Meet Tara Verner: A Proficient Problem Solver

Editor’s Note: This is the ninth in our We are EM (Monkeys Are People Too) series.

Marketing Maven, Puzzle Master

As a wide-ranging marketing generalist, Tara Verner truly loves synthesizing information and determining how each piece of the puzzle fits together. She’s a firm believer in examining issues through a variety of lenses, and knows that even small tweaks can yield big results. Tara leaves no stone unturned, and her love of data gives her an added edge in helping to stretch the client’s dollars. A proficient problem solver, she’s constantly looking for ways to optimize every situation and enjoys the challenge of overcoming creative constraints.

Bay Area Born, Driven from the Start

A San Francisco native, Tara studied journalism and Spanish at Southern Methodist University before working in corporate communications at a small brokerage firm. Wanting to be closer to the front end of product creation, she received her MBA from Boston University and then became a brand and product manager. Drawn in by the first dot-com boom, she returned home to the Bay Area with her husband and has been excelling ever since. After starting out in direct mail, Tara has gained a wealth of experience in the highly measurable fields of email, online, lead generation marketing, website optimization and loves utilizing metrics to improve a project’s performance.

No Challenge Too Big, No Company Too Small

Professionally, Tara believes a career should be “like a jungle gym and not a ladder.” Not limited by a company’s size, her depth and breadth of skills can help any organization be a better, more efficient marketer, especially in an industry like technology that features such rapidly changing mediums. In addition to the ability to merge various skillsets, connecting talented people keeps Tara engaged and invigorated by her work. This is true internally, working across teams, but also externally, making discoveries about customers’ desires and helping them achieve their goals. Getting to know her customers and building products for their needs is at the heart of Tara’s work.

Time Off: Devoted Mom, With a Killer First Serve

Outside of consulting, Tara adores her three young girls, and enjoys cheering them on at plays, basketball games, swim meets and more. They surely get athletic inspiration from their mom, who stays active herself with both a weekly tennis and weightlifting group. Tara is a doer by nature, and takes pride in doing things efficiently. She finds particular joy in discovering new tools to help her better manage projects and initiatives, even household ones, and is consistently reading and staying up to date on the latest marketing ideas, philosophies, and platforms. She’s always striving to learn and to be a better marketer.