Local Teams with a Global Reach
Our core team of experienced PR and marketing professionals, based throughout the US and Canada, are senior enough to contribute strategically and hands on enough to execute tactically. We also work with a range of associates specializing in SEO, PPC, Social Media, Analytics, and Influencer Marketing. Find out what our team can do for you in technology marketing.
Elena Verlee
FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT
With almost three decades of international marketing and PR experience, Elena began her career at top technology marketing agencies in San Francisco and London, UK. She has represented start-ups as well as billion dollar technology companies and venture capital firms. Elena often works with clients as their interim or fractional CMO, bringing a trusted team who work cohesively to implement branding, content, PR, social media, lead and demand gen campaigns, SEO and ad strategies, events and more.
An entrepreneur herself, Elena has sold a family automotive business and two e-commerce businesses, most recently in 2017.
Elena authored an award-winning blog for 7 years (which she retired in 2018). The blog was recognized by AdWeek, PR Web, Cision, Meltwater, Marketwired and many others as a "top PR and marketing blog" to read.
To nail your next media interview, check out her infographic published in Huffington Post and Entrepreneur Magazine.
Susie Reeves
MARKETING DIRECTOR
Based in Silicon Valley, Susie brings more than 30 years of experience in all areas of high-tech communications and has worked with Cross Border Communications clients for over a decade.
Her technology marketing experience spans both domestic and international areas, providing clients a complete range of services such as strategic corporate positioning, successful company and product launches, business and trade press tours, and effective event and project management.
Susie has provided marketing solutions to leading Silicon Valley companies--including Sun Microsystems, Apple Computer, Silicon Graphics, Quantum Corporation and Intel Corporation.
Julie Galla
PUBLIC RELATIONS DIRECTOR
Julie Galla has 20+ years of tech industry public relations experience, including media and analyst relations, account management, customer reference, and thought leadership programs. Based in Vancouver, Julie has worked with both leading Canadian and US-based clients.
Over the course of her career, Julie has been responsible for the planning and implementation of full-service public relations and customer reference programs for a host of leading technology companies and early-stage startups including Adobe, Cockroach Labs, Nervana Systems, NetApp, Union Metrics and Visier.
Dedet Panabi
CONTENT MARKETING STRATEGIST
Dedet started writing for newspapers when she was 16 – a summer job that turned into a 30-year career in Storytelling.
She was a print journalist and a magazine editor-in-chief for over a decade, and made the shift to advertising and digital. It was a new platform but the same challenge: telling stories that make people think, feel, act, and remember.
She combines a journalistic approach with new technology and consumer data to create multi-platform storytelling through video, audio, infographics, social media posts, ebooks, and more.
She has worked with Cross Border Communications for the last 5 years, on clients such as Elastic Path Software, BuildDirect, Mintent Software, Urthecast and Control Concepts Inc.
Christine Pilkington
SENIOR MARKETING DIRECTOR
Based in Vancouver, Canada, Christine Pilkington has been consulting in digital marketing and product development for so long she can remember a world before content marketing, social media, and mobile. Her 20+ year career includes some of the world’s biggest brands like BMW, MINI, Chevrolet, and RadioShack.
As both a marketing consultant and product developer, Christine possesses in-depth experience in project management, application development, content strategy and demand generation. Her project work includes building the first generation of e-commerce sites in 18 international markets for one of the world’s largest book publishers; overseeing a national tourism content campaign that was viewed over 34 million times; and independently launching and growing a media property that would become Vancouver’s most trusted online resource for local parents.
Josiah Jost
BRANDING AND IDENTITY DESIGNER
Josiah is an award-winning branding and identity designer who has been published in multiple design books. He specializes in listening to a client’s story and translating their story into art that evokes emotion.
Based out of Alberta, Canada, he’s worked with passionate young start-ups to household brand names like The History Channel, US Army, and Weston. Josiah has worked with Cross Border clients since 2011 providing logo, style guides, website design, infographics, and other visual marketing assets for a variety of industries including satellite and space technologies, SaaS and e-commerce companies.
Sachin Chougule
WEBSITE DEVELOPER
With a decade of experience in the IT sector, Sachin started his career as a PHP programmer and is now an expert in all aspects of WordPress website creation, including plug-ins and implementation. He has a strong track record in website management and development, and is skilled in creating engaging and interactive websites.
Sachin is detail-oriented and knowledgeable in various programming languages. He has a good understanding of front-end technologies, including HTML5, CSS3, Angular, Ajax, JavaScript, jQuery and backend technologies like PHP and node.js.
Liz Estrella-Basilio
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS CONSULTANT
Liz was Managing Partner for many of Cross Border Communication's Silicon Valley clients from 2001 through 2016, overseeing PR programs, content production, and account direction and management. Her love for story telling for high tech start-ups earned successful coverage among top-tier publications throughout the years. Today, Liz serves as a senior consultant for ad hoc projects requiring messaging wisdom and technical interpretation for targeted audiences.
Prior to joining Cross Border, Liz was a successful Media and Analyst Relations manager, as well as Communications and Events manager to various high tech startups and giants. She is based in San Jose, California.
“I’ve worked with several PR firms in the past, and Cross Border surpassed my expectations with the level of strategic advice and tactical support that they provided. Elena and her team were tenacious in achieving results and their high-level business and technology media contacts were impressive. A very professional, creative and likeable team to work with. ”