About Val

René Shimada Siegel

Partner

Biography

René is a Partner of AMF Media Group and leads the Team Services team for AMF. Prior to her current role, René was founder and CEO of Connext, Silicon Valley’s resource for marketing and communications consultants. She has an infectious passion for empowering the entrepreneurial spirit that results in innovative and flexible workforce solutions.

In 1997, after having three children in five years, René left her corporate job to start her own freelance PR business. That evolved into High Tech Connect (later rebranded as Connext), with the mission of making life easier for her overworked corporate friends while also helping freelance friends thrive. Over the past 24 years, René and her team have supported thousands of technology clients with specialized consultants ranging from recent grads to senior strategists.

René is an advocate for a multigenerational workforce. She is a public relations professor at her alma mater, San Jose State University. She also serves on the Dean’s Advisory Board for the Lucas College of Business. Among her many public speaking experiences, René has been a featured speaker at the Public Relations Society of America International Conference and Watermark Conference for Women. She’s also a contributing writer for Forbes and Inc.com

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