Tech Strikes: T-Cellular faucets new CMO; Bezos Earth Fund provides senior employees; ex-Drugstore.com CEO joins SecureSave board
— Mike Katz, a longtime T-Mobile executive, is now chief marketing officer of the Bellevue, Wash.-based wireless carrier. “This is an amazing marketing role, with an incredible team and a cool story to tell!” he wrote on LinkedIn. Callie Field, an 18-year vet of T-Mobile, is replacing Katz in his previous position as leader of T-Mobile for Business.
The T-Mo Report noted other exec changes at the company, including Jon Freier taking over customer care efforts. Dow Draper, president of emerging products, will depart in April. Chief Digital Officer Marcus East will join the company’s senior leadership team, while comms leader Janice Kapner will expand her duties and lead the communications, community, and events teams. A T-Mobile spokesperson confirmed the changes.
— The Bezos Earth Fund named six new hires to its leadership team, including Cecilia Martinez as principal advisor for resilience and communities. She was previously the White House’s inaugural environmental justice official. Other hires include:
- Tony Chan, previously deputy chief operating officer at the Ford Foundation, as chief financial and operating officer.
- Leon Clark, previously research director at the University of Maryland Center for Global Sustainability, as director of decarbonization pathways.
- Stacie Cobos, previously head of global communications and marketing at the International Fund for Animal Welfare and The Climate Reality Project, as chief communications officer.
- Valerie Blain-Smith, previously senior vice president of human resources at the World Wildlife Fund, as chief people officer.
- Doug Varley, former president of Caplin & Drysdale, as general counsel.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos launched the fund in February 2020, committing $10 billion to the effort over a decade. It has allocated $1.39 billion thus far. Its mission is to fund recipients that focus on climate justice and benefiting underserved communities; nature conservation and restoration efforts; and more.
Other recent personnel changes across the Pacific Northwest tech industry:
- Dawn Lepore, the former chair and CEO of drugstore.com, joined Seattle-area fintech startup SecureSave as a board member.
- Nancy Hill, a longtime biotech exec who most recently spent seven years at Adaptive Biotechnologies, is now chief product officer at Seattle startup AltPep.
- Letitia Selk, a former director at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Starbucks, and Slalom, joined the Seattle Mariners as vice president of products and technology.
- Dr. Steven Glassman, medical director at the Norton Leatherman Spine Center and professor of orthopedic surgery at the University of Louisville, joined Seattle startup Propio as research advisor.
