Gina is obsessed with grocery stores, food retailers, international travel and her favorite place in the world is the 6th Arrondissement of Paris. She has covered the retail and CPG industries for various business publications since 2014. Previously she was a writer and editor for the Tampa Bay Times. She served on the editorial board of the Washington Post and as an assistant editor there for more than 13 years. She has also worked for the Hartford Courant, Tallahassee Democrat, and Miami Herald. In 2010 she was awarded the Wharton Fellowship for Business Journalists, allowing her to study and earn business journalism certification from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. In 2006 she was awarded the Nieman Fellowship for Journalism at Harvard University, where she spent more than a year studying retail, agribusiness and teaching journalism. She has received the Hispanic Media 100 Award, Women in Communications Leadership Award, Tallahassee Democrat Award for Newsroom Excellence, Dow Jones Newspaper Fund Intern Award and Hearst Journalism Award. She has also been selected as a fellow by Investigative Reporters and Editors, the Poynter Institute, the Maynard Media Academy and American Society of Newspaper Editors. A native of Miami, she earned a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism from Florida A&M University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Tampa. When she is not geeking out about grocery and retail news, Gina loves hiking with her Border Collie, Riley, and planning her next trip to Paris. Gina speaks fluent English, Spanish, Italian and is trying really hard to learn French.

Danielle is not just the heart and soul of Mariano Events, she is a perfect example of how vision and ambition lead to sustained success! Born and raised in Rochester NY, Danielle currently resides in Los Angeles CA where she manages West Coast business. Danielle has been fascinated with the behind-the-scenes work that goes into operating businesses from an early age. A graduate of St. John Fisher College with a Degree in Communications, Danielle focused on building her business development & marketing skillset under several roles within major companies such as IHeartMedia and Havas Formula. It wasn’t until Danielle worked for private label food broker Daymon Worldwide that she was able to pursue her interests in the food, beverage and grocery industries. Here, she worked with various retailers in Southern California and developed a love for natural/organic foods and healthy living. Danielle’s aha! moment came when she recognized she could utilize her business expertise to build brand awareness for innovative food/beverage brands & manufacturers entering the competitive market. By combining marketing strategy with demonstration support tactics, Danielle created Mariano Events—the rest is history! A natural foodie, Danielle enjoys exploring new restaurants and traveling. When she isn’t sprinting from meeting to meeting, Danielle loves staying active by golfing, doing yoga, hiking and taking her Pomapoo, Monroe, on long walks on the beach!

Sarah Alter — named president and CEO of NEW in June 2017 — has wide-ranging experience in the retail, financial services and technology markets. As vice president of Discover Financial Services, Alter led the product strategy for all credit card features, benefits and services. As vice president for digital sales and marketing at Quill.com, she helped transform the business, increasing its digital sales. In her last job — chief marketing officer for General Growth Properties— Alter developed and executed marketing strategies for 200 shopping mall properties and their top retailers. Alter has served on a number of non-profit boards and is an accomplished fundraiser. She is an organizer of Chicago’s annual JDRF Gala, which has raised millions of dollars for Type 1 diabetes. She is a graduate of Northwestern University and has a Harvard MBA.

Gina is obsessed with grocery stores, food retailers, international travel and her favorite place in the world is the 6th Arrondissement of Paris. She has covered the retail and CPG industries for various business publications since 2014. Previously she was a writer and editor for the Tampa Bay Times. She served on the editorial board of the Washington Post and as an assistant editor there for more than 13 years. She has also worked for the Hartford Courant, Tallahassee Democrat, and Miami Herald. In 2010 she was awarded the Wharton Fellowship for Business Journalists, allowing her to study and earn business journalism certification from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. In 2006 she was awarded the Nieman Fellowship for Journalism at Harvard University, where she spent more than a year studying retail, agribusiness and teaching journalism. She has received the Hispanic Media 100 Award, Women in Communications Leadership Award, Tallahassee Democrat Award for Newsroom Excellence, Dow Jones Newspaper Fund Intern Award and Hearst Journalism Award. She has also been selected as a fellow by Investigative Reporters and Editors, the Poynter Institute, the Maynard Media Academy and American Society of Newspaper Editors. A native of Miami, she earned a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism from Florida A&M University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Tampa. When she is not geeking out about grocery and retail news, Gina loves hiking with her Border Collie, Riley, and planning her next trip to Paris. Gina speaks fluent English, Spanish, Italian and is trying really hard to learn French.