Janine Kurnoff, a multi-faceted media professional, is principal and founder of The Presentation Company. With a diverse background in international business, sales and broadcasting, she brings a fresh perspective to today’s multimedia business presentations and thrives on helping professionals present themselves and their ideas in a compelling, results-driven manner.
Prior to founding The Presentation Company LLC, Janine worked for Yahoo! Inc. in Sales Training and, later, as an on-camera webcast host where she interviewed some of Silicon Valley’s top CEOs, market strategists and Hollywood celebrities. As an accomplished TV anchor/host, Janine understands what it takes to cut through the clutter toward clearer communications.
Janine is a web-conferencing expert, presentation design expert and a certified Microsoft PowerPoint specialist. She received her MBA in International Business from the Monterey Institute of International Studies and is fluent in Italian and Spanish. She has also been a member of the Oregon Entrepreneur Network (OEN), a local non-profit organization, and a volunteer for American Field Service (AFS), an international student exchange program.
In her spare time, Janine practices yoga and enjoys spending time with her family and friends.
Lee Lazarus joined The Presentation Company in August 2002 to team up with business partner and sister, Janine. Both sisters manage the company and collectively bring over 25 years of experience in presentation training, online meeting platforms, public relations, marketing and PowerPoint design.
Prior to joining The Presentation Company, Lee worked for two Silicon Valley market research companies in the Internet and Telecommunications space. Lee helped build the brand identities of these companies, both of which experienced phenomenal, fast-paced growth and exposure on Wall Street and in the media. Lee managed all aspects of marketing communications and public relations at both firms.
Lee oversees all custom services and projects at The Presentation Company and works closely with clients to ensure their deliverables are a success. Lee is also responsible for all marketing communication efforts.
Lee received her bachelor’s degree from Boston University’s School of Communication. In her spare time, Lee is passionate about helping non-profit companies better identify and communicate their brand, core values and market position.
Lee currently serves on the board of Cedar Sinai Park, an elder care facility, and a Women’s Philanthropy Committee, part of The Portland Jewish Federation serving the needs of the local and international Jewish families and individuals.
Simon Gottheiner joined The Presentation Company in April 2008 to further expand its growing business. With over 15 years of business development experience, Simon brings a wealth of skills to increase and strengthen both direct client relationships and strategic partnerships.
Prior to joining The Presentation Company, Simon worked for Intel Corporation where he was responsible for developing and driving strategic programs and partnerships between Intel and large system integrators such as EDS, IBM Global Services and HP Services. During his career at Intel, Simon held a series of high-tech sales and marketing positions with demonstrated expertise in strategy, planning, program development and account/relationship management.
Simon currently oversees all of The Presentation Company’s new business development efforts and helps manage the company’s overall business operations. Simon received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and Administrative Studies from the University of California, Riverside.
In his spare time, Simon volunteers within Portland’s local Jewish Community. You can also find him playing soccer, running and cooking his favorite recipes.
Andrea Sutherland joined The Presentation Company in August 2009, bringing over 25 years of experience in education, training, instructional design and management. As a seasoned learning and development professional, Andrea has held a variety of leadership positions at Lam Research Corporation, LSI Logic, Intel and, most recently, Inspiration Software, Inc.
Andrea’s ability to integrate her diverse career experiences into her trainings makes her truly unique. Her background includes preparing and delivering presentations, supervisory training, meeting facilitation, career coaching, team development, group problem-solving and instructional design. She is a master facilitator with Development Dimensions International and an expert in Total Quality Management techniques and training.
At The Presentation Company, Andrea is responsible for overseeing learning & development efforts and is instrumental in curriculum design. She is also a lead trainer. Andrea received her bachelor’s degree from California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo and her Master of Education at California State University East Bay. She enjoys regular volunteer work through Hands On Greater Portland, with a special passion for working with homeless women and supporting Portland’s Schoolhouse Supplies organization.
Andrea is also a member of the Cascadia Chapter of the American Society for Training and Development.
As a Microsoft PowerPoint Most Valuable Professional (MVP) , Echo Swinford, a lead trainer with The Presentation Company, brings a wealth of PowerPoint and presentation design knowledge to the workshops she leads.
For over six years, Echo has been alpha and beta testing various PowerPoint products before they are released to market and, in doing so, provides critical feedback to Microsoft’s developers on issues or bugs that she identifies. Echo has also worked extensively on behalf of Microsoft to assist their user community, addressing issues and challenges associated with PowerPoint.
Prior to joining The Presentation Company, Echo worked for a medical education communications company where she was responsible for the development of presentations as well as materials and learning modules for continuing medical education programs. She also has supported many large Fortune 500 firms as a presentation specialist and PowerPoint trainer.
An accomplished author, Echo’s first book, Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances, was published by O’Reilly Media in February 2006, and The Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 Complete Makeover Kit, co-authored with Geetesh Bajaj, was released by Que in November 2007. In addition, Echo has a string of technical editing credits with O’Reilly, Wiley, Peachpit Press and other publishers. She has been a featured speaker for The PowerPoint Summit (formally PowerPoint Live) user conference since its inception.
Echo has a master’s degree in New Media from the Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis School of Informatics.
Julie Terberg is an accomplished PowerPoint Subject Matter Expert and Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP). With over 20 years of visual design and advanced PowerPoint expertise, Julie is passionate about helping The Presentation Company’s customers design and deliver more memorable and engaging custom presentations.
As an award-winning contributing editor to Presentations magazine, Julie has been educating designers with her “Creative Techniques” columns since 2000. With Terry Irwin, she is the co-author of Perfect Medical Presentations, which teaches healthcare and scientific professionals how to create effective PowerPoint presentations. Julie has been a featured presenter at The PowerPoint Summit (formerly PowerPoint Live), an annual education conference for experts.
Troy Chollar joined The Presentation Company in 2009, bringing over 15 years of graphic design and presentation experience to the workshops he leads. Also a Microsoft PowerPoint Most Valuable Professional (MVP), Troy has been recognized for his deep expertise in PowerPoint and his enthusiasm for helping others.
Troy is a graphic designer who is well-versed in web development and audio visual event production. Over the past nine years, Troy’s experience has exposed him to developing PowerPoint templates, trainings, multi-media presentations, animations, interactive CD-ROMs, and streaming media for some of the world’s largest brands. He has assisted both large and small corporations with PowerPoint training programs and knows each version in depth. With a critical eye for slide design, Troy not only has a good sense of layout, but also knows how to structure content for easy comprehension by the audience.
Troy has a BA in Recreational Management and a minor in Psychology from San Diego State University (and, as he says, countless hours of design experience).
Maria Julia Sorrentino is a Microsoft Office User Specialist (MOUS) with over 15 years of Microsoft PowerPoint expertise. Maria’s vast knowledge of Microsoft products ranges from PowerPoint to Excel to Project. She conducts many of The Presentation Company’s onsite and online workshops and has earned a reputation among clients for always having her finger on the pulse of the latest technology trends and application advancements.
Maria has trained some of the top U.S. companies and governmental entities including the Social Security Administration, Safeway, Wells Fargo, Bureau of Land Management, Hollywood Video, Phoenix Gold, Epson, ESI, Azumano Travel and U.S. Bank Corporation. She holds an Expert Certification in Microsoft Project and a Career School Teacher certificate with the State of Oregon Department of Education.
Maria serves on the board of the Education Advisory Committee of the World Affairs Council, and is a member of the Oregon Education Association.
