and we found a clear intention and business model, and the public utility of SocialChord was born.

Previous to his entrepreneurial venture, Michael worked in software design, business process engineering, media and social sciences.Michael spent 5 years as a consultant for Melillo Consulting, designing channel strategies and business systems for Fortune 500 companies and government organizations.

Michael attended The College of New Jersey for history and anthropology; The School of Visual Arts for film and video production; and Rutgers University for business process optimization.

Shanna Urgo, Chief Technology Officer

Shanna is a dedicated technologist and team leader with a heart for community. She has been involved in SocialChord since spring of 2007 and has managed all aspects of building the SocialChord platform and supporting the company.

Shanna has held senior development positions for Hertz Rent-A-Car and LiveProcess. She received her Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology. Her skills range from software architecture and development to project management and marketing.

Dave Gutierrez - Community Optimizer

Dave is an artist, a musician, an activist, a technologist and a born facilitator. Dave has a long track record of optimizing movements and local communities both live and online through a combination of community organizing, video journalism and market development.

Dave manages SocialChord’s first local customer, the Village of Suffern, NY. Bringing a village online takes a lot more than technology. Dave is constantly refining our methodology for inspiring and enabling people from all walks of life to take charge of their local community.

Advisors and Investors
Tom Stites – Journalist - www.TomStites.com - Tom is a journalist and writer.  He has held ranking editorial positions for newspapers such as the NY Times, Chicago Tribune and Kansas City Times.  Tom is a thought leader in online journalism and the role of journalism in the democratic process.  Tom’s experience and vision strengthens SocialChord in our efforts to provide a vital online outlet for independent journalism.

Gary Melillo – VP of Business Development at Melillo Consulting - Gary is a recognized figure in the IT industry.  He has a track record of building substantial sales organizations and bringing early stage ventures to profitability. Most recently he has built a nationally recognized systems integrator that services large enterprises who demand the highest levels of technical expertise. Gary advises SocialChord on business strategy and executive decision-making.

Tara Agen – Chief of Staff, HP LaserJet Enterprise Systems Group, Americas.  Her 15-year career at HP includes functional responsibility for Marketing, Sales, Business Management and Operations, PR/AR/Communications, Service/Support across PCs, Servers, Storage, Services and Printing. Prior to HP, Agen worked in advertising/direct marketing, U.S. and international politics and government and owned her own business.  Tara is advising SocialChord on a variety of start up business strategy, investor relations and optimized operational matters.

Sergio Fernandez de Cordova – Co-Founder and EVP of Real Estate and Government Affairs at Fuel Outdoor - Sergio has built Fuel Outdoor from a start-up to a national competitor, which has brought recognition and honors from major business organizations and publications.  Sergio also provides leadership for the Young Entrepreneurs Organization (YEO) as a liaison to the NYC government. Sergio advises SocialChord on business and political strategy.

Howard Stone – SocialChord Client - Co-founder of 2young2retire and its spiritual center.  He concluded (doesn’t that sound better than ‘retired from’?) a long career in international advertising sales and publishing and became a life coach at age 64.  Rejecting the idea of retirement – “a great place to visit but who would want to live there?” – he built a coaching practice on helping other mature people skip retirement, and discover their own later life callings and passions. Howard advises SocialChord on educational strategies for 50+ Internet users.

Marika Stone – SocialChord Client - Co-founder of 2young2retire and its editor-in-chief, has been a teacher of English and writing, journalist, PR account executive, and small business owner with clients that included Eastman Kodak and Sony. Her work has been published in Forbes, Careerjounal.com (Dow Jones), Neatwomeninc.com, Seniority.co.uk., the Sunday Times (London), and scores of trade journals.  She intended to “retire” and write a family history. That plan is on hold while she pursues the mission of retiring retirement, ending ageism in the workplace, and helping people — especially women of a certain age — achieve their full potential. Marika advises SocialChord on content and outreach strategies for 50+ Internet users.

Jerry Ferrara – VP and Online Advertising Director for Investor’s Business Daily – Jerry is an accomplished online advertising executive who has significant relationships in the industry and understanding of trends and methods for monetizing online traffic. Jerry is helping SocialChord design and implement its forward-looking sponsorship advertising strategy.

Angus Durocher – Lead Developer at YouTube - Angus has a deep passion for local and user-generated journalism and heads up the team developing the to-be-released YouTube News. Angus offers SocialChord industry perspective and advises on citizen journalism outreach.

Chase Ault – Chase Associates - Ms. Ault is a former marketing and business development entrepreneur and executive. She currently advises the State of New Mexico in developing public/private ventures and high tech ventures in the state. Chase advises SocialChord on marketing and political strategy.

Gen. Paul Glazer (ret.) - SMH International - General Glazer was the former Commissioner of the Department of Military/Veterans Affairs for the State of NJ. In this role he was responsible for the National Guard and all military and veteran affairs for the State. He has also served as mayor of Bethlehem Township, N.J., and is currently a partner in SMH International, a government technology contractor. General Glazer is an influential member of the New Jersey Republican Party and maintains a large political network in Washington D.C. General Glazer provides SocialChord with government contracting vehicles and access to high level government officials, facilitating our ability to elevate our civic platform to state and national levels.