MARY RUTH
Amanuensis and Playwright
Idea capturer, obsessive documenter, observationist. Suspects the truth lies in the details. Enjoys picking the trees out of the forest. Has a rage for order. Doesn't miss a thing. Her qualitative research work inspired her to write the comedy "Zap! The Unauthorized History of the Microwave Oven," a play that examines paradigm shifts through a series of focus groups spanning the second half of the 20th century. She wrote the screenplay for "Meet The Parents". She's a member of Writer's Guild East, the Dramatist Guild, the Screen actors Guild, and is a playwright in residence at Chicago Dramatist. She's also a poet. *Amanuensis = someone skilled in the transcription of speech
SUSAN
Lyricist and Wordsmith
Loves to put things together — thoughts, ideas, people. A big fan of Lateral Thinking: approaching problems from a side door, or through a window. Loves to juggle thoughts and make words dance and sing. (Factoid: she's also an award-winning lyricist/ librettist whose musicals have been performed worldwide.) A former creative director (JWT, FCB, Lowe & Partners), she's taught classes in creative writing and presentation techniques, written for BRIDE'S and COSMOPOLITAN, and was a humor columnist for The Rye (New York) Record. She has a B.S. from New York University in English literature.
AMY
Chief Strategic Thinker and Insight Gatherer
Leans on her sharp consumer and marketplace insights to create new products and reinvigorate categories. Listens to others and hears what they don't say. Knows her way around a P&L and a marketing strategy. Spent two decades in marketing helping CPG companies like Kraft, Avon and Johnson & Johnson create and re-create brands, new products and new lines of business. Honed her strategy skills working in consulting at McKinsey & Co. These days when Amy is not skiing, hiking or reading food magazines she is working as a marketing strategist and qualitative research consultant. Amy has an MBA from Harvard Business School, a B.A. from Yale College, is a RIVA certified Qualitative Research Consultant and has advanced training in online qualitative techniques.
BRANDY
Abstract Thinker and Conversation Mapper
Fortunate to think and draw for a living. Since 1996, graphic facilitator Brandy has mapped hundreds of conversations. Loves getting clients' ideas out of their heads and onto paper — so they can see what the heck they are saying. Spatial superstar, seeing connections between thoughts and organizing them into the bigger picture. Values her ability to synthesize information even more than her lovely penmanship. As an artist, she draws, collages and silkscreens. In collage, she loves making connections between scraps of paper and composing them into the bigger picture. She favors bright colors and bold lines in both work and wardrobe. She's a member of the Chicago Craft Mafia.
SARI GLUCKIN
Chief Wishful Thinker and Connection Maker
Created Wishful Thinking in 1999—the synthesis of all her interests and passions: hunting (mining deep insights), traveling (searching for inspiration across the globe), and facilitating (creating elegant processes that take teams from chaos to clarity). Sari is an avid innovator with a particular expertise in food and beverage, health and wellness and design. She delights at finding the intersection between consumer needs and a company's vision. Before launching WT, she spent 15 years creating new business platforms at General Foods and Kraft. She has created new workshops in many aspects of Creative Problem Solving (An Integral Approach to Problem Solving; Climate Setters and Shifters) and is a certified integral coach. She has an MBA from Columbia University and a Masters in Art History from New York University.