Friends of Ben: Valerie Cunningham

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Google: Valerie Cunningham

I have to keep reminding myself to keep up the Friends of Ben series…And yesterday I had a good reminder at the Churchill Club event Leadership Defined.

Valerie used to be at BizWorld – she was the one who originally roped me in there – and then she did some independent PR work as HighWire Consulting and now she’s teaming up with Tony Perkins and Marc Canter (among others, like my friend, neighbor, and uber-Valley networker/investor Carl Wescott) in launching the GoingOn Network.

Valerie was kind enough to sit in yesterday on a lunch discussion that I was advertised as being involved in (it turned out to be quite the odd arrangement) and offer moral support. She correctly remarked afterwards, "That turned into a ‘let’s grill Ben on what he did when he was 2 years old’ session!"

In any case, Valerie is one of the most high-energy people I’ve met. Always ready to laugh, her personality is large and friendly. She’s a good reminder that energy is infectious and that a single person can change the dynamics of a whole room or conversation in a positive way. I’m also grateful to Valerie for taking me the first time to Bucks of Woodside so I could see myself on the menu (after the AO panel) and meet Jamis.

If you want a more interactive intro to GoingOn, check out this video interview JD Lasica did with Valerie (which I know she’s really proud of).