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Linda Merrick, CPM

In senior marketing positions at Who's Calling, N2H2, Captura Software, Traveling Software, WRQ, and Accountant's Microsystems, Linda drove improvements in product life cycle management, developed successful corporate and product positioning, and launched over 15 products across a variety of sales channels. These efforts resulted in increased revenue and market share, bringing products to the top of their categories. Linda's broad experience includes managing products at every stage of the product life cycle, from new technology to retirement, as well as directing marketing activities for lead generation and brand awareness.

Linda co-founded P5 Group in 1999 to provide product management and marketing services to Puget Sound technology companies.

Linda leads the instructor team at the University of Washington Software Product Management Certificate Program, sits on the advisory board for the Product Management Consortium, and is the 2007 recipient of the AIPMM Excellence in Product Management Education award.

Founded in 2004, Pivotal Product Management was created to share our personal experiences and hard-won expertise in managing and marketing products successfully. We continue to be practicing product managers, testing what we teach in the real world every day, and teaching what we learn from working in fast-paced, innovative organizations. Product managers by day, we also teach at the University of Washington's Certificate Program in Software Product Management by night.

Pivotal Product Management's founders and principals are Linda Merrick and Mara Krieps.

Mara Krieps, CPM

With more than 20 years' experience in product management and marketing strategy, planning and execution in technology and other industries, Mara delivers on key initiatives for clients including Bank of Bermuda (HSBC), Cenorin, Cisco, Microsoft, NetReflector, PAR3 Communications (Varolii), Qpass (Amdocs), Railinc and Who’s Calling. Previously Mara was Director of Product Management at Concur Technologies, and she has held senior Product Management and Marketing roles at SmartContractor, BSQUARE, Captura Software, Egghead Software, ADVO, and Eddie Bauer.

Mara serves as the facilitator of the Seattle-based Product Management Consortium, a leading professional community for product management stakeholders. She also is an advisory board member and alumna of the University of Washington Software Product Management Certificate Program, and is the 2006 recipient of the AIPMM Excellence in Product Management Education award. Mara holds a Masters Degree from Northwestern University and a Bachelors Degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.