A & R Edelman

The Partners at A&R Partners, Inc. offer deep industry knowledge and hands-on experience in helping companies of all sizes grow their businesses.

A&R Partners, Inc. is a California corporation.

Bob Angus, President and Managing Partner
Co-founder and leader of A&R, Bob has a diversified background and more than 25 years experience in the electronics and computer technology industries. Responsible for A&R's overall direction and management, Bob's strategic insight, broad industry connections and charismatic personality are assets to clients and media alike. In addition to advising clients on their strategic initiatives, he frequently helps broker partnerships that advance larger marketing agendas. As managing partner, Bob has established A&R as one of Silicon Valley's top agencies with clients among the industry's most closely watched information and consumer technology brands. Under his leadership, A&R has built a reputation as a creative and persuasive force among industry opinion-leaders and has been central to shaping major issues affecting the mobile computing, Internet, enterprise and consumer technology markets.

Zelda Rudin, Senior Partner
Co-founder of A&R, Zelda has more than 20 years experience in technology public relations. Zelda created A&R's award-winning media relations practices, which have grown into a significant competitive edge for the agency over the years. Today she is responsible for overseeing the company's administration, human resources and community relations programs. Zelda's long-range view of employee relations has resulted in A&R having one of the best employee longevity rates in Silicon Valley. It also helped land A&R in the top 10 of the "Best Agencies to Work For" survey by the Holmes Report for the past two years, as ranked against hundreds of other PR agencies nationwide. Her management of A&R's community relations program, focused on improving early childhood literacy in California, brings the enthusiastic A&R staff together to support local schools.

Maria Amundson, Senior Partner
Maria joined A&R in 1987 and became a partner in 1990. She is responsible for the agency's consumer technology practice and mobile computing group. A consummate organizer and team player, Maria founded and continues to guide A&R's client services group, spearheads training and best practices, oversees centralized media research and ensures client satisfaction through regular interviews and surveys. Her management of A&R's professional development programs led the agency to the No. 1 spot nationwide for training as ranked by the Holmes Report's 2004 "Best Agencies to Work For" survey. An advocate of mobile computing, Maria led the A&R team's 1996 launch of the Palm Pilot, the original handheld computer. In helping create a new market category and corporate giant, Maria's management of the Palm account has won numerous industry awards. In addition to her consumer technology expertise, Maria is well-versed in high-performance computing, enterprise software and wireless networking. She holds a bachelor's degree in economics from Stanford University.

John Derryberry, Partner
John joined A&R in 1990 and became a partner in 1997. He oversees clients in the agency's corporate, consumer technology and enterprise software practices. His leadership and management contributions over the past decade have helped A&R grow from a boutique agency to the industry's leading independent technology PR firm. He has a talent for developing successful messages and positioning, and for interpreting media appetites to generate high-visibility coverage for his clients.

John played an instrumental role in reintroducing Adobe to the consumer market in 2003 with its Photoshop Album product and continues to help Adobe expand its corporate profile in the business press as the company addresses new enterprise market opportunities. Clients rely on John for his strategic advice in framing market issues, persuasive writing style and ability to develop compelling story angles. John holds a bachelor's degree in modern thought and literature from Stanford University.

Mark Rawlins, Partner
An engineer and market strategist with more than 25 years experience in the technology industry, Mark Rawlins joined A&R in 1997 and became a partner in 1999. Mark oversees A&R's Critical Path programs, helping clients large and small create effective strategies and meet goals for all of their marketing agendas. He has helped more than 50 companies and divisions create better market mindshare and has worked with hundreds of executives to improve their interviewing skills and master the media.

Prior to joining A&R, Mark was vice president of corporate marketing for Oracle Corp., director of marketing for Xerox Corp. and a member of the Xerox Corporate Marketing Council. While at Oracle, he drove corporate visibility and led management programs that helped sustain the company's 100% year-over-year growth in the late 1980's. Later, Xerox tapped Mark for a two-year worldwide branding process. He holds an electrical engineering degree from the University of Oregon and did post-graduate work in physics and chemistry at the University of San Francisco.

Lisa Auslen, Partner
Lisa joined A&R in 1990 and became a partner in 2000. She manages clients in the agency's foundational technologies, enterprise and consumer practices. An expert in launching breakthrough products and technologies, Lisa led the introductions of the first mobile information service, Vindigo, in 1999, and the Be operating system for Internet appliances and entertainment devices in 2000. Her expertise also includes managing events, from large press conferences and launches to special events and celebrity functions.

Clients look to Lisa as a source of strategic, pragmatic advice to help them stay focused on business objectives while turning market issues and trends to their advantage. She holds a bachelor's degree in marketing, communications and psychology from the University of Arizona.

Todd Irwin, Partner
A charismatic manager with deep technology PR experience, Todd Irwin joined A&R in 2002 as a senior director overseeing accounts in the agency's foundational technologies and infrastructure groups and was named a partner in early 2004. He plays an instrumental role in developing new agency business while delivering high-quality service to existing clients. Since joining A&R, Todd has strengthened and expanded A&R's offerings in the data networking, wireless and security markets.

Prior to joining A&R, Todd was senior vice president at Coltrin & Associates, responsible for developing media and positioning strategies and establishing and leading Coltrin's California Bay Area office. Among his numerous accomplishments during his 11 years at Coltrin, Todd led his team in developing the crisis communications plan for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. He holds a bachelor's degree in communication/journalism from Brigham Young University.