Ruth founded SpeakInc in 1989. Since that time, she has been instrumental in growing the bureau and committing a great deal of time to various meeting industry organizations. Called upon by hotel chains and conference planning associations to present workshops on speaker trends and the speaker bureau industry, Ruth is also a regular columnist for several meetings industry publications such as Financial & Insurance Conference Planner Magazine and Medical Meetings Magazine. Ruth is a recipient of the prestigious “Member of the Year Award” from Meeting Professionals International (MPI) and she has placed many platform speakers for national trade associations such as the Financial & Insurance Conference Planners Association (FICP). A Manhattan native, Ruth is a graduate of Skidmore College. When not at work, she can be found buried in a good book (historical fiction is a passion), hiking and boating. During football season, Ruth cheers from the stands every weekend for her sons Zach and Drew, both Ivy League punters. Husband John and rescues Gunner and Maybel happily complete the picture.

A native of Connecticut (and Glasgow, Scotland) Rich is a graduate of Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT. He joined SpeakInc in 1991 and now serves as the company’s President. He has been closely involved with the International Association of Speakers Bureaus (IASB), and is a Past-President of the organization. Because of his knowledge and expertise in the industry, Rich has been sought after as an expert witness on legal issues involving professional speaking. He has also been involved with the Corporate Event Marketing Association (CEMA) serving as a board member. He and his wife, Heather, have three children, Julia, Jackson and Max. In his spare time, Rich enjoys mountain biking, road cycling, wind surfing, motorcycling and skiing.

Tim has been with SpeakInc for over 20 years. He started when he was 12! Amazingly, he and Nicole Demers have worked together for that long as well. Maybe that is why they are such a highly regarded team in the industry. He is actively involved with PCMA, MPI, and IMEX, and serves as the SpeakInc liaison to NSA. He is the incoming IASB President for the 2023-2024 term. Tim is a graduate of the University of San Diego, but also studied abroad in Oxford, England. He and his wife Jennifer stay busy chasing around their three children, Kyle, Daniel, and Sarah, and their dog Luna. Tim can often be seen on the weekends coaching his kids in one of their many activities. In his spare time, he enjoys playing sports, a good game of hold-em, and finding the best-tasting menu in town. He is happily based in Denver, CO though he is a fan of Southern California sports teams … except USC.

Jeff joined SpeakInc in 1995 and is now a Senior Partner; with over twenty five years of experience in the industry, he still loves what he does. Jeff is a graduate of California State University of Northridge with a B.A. in Radio, Television, Film. At SpeakInc, he works both in the corporate market, as well as the association market and is actively involved in Meeting Planners International (MPI) and the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE). Outside of the office, Jeff can be found relaxing at the nearest beach or swinging the clubs on one of Southern California’s amazing golf courses. What brings him the most joy, of course, is spending time with his wife, Denise, and daughter, Faith.

Before joining SpeakInc in 1998, Lisa held various positions in sports marketing and public relations. She became a SpeakInc Partner in 2000 and is active in many industry organizations, including FICP and SITE. Lisa is a graduate of the University of Colorado, and of Concord Law School. She has two grown children and a very spoiled rescue mutt and enjoys reading, writing, and stand-up biking.

With many years of experience in sales, marketing, and advertising, Nicole joined the SpeakInc team in 2002 and became Partner in 2017. She is a graduate of Indiana University and is married with a son and stepson. She enjoys spending time at the beach, hiking with her family, and doing yoga.

Ilene studied Musical Theatre at UC Irvine and joined SpeakInc in 2011 as a Production Assistant. She couldn’t get enough of the awesome coworkers and speakers, so became an Event Manager in 2016. When she is not organizing event logistics for our clients, she can be found in her tap dance class or at Disneyland with her husband and kids.

Katie joined the SpeakInc team in August. A graduate of San Diego State University with a BA in Journalism, Katie spent 20 years working in the fashion industry in various roles from Visual Merchandising, Account Manager to Director of Sales. Katie is a San Diego native who enjoys all the beautiful things the city offers. When not at work, you will find Katie on her yoga mat as a student and teacher.

Tony joined the SpeakInc team in January 2008 as a Production Assistant and Speaker Relations Coordinator. He now serves as the Director of Operations/IT. After more then twenty years of service, Tony retired from the Marine Corps in 2006. He spent his last 15 years in Military Intelligence conducting briefs and teaching classes for the Marines, Tony found that working with SpeakInc would be a great place to build on this experience. When not at work, Tony enjoys spending time with his wife Regina and their daughter Pennelope, hiking, biking & going to the world famous San Diego Zoo/Safari Park!

Leah originally joined SpeakInc in 2006 and is known as their “Digital Marketing Maven.” Originally from Southern California, Leah is a graduate of San Diego State University. She currently lives in Jacksonville, FL with her husband, John, their two young children, Abigail and Anthony, and their rescue dog, Draco. In her free time, she enjoys reading, cooking, visiting the local beaches and walking trails, and going out for a good latte whenever she gets the chance!

April joined the SpeakInc team in 2021 after spending 8 years as a Stay at Home mom and 15 years in various positions in telecom and IT. Originally from San Jose, CA, she moved to San Diego in 2001 and now considerers herself a Southern Californian. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her daughter, writing, reading Tolkien and finding new ways to enjoy the outdoors.

Prior to joining SpeakInc in March 2023, Meredith helped to build a successful, family-owned pipeline construction company that services the San Diego area. She now serves as SpeakInc's Office Admin. Meredith is a proud Florida Gator Alumni who earned her Bachelor's degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Mass Communications. In her spare time, Meredith loves reading, interior decorating and spending time with her two children and dogs.

John co-founded and financed the creation of SpeakInc over 27 years ago, and now serves as Chairman of its Board of Directors. Most recently, he was the Chief Financial Officer of Auspex Pharmaceuticals before a 3.5 Billion dollar sale to Teva Pharmaceuticals in 2015. Prior to that he was co-founder and Chief Financial Officer of Trius Therapeutics which was sold to Cubist Pharmaceuticals. He also co-founded two other successful Life Science companies and currently sits on other life sciences board of directors. John received a BA in Economics from Wesleyan University and an MBA from the University of San Diego.