Appo Team
Who's Who on the Appo Team?
One of Appo's goals it to provide training and support for our members and as we begin a new chapter in our association, we are now launching a network of Appo Training Specialists who will facilitate the Appo Certification program and be resources for local photo organizers.
East Coast
Billie comes to Appo with 18 years of hands-on experience as a leader in the photo industry. She prides herself on creating systems to coach women in business to success. She embraces every opportunity to help people connect to their pictures and tell their stories for generations to enjoy. Always looking for ways to empower, encourage and enhance peoples lives through their pictures and stories, she believes everyone has a story to be told.
A prime example of today’s hard-working “momtrepreneur”, Holly Wilton’s enterprising spirit has taken her from stay-at-home mom to founder of her own successful photo organizing business, Simply See It. Now as an Appo Training Specialist, Holly will be tapping into her years of software training and marketing experience in the corporate world as well as her first-hand experience as a photo organizer to help other Appo members launch their own photo organizing businesses.
A leader and top seller in direct sales and owner of her own photo organization business, Michelle has been helping people with their photo management needs since 2003. This experience, coupled with her prior background in product management, gives this mom of 3 the perfect set of tools to mentor new photo organizers in this exciting new industry.
Working in the photo industry for 16 years and a homebased business owner since the age of 23, Sherra has vast experience in business coaching, training, and website design. With her relevant, comprehensive background, this mom of four will be a perfect mentor to new Appo Photo Organizers looking to jumpstart and grow their businesses.
Midwest
A background in sales, management and training working as an independent business owner and in corporate America, Jana, is looking forward to utilizing her experience to help Appo Photo Organizers grow their businesses. This mom of two is often found at the ball field capturing the action with her camera.
Laura brings to our team of Training Specialists years of sales and teaching experience, as well as a passion for storytelling, photo organization and preservation. She is uniquely qualified to spread the word about Appo and support Photo Organizers in her hometown and surrounding cities.
Working with small business owners to strategize and plan for success has been Lynn's focus and passion for over 17 years! The joy of creating meaningful products with photos is an area Lynn has excelled and she likes to combine fun with work! Being part of the training and marketing team for the Association of Photo Organizers as it grows and touches lives is a perfect opportunity for Lynn to share her business and creative expertise!
Once a newspaper reporter, a headline writer, an executive with a worldwide scrapbooking company and the communications director with a food company dedicated to connecting families around the dinner table, Monica throughout her career has been a storyteller. As the Illinois Territory Manager with the Association of Personal Photo Organizers, she is interested in helping people enjoy their photos rather than feel weighted down by the guilt of having them trapped in a drawer or a hard drive. Photo organizers are like magical elves with the power to unlock memories and stories, and she feels she's helping make the world a better place every time she has a hand in that magic. Monica has also written an unpublished memoir, “The Percussionist’s Wife.”
After being a successful Creative Memories consultant for 11+ years, I decided to open my own portrait studio. That was 3 years ago and I have learned so much over the journey. I have been married to Al 19 years and have two kids. I’m looking forward to using both my CM skills and all I have learned from owning a portrait studio in this new venture.
West Coast
Jeri comes to Appo with over 20 years of sales experience. She was a national accounts manager at a home décor company for 14 years before she stepped down to work from home after she had her son 4 years ago. It was during this time that she continued to pursue her passion as a professional photographer – an area she’s now been fostering for the past six years. Based on her success and love of the photography field, she, along with her husband, founded a photography studio where she was responsible for all of the image management and processing, custom card and album design, and client relations.
Nancy has over 16 years experience in the photo preservation and organization field. She turned her passion for helping over whelmed clients with their photos and memorabilia into a lucrative career. Her management experience has allowed her to assist scores of other women do the same. Nancy’s enthusiasm and love of what she does is contagious. With her extensive experience in training and networking, she is a tremendous asset to promoting this niche market of photo organizing.
As a Portland-based business owner for 13 plus years, Rita is already well skilled in creative card design, photography, and photo organizing. This mom of two is lucky to have a supportive husband, equally excited for this new venture, by her side. Portland is a fabulous community of entrepreneurs, and Rita is eager to organize events aimed at spreading the Appo message and getting Linea on iPads.
With a background in interior design and project management, Stacie is passionate about beauty and order. She has parlayed that inclination to her position as a Training Specialist with Appo. Stacie enjoys working with digital images and helping others share their favorite photos. She’s created training programs for scrapbook enthusiasts eager to cross the digital divide from traditional album formats. Always happy to help others tell their stories; Stacie has loved being the album creator for a non-profit she’s volunteered with for the past eight years, chronicling myriad ventures around the world.
Canada
Janet has over 20 years of experience in the field of sales and marketing, including the past 16 spent working directly with clients in the photo industry. With a passion for inspiring others to grow personally and a love for great business books, Janet delights in helping women develop their talents and skills as entrepreneurs. She has worked as an educator and trainer and holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from McGill University and a Diploma in Tourism Management from Niagara College. Over the years, her husband and two teenage sons have grown to love having their picture taken and if asked will eagerly attest to the important role family photos continue to play in their lives!
After enjoying a ten year career in Hotel Management, Lisa went on to establish a successful Direct Sales business in the photo industry. During her sixteen years in the field, Lisa developed and provided leadership for a large sales organization in Canada. She has a passion for leadership, training, photo organization and storytelling and strives to empower others to achieve their personal and business goals. She is excited about this new and growing industry, as well as the opportunity to provide leadership and strategic direction for the Canadian market.
Appo Office
Founder and president of the Association of Personal Photo Organizers™ (Appo), and her own photo organizing business, PhotoSimplified, Cathi Nelson has been helping people organize their photos for over 17 years. Through Appo, Cathi is now teaching others to do the same. Appo provides support and education for entrepreneurs looking to build a photo organizing business, and educates the public on the need for photo organizing services. Cathi is also member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO). She was a speaker at the 2011 NAPO annual conference (NAPO 2011) and the IPI Annual Conference, and frequently speaks on photo organizing at libraries, through continuing adult education classes, and photo organizing retreats.
With a background in graphic design, and many years of customer service experience, Julie Manning brings a sense of organization to the Appo Team. Along with managing the Appo Office located in West Hartford, Connecticut she also provides assistance as the Membership Coordinator for Appo. Julie is excited to be part of this new industry that is developing, creating new opportunities for the small business owner, and promoting new ways to organize photos.
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