Katie Breen, W1KRB
NEWINGTON, CT, May 5, 2006--ARRL Headquarters recently welcomed the arrival of three brand-new staff members. In addition, one current and one former staffer will fill open positions within the organization. New onboard are ARRL Membership Manager Katie Breen, W1KRB, Customer Service Manager Amy Hurtado, and Assistant Editor S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA. Returning to Headquarters is former ARRL Advertising Manager Debra Jahnke, K1DAJ, who will fill the position of Business Services Manager. Taking on new responsibilities is Contest Branch Manager Dan Henderson, N1ND, who will become Regulatory Information Specialist.
Membership Manager Katie Breen, W1KRB
Katie Breen, W1KRB |
Membership Manager Katie Breen, W1KRB, is a Connecticut native with a rich and varied background in business, government and non-profit management. Before coming to ARRL, she owned and operated a restaurant for three years. A graduate of Central Connecticut State University, she has a strong background in marketing, customer service, managing volunteers and event planning.
An urban and regional planning professional, she has held positions throughout Connecticut in that field as director of two transit districts and as executive director of an award-winning Main Street program. Licensed within three weeks of arriving at ARRL Headquarters in March, Breen is already studying for her General ticket and taking the ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level 1 course.
Outside of ARRL, Breen's passion for working with people and serving the community is evident in her busy and varied schedule. She is actively involved with the Greater Hartford Jaycees and is the director of special projects for the Greater Hartford Jaycees Foundation. She also serves as assistant chairman for public relations and birdies for charity for the 2006 Buick Championship, Connecticut's PGA Tour event. In addition, she's looking forward to chairing "Project Harvest," where the Jaycees distribute more than 3000 meals to needy Hartford families at Thanksgiving.
In her new position at Headquarters, Breen is responsible
for League membership recruitment and retention, and she says she'll focus on
putting a personal touch on ARRL. As a result, she has an open-door policy and
welcomes telephone calls (860-594-0297) and e-mail
from members. She's also looking forward to venturing into the field to attend
ARRL Division and Section-level events and, of course, Dayton Hamvention later
this month.
Customer Service Manager Amy Hurtado
 Amy Hurtado |
Amy Hurtado arrived in April to fill the vacancy left by the departure of Kathy Capodicasa, N1GZO, to supervise membership application processing and product sales. Most recently Hurtado was employed at a direct-mail facility that processed more than 2 million items daily. "My role involved managing a large customer service team," she says. "The experience rounded out my expertise in management, communication and teamwork within departments and client relations." She has prior experience in direct mail design and production with a focus on print management and client services.
Hurtado says her specialties are organization and multitasking "with the ability to communicate and satisfy the most difficult clients." At ARRL Headquarters she will oversee ARRL membership fulfillment operations and circulation for QST and all ARRL periodicals. She'll also handle the membership renewal process, the ARRL Life Membership program and Silent Key administration.
She works closely with Membership Manager Katie Breen, W1KRB, and ARRL Marketing Manager Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R, on target marketing, market concepts and direct mail campaigns.
Hurtado's academic background is in fine arts. She holds an AFA from Green Mountain College in Vermont and a BFA (with a minor in marketing) from the University of Hartford. She and her husband and daughter and the family's Great Dane live in Newington. She's now working toward obtaining her Technician ticket.
Members may contact Hurtado by telephone (860-594-0257) or
e-mail.
Assistant Editor S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA
 S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA |
Assistant Editor S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA, comes to ARRL Headquarters by way of Chile, California and Texas. She and her husband, Michael, K1MK, live in Watertown, Connecticut. While still a relatively new ham, she's gleaned a lot of Amateur Radio knowledge and background from her husband, an ARRL Life Member.
"Michael has been licensed for over 30 years, and after you've been married to an avid ham for 13 years, you find you've picked up quite a bit along the way," she said.
A proud graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas (hence the call sign!), Keane majored in journalism, history and English, with a minor in photography. She has previously led political campaigns in Connecticut, worked for the Boy Scouts of America and headed up the news department for a local weekly newspaper.
In her new position at ARRL Headquarters, Keane is involved with preparing and editing news and feature articles for the ARRL Web site and for QST and for NCJ.
She and her husband have two sons. "Sean loves ham radio," Keane says of her six-year-old. "He knows more country prefixes than I do, and Lynn, 8, is showing more of an interest in it since I started work at the League."
In what's left of her spare time, Keane serves as pack trainer of Cub Scout Pack 140 and she enjoys reading--including perusing ham radio catalogs.
"Working at the League is something I have wanted to do
ever since I learned about the ARRL," Keane commented. "You could say that this
is a dream come true."
Business Services Manager Debra Jahnke, K1DAJ
 Deb Jahnke, K1DAJ |
A familiar face at ARRL Headquarters for 25 years, Deb Jahnke, K1DAJ, soon will return after a nearly one-year absence to assume the responsibilities of Business Services Manager for the ARRL Sales and Marketing Department. Jahnke left Headquarters last June to become advertising director for a Wisconsin publisher. But she and her family decided they missed their home state and decided to come back.
"I'm thrilled to be returning home and to be back at ARRL," Jahnke said. "I feel my job experience during the past year has provided me with a new perspective and new ideas, and I can't wait to get started."
As business services manager, her responsibilities will include heading the business services team, focusing on developing advertising opportunities for QST, QEX, NCJ and working with League clients who purchase ARRL publications and other services.
Jahnke plans to spend at least one day at ARRL EXPO 2006 at Dayton Hamvention and will be on site at Newington beginning May 24.
While in Wisconsin, Jahnke pursued her Amateur Radio license and returns with a brand-new vanity call sign, K1DAJ.
Regulatory Information Specialist Dan Henderson, N1ND
 Dan Henderson, N1ND |
After spending the past seven-plus years as ARRL Contest Branch Manager, Dan Henderson, N1ND, will be shifting gears to tackle new duties as Regulatory Information Specialist. He will succeed John Hennessee, N1KB, who died in March. In his new job, Henderson will work with US amateurs on a wide range of topics relating to FCC rules and regulations governing Amateur Radio. He'll assist members in such areas as the PRB-1 limited federal preemption, antenna and zoning questions, The ARRL FCC Rule Book and the ARRL Volunteer Counsel and ARRL Volunteer Consulting Engineer programs.
"John's are big shoes to fill, but I am looking forward to assisting others in areas that are of concern to another broad segment of our amateur community," Henderson said. "I leave the Contest Branch with lots of mixed emotions and am proud of how much we have accomplished in my tenure." While the search continues for his replacement, Henderson says he'll continue working to compile and report contest results already in the pipeline.
He says he's pleased that contest participation rose during his time as Contest Branch manager, and contest results now are available months sooner than previously and with far fewer reporting errors. Henderson credits his Contest Branch assistant Kathy Allison, KA1RWY, with being "the cornerstone to rebuilding the integrity of the program" as well as "talented and unselfish volunteers" who handle log processing and the authors who have helped "bring a real feel for each contest" in reporting results.
"Though I will have a different portfolio at ARRL Headquarters,"
the North Carolina native says, "I am thrilled that I will continue to be able
to work with so many people who have become friends in the amateur community at
large. I look forward to those relationships continuing."
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