Deborah Paquin, APR, President WISE
Deborah Paquin is a business and communications strategist with more than 30 years of experience in sales and marketing, marketing communications, advertising, public relations and employee communications for start-up through global companies. With experience in banking and financial services, real estate, telecommunications, computer hardware and software industries, Paquin has specialized in the fast-paced, high tech communications industry for more than 25 years. She has consulted for such companies as Intel Corp., Cirrus Logic, Marvell Technology Group, Fujitsu-Softek, Network Instruments, AST Computer and Digital Equipment Corp.
Prior to founding Strategic Communications, Inc., Paquin was the director of worldwide corporate communications at AST Computer, a Fortune 500 personal computer manufacturer of notebook, server and desktop PCs. While at AST, she worked with the CEO, President, Executive Committee and Board of Directors to position the company as it grew from $400 million to $2 billion in revenue. Paquin led employee, corporate, financial, government, community and international communications and a public relations department which tripled press each year and garnered more than 5,000 clips per year in tech publications such as EE Times, EDN, Computer Reseller News, Ubergizmo and many more, plus business and broadcast media as The Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, USA Today, NY Times, U.S. News & World Report, Associated Press, Forbes, Fortune, ABC Nightly News, London Financial Times, CNN, CNBC, CBS Morning Show and Good Morning America– all on a shoestring budget. She successfully led a company task force along with White House Communications to coordinate a visit by then-Vice President, Al Gore and created a wide-ranging product review program that garnered numerous industry awards and technology publication cover stories.
Paquin is an accredited public relations professional (APR) and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Southern California. She was a Rotary International Scholar receiving a Graduate Diploma in International Business Studies from the esteemed London School of Economics in England. Paquin worked special assignments for Intel PR for 15 years. Her first project with Intel Corporation earned the prestigious Intel Achievement Award. An endurance athlete, she often creatively brainstorms for her clients during 50-mile trail runs, having completed more than 60 marathons and ultra-marathons. Paquin is a three-time Ironman and Boston Marathon finisher and placed third in her division at the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run. She also recently completed the swim from Alcatraz, which after decades in the demanding field of high tech, swimming with the sharks was no problem.