Liza Marques Gresko, President
Liza was named President of The Moss-Tucker Group in January 2012 after working as the firm's lead Account Executive for five years. In addition to fulfilling her role as head of the firm, Liza leads account activities for all of MTG's clients and is instrumental in coordinating client exposure in a variety of mediums. Liza's primary focus is media outreach, where she handles placements with editors, producers, bloggers and influencers across the country, as well as the daily coordination and fulfillment of objectives for each client on the MTG roster. In 2009, Liza and the MTG team were responsible for co-creating ASTRA’s Neighborhood Toy Store Day Event, now in its 13th year. Her other recent promotional efforts resulted in client coverage in Parents Magazine, Good Housekeeping Magazine, Forbes, The Huffington Post, People Magazine, Working Mother, Reader's Digest, VOGUE, Vanity Fair and NBC's The Today Show. In 2016, Liza and the MTG Team landed Faber-Castell USA on an episode of TLC's Cake Boss, celebrating the 40th Anniversary of their brand Creativity for Kids at The American International Toy Fair in NYC. She has also secured client product placement in films such as Kevin Costner's "Black or White", and Al Pacino's "Danny Collins", as well as upcoming Series on Netflix. Previously, Liza worked with the VP of Public Relations at Martini Park in New York City. She was also a writer with Moving Pictures Magazine (Arizona), created and executed Cunard Line’s marketing campaign for their inaugural launch of the Queen Mary 2 (Florida), and handled publicity and events for several clients including Verizon Wireless, Dewar’s 12, and ING’s Celebrity Domino Night at The Agency (Florida) during her undergraduate and graduate studies. Liza graduated with a B.S. in Advertising from The University of Florida, where she was the recipient of the John Sutherland Service Award in 2003- 2004 from Ad Society, UF’s chapter of The American Advertising Federation. Liza also received a Master’s degree in Mass Communications and Public Relations from The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism & Mass Communication at Arizona State University. In addition to her current projects, Liza is a freelance writer for Mamanista.com and All Things Chic. She is also an accomplished stage and voice-over actress, and spends her off hours traveling and dancing with her husband Michael and their young children Johnny, Juliette and Landon.
Ayana Meraz, Partner
Ayana joined The Moss-Tucker Group in 2013 as an Account Executive. She quickly learned the ropes of the toy industry and became Vice-President then a Partner. Ayana leads account initiatives involving blogger and influencer outreach, and specializes in Social Media. Previously, Ayana worked as Community Relations Manager for the Better Business Bureau of Central, Northern and Western Arizona in Phoenix. She was featured regularly on local television and radio stations including Univision, the leading Spanish-language network, where she advised the Hispanic community on their purchasing and business decisions. Ayana graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with an emphasis in Finance and Human Communications, with a minor in Tourism from Arizona State University. Ayana also received a Master’s degree in Mass Communications and Public Relations from The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism & Mass Communication also from ASU. While pursuing her Master’s degree, she was part of the winning team in the national “NASA Means Business” competition (Florida), where her team created a community outreach campaign to help peak the interest of disadvantaged children in math and science. Upon graduating from ASU, Ayana worked for Bazaar del Desierto, an air conditioning company based in Mexico where she was responsible for researching, attending, and purchasing equipment at auctions and liquidation sales before exporting items to Mexico. Her national contacts in the Hispanic community have proven invaluable to her clients. In addition to her current projects, Ayana recently graduated with a Certificate in Social Media Marketing from Scottsdale Community College, a challenge taken to better serve MTG’s clients. In her spare time, and due to her passion for all things food, she is one half of the Instagram account @foodjunkeez, where, along with her fellow foodie friend Mandi, they share new food finds and classic dishes with their adoring fans.
Maggie Moss-Tucker, Founder
Maggie is the founder of Moss Tucker Associates, now MTG. Always on the cutting edge, Maggie created one of the first virtual offices in the country. She was also a pioneer in developing strategic alliances between consumer products and non-profits, being recognized as a "Social Entrepreneur" in 1988, and a leader in the field of Cause Marketing. She continues to provide strategic consultation and invaluable words of wisdom to the MTG team, proving that mutual respect and genuine personal interest will always result in successful client and media relationships. When she worked full-time at MTG, Maggie provided communication and marketing services for a diverse array of clients that include authors, corporations and businesses, high-profile individuals, consumer products, non-profit organizations, and publishers. The firm has continued to be particularly skilled at formulating creative and inventive methods of communicating the client’s message and positioning the client advantageously while never losing sight of the overriding objective of positively impacting the client’s bottom line. Due to Maggie’s experience in the market and broad range of her contacts in the media, MTG continues to take its clients beyond the expected range of media coverage. Maggie has designed and implemented numerous national and market-by-market media campaigns from coast to coast. She is familiar with the media in all major markets and has strong relationships with national media outlets such as The Today Show, The Associated Press and CNN. Maggie’s contacts in the film industry enabled MTG to place products with celebrity clients, resulting in coverage in popular magazines such as People, Life & Style, US Weekly and more. Maggie has worked on more than 10 films with every major studio in Hollywood to increase her clients’ exposure, including integrating a Corolle doll into the Disney Movie “The Game Plan” in a “starring” role since the doll was in nearly every scene of the movie. Maggie is regarded by her peers as an innovator in the children’s product and toy industry. Among her accomplishments, Maggie developed the marketing strategy to launch Curious George as a licensed product, generating millions of dollars annually for the Curious George Foundation, launched The Doll and Teddy Bear Expo, the largest expo of its kind in the world, and created the “Neighborhood Toy Store Day” concept for ASTRA. Today, she enjoys spending time with her family and dear friends and traveling to her heart's content.
Kaija Godoy, Director of Online Marketing & Strategy
Kaija was recently named Director of Online Marketing & Strategy for MTG. She is an award-winning marketing and branding independent contractor with extensive experience involving product development and launch, product marketing, social media, brand identity management, project management, program development and launch, event planning, competitor analysis, strategic planning, market and consumer research, marketing partnership management, creative direction for marketing and branding efforts, market opportunity, product sales analysis, web content copywriting, SEO keywording and blog writing. With high-profile product launches, partnerships and events, Kaija has had the honor to manage partnerships with Dr. Oz, Phoenix Suns, Chris and Heidi Powell (Extreme Weight Loss Transformation Specialists), Steve Smith (NFL) and Shawn Merriman (NFL) plus manage brand presence at celebrity events such as the Sundance Film Festival and Emmy's Gifting Suite. For projects in which Kaija has lead, she and her team received prestigious awards from renown organizations such as American Business (Stevie) Awards, MARCOM Awards and Spectrum Awards from the American Marketing Association. Kaija is highly regarded as having a keen eye for detail, exceptional project management skills, ability to prioritize multiple tasks and projects. Recognized for leadership, creativity, analytical assessment with resolution, Kaija, has the organizational dexterity to thrive in a fast-paced environment, while achieving time-sensitive deadlines through tactical, preventative measures to protect and preserve brand identity. Kaija graduated from Gannon University's Dahlkemper School of Business in Advertising Communications with a Webmaster minor. She attained Cum Laude Honors while serving as a student athlete on the starting line-up of the Gannon Women's Volleyball Team. Kaija lives in the Phoenix, Arizona area with her husband and son.
Christina McGarvey, In-house Copywriter & Researcher
Christina is currently the in-house wordsmith for MTG. A lover of words, grammar and all things nerdy, Christina describes herself as a unique blend of extrovert and introvert with paralyzing social awkwardness. Prior to joining the Moss-Tucker team, Christina worked as a Copywriter for Mindspace, a boutique, digital marketing agency headquartered in Tempe, AZ. During her time there, she created scripts for videos, interactive games as well as online and print marketing materials for clients like Coca-Cola®, TNT, and MGM Resorts International™. Before joining Mindspace, Christina was the Assistant Communications Manager at the Better Business Bureau of Central, Northern and Western Arizona for six years. As part of the marketing team, Christina wore many figurative hats. One of those hats included creating content for BBB’s weekly e-newsletter. These weekly emails offered business owners an at-a-glace look at the latest news, tip/scam alerts, and upcoming events. Christina also launched BBB’s monthly business seminars, which were aimed at educating local Accredited Businesses on a variety of topics. She also appeared numerous times on local radio station KTAR offering consumers tips on finding trustworthy businesses and how to avoid common marketplace scams. Christina graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. In her free time she is also a volunteer for Phoenix Comicon’s Internet Marketing team where she uses her grammatical powers for good instead of evil.
Debbie Bookstaber, Social Media & Affiliate Marketing
Debbie is the President of Element Associates, where she leads online marketing, affiliate marketing, search (SEO), social media and strategic initiatives for clients, including MTG. Debbie has worked as a strategic consultant for The Moss-Tucker Group since 2009, specializing in social media, search engine optimization and ocassional blogger outreach. Debbie is highly recognized in her field, and she frequently speaks at social media and interactive conferences such as SXSW, BlogHer, Affiliate Summit, Type-A Parent, ASTRA Marketplace and many more. In 2012, Debbie was recognized as one of the “Top 25 Parent Bloggers Who Are Changing the World” by Babble.com. Debbie has over 12 years of marketing experience, with working brands such as Expedia and Travelocity. She has managed online marketing programs responsible for several hundred million dollars in annual sales. She won both the Travelocity Enterprise Award and the Expedia Horizon Award for her job performance. Debbie has advised PR firms and Fortune 500 companies on blogger relations and effective social media strategies. She graduated Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Yale University with a simultaneous Bachelor's and Master's in History. She is the co-founder of Bloganthropy.org and Mamanista.com. Bloganthropy empowers bloggers to become philanthropic leaders in their communities. Through their annual awards, Bloganthropy recognizes bloggers who effectively use social media for social good. An active volunteer, Debbie currently serves on the board of Postpartum Progress Inc. and volunteers her services for many social good campaigns. She served a four year term on the Tredyffrin & Easttown School Board, where she chaired the Public Information Committee for two years and also served on the Finance Committee. She served on the Tredyffrin Historic Preservation Trust Board from 2008-2012 and as Vice President from 2011-2012. She was a member of the Tredyffrin & Easttown Cares Advisory Board and of the Tredyffrin Parks & Recreation Board. She also chaired the Project Research & Development Committee of the Junior League of Philadelphia for two years and was recognized as a Volunteer of the Year in 2003. Her enthusiasm for her clients is a wonderful asset to the MTG team.
Brooke Kanner, Media Specialist
Brooke was recently named Media Specialist for MTG, for her impressive relationships with media professionals and creatively effective approach to pitching. Brooke started her career in ad sales research at CBS Television Distribution, where she reported and projected ratings for Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy, Oprah and many other popular syndicated programs. She then spent time as a Media Buyer, placing local and national ad buys for many clients. Most recently, Brooke spent the last six years working at NBC Universal providing digital VOD strategy and insights research to the content and digital distribution teams for NBC, Bravo, E!, USA, and Sprout as well as all other NBCU television networks. As a researcher, Brooke has over 12 years of experience working on the client, agency and network sides of the business and is passionate about all forms of media. Brooke graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Telecommunication from the University of Florida. In her free time, she loves to spend time with her husband and three small children, Evan, Emery and Ari.