Our Team

Jack Goldberg co-founded BirdDog Media with Damien Kalck and George Mickle in 2005 and they quickly launched their proprietary ad serving technology with a major Internet portal to generate customer inquiries. A few years later in 2009, the first call center representatives were hired to generate inquires for their clients. The team of reps now numbers over 150 people who provide call center services to a number of customers and industries. Jack started Windy City Advertising in 2003; an online direct marketing service that provided clients and ad agencies with innovative ways to drive customer acquisitions. Windy City merged with BirdDog Media in 2007.

Prior to BirdDog Media, Jack spent over six years at YesMail serving as the Central Region Sales Manager and also spent over six years with Morgan Stanley, Dean Witter where he worked on both the Discover Card and Dean Witter multi-million dollar national ad campaigns.

In his spare time Jack is a competitive master’s marathoner with nearly 20 completed races under his belt including Chicago, Boston, New York, and Philadelphia. He one day hopes to run a marathon in all 50 states and finally break 2:45 if he can stay injury free.

“My job is to provide the tools people here at BirdDog need to be successful and to fully empower them to help our clients and other team members to exceed their goals.” – Jack Goldberg

Damien Kalck is one of our co-founders and has served as Senior Vice President of Operations here at BirdDog Media since 2005. With over seventeen years of marketing and operations management experience, Damien oversees all advertising and call center operations, business development and partner relationships.

Before co-founding Birddog Media with Jack Goldberg and George Mickle, Damien spent four years in Monster.com’s consumer advertising division managing their Client Services team and all of their lead generation operations. Over that four year period, lead generation revenues increased from $10 million to over $40 million. Prior to Monster, Damien road the dot com boom at YesMail.com; an email marketing company. Damien earned a Bachelor’s degree in marketing and international business from Marquette University.

When he’s not busy at work, Damien loves a good beer; especially a Guinness! A self-proclaimed “Foodie”, he makes sure to work out frequently with cross training and spinning classes to keep up with his love for food.

“I am so honored and lucky to work with all of the wonderful people here. We are a big family and all come from diverse backgrounds and I am very proud to be a part of it.” – Damien Kalck

George Mickle is a cofounder and our Senior VP of Technology here at BirdDog Media. For 10 years and counting we have relied on George to manage all phases of BirdDog Media’s technology. Before establishing BDM with Jack Goldberg and Damien Kalck in 2005, he spent five years working for YesMail and many more in IT and software development, managing large and small teams of database DBAs and programmers.

When he’s not in front of a computer monitor, George enjoys landscaping, DIY projects and using his hands and mind to create something tangible. Nothing gives him more joy than seeing a finished product, whether it’s a plant bed, tile floor, stone wall or wood cabinet.

“Words that come to mind when describing BirdDog Media are honesty, integrity, and family. We treat each other within BirdDog like family, and also understand the importance of each employee’s personal family life.” – George Mickle

Rich Smerker joined BirdDog Media as Director of IT in 2024 after spending a majority of his career in the National Defense and Database industries. His experience with a broad range of technologies and systems enables fast and effective solutions to whatever challenges the business may require.

Outside of work, Rich enjoys woodworking, electronics and CNC projects, 3D printing, and travelling to new places with his wife and 2 dogs.

“I really enjoy working in a company where the solutions we implement result in real changes, for real people, with real value.”

Ronald Goldner has been working in IT and software development for more than 20 years. Before BirdDog Media he spent time developing software in the home improvement, dealership, public sector and crop insurance industries.

When not buried in computer code Ron enjoys watching the Eagles and Phillies, travel (now that the kids are grown), going to the gym, bike riding and some days just sitting on the beach.

“Working for a company that cares about giving its customers a quality product while also making employees a top priority has been one of the great pleasures of my professional career.” 

– Ronald Goldner

Stacey Vaslin is our very first employee! Joining us in 1994, Stacey holds the title of Media Director here at BirdDog Media with nearly eighteen years of internet media buying and account management experience. Prior to BirdDog Media Stacey spent seven years as an account manager for YesMail, and before the internet, she was a restaurant professional managing a French restaurant and café. Stacey is a hard worker who believes her biggest achievement in life was raising her two beautiful daughters that she is immensely proud of.

Outside of work, Stacey spends her time fueling her caffeine addiction, collecting coffee and espresso equipment, spoiling her three adorable grandkids, and enjoying bad reality TV.

“I love working for a company that truly believes in doing things the “right way” and taking the high road.” – Stacey Vaslin

Andrew Dubois began his career with BirdDog Media in 2011 as call center representative moving quickly into the Quality Assurance/Training Specialist position, and finally to his current role of Call Center Manager. Prior to BirdDog Media, Andrew worked as an inside sales specialist with Dun & Bradstreet selling credit monitoring products to small business to Fortune 500 companies. Andrew received his B.S degree in Sociology from Arizona State University, and looks forward to continuing his education.

Andrew is a die-hard Chicago Bulls fan who enjoys spending time outside, taking his dogs to the park, going for a run on the prairie path, traveling to his next kayak adventure and listening to Pearl Jam.

“My favorite part of working for BirdDog Media is working with people who are creative, challenge each other to do better and truly have a passion for helping others improve their life through education.” – Andrew Dubois

Anita Gaikis started with us in 2010 as a Windy City Call Center representative. She was promoted to Quality Assurance and Training in 2011 and was chosen to lead her own team as a Call Center Manager in 2012. In June 2017, she transitioned to Business Development Manager.

Anita is a graduate of DePaul University with a B.S. in Accountancy, she previously worked at Ernst and Young, Verizon Wireless and held various management and leadership positions, last of which was manager of National Account Operations.

Joining BirdDog Media marked Anita’s re-entry to the workforce after having put her professional career on-hold to raise her children. When she’s not working, Anita spends time with her husband. Together they enjoy going for walks, attending their daughter’s swim meets and son’s orchestra concerts where he plays the French horn. Anita also enjoys exercising.

“I am grateful to work with such a fantastic group of people at an evolving company. I’m passionate about helping people achieve their goals and take pride working with such a great team of individuals who are highly dedicated to help clients successfully achieve their objectives.” – Anita Gaikis

Lindsay Miller began her career with BirdDog Media in 2010 as a Windy City Call Center Representative. It wasn’t long before she created and molded a Training Specialist/Rep Mentor position in which she split her time training new hires and mentoring existing reps. In 2011, she was promoted to her current BDM position, Assistant Call Center Manager. Lindsay earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in market research from Governors State University, and prior to BirdDog Media she spent nine years working in consumer research.

A true south side Chicagoan, Lindsay loves the White Sox, Bears, Blackhawks, the Blues and Bluegrass music. She is also an avid pool player, a Sudoku whiz, and enjoys snowmobiling in the North woods in her spare time.

“Working with BirdDog Media has been a true blessing. I truly love working with my team, watching the company grow and knowing that we are helping students with future goals and improving their lives.” – Lindsay Miller

Michelle Judd joined us in 2011 as a Windy City Call Center representative, but quickly worked up the ranks to a Quality Assurance/Training Specialist position, and then ultimately to the BirdDog Media Assistant Call Center Manager she is today. Before coming to BirdDog Media, Michelle was a paralegal at a small law firm in Aurora Illinois, handling small claim, family matters and bankruptcy cases.

Married for 12 years and the mother of three daughters, in her spare time Michelle enjoys spending time with her family, roller skating and once participated on a local roller derby team.

“I am thankful each and every day that I work for a company that gives me the opportunity to have a great work and life balance.” – Michelle Judd

Angela Kidner has been working at BirdDog Media since 2009. She originally helped develop and run the Windy City Call Center and is now the Director of Compliance and Contact Center Strategy. Angela has a Bachelors degree from Northwestern University.

In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, traveling and reading.

“I love working for a company that functions more as family than a corporation. And with two little ones at home, I also appreciate the great work-life balance that comes with the job.” – Angela Kidner

Mirza Mahic has been with us since 2007 in a variety of positions from account manager to media buyer and planner, and currently participates in business development. Holding a bachelors degree in E-commerce and an MBA in International Business, Mirza was an account manager for Monster.com for four years prior to joining the BirdDog Media team.

Originally from Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mirza is a big fan of Bosnian national sports teams and attends football (soccer), basketball, handball matches as much as he possibly can; and notes that Bosnia made it to the World Cup in Brazil in 2014.

“Being able to work from home and also the family atmosphere at BirdDog is what I like the best about working here. Working hard but having the time to enjoy spending with loved ones really applies at BirdDog Media.” – Mirza Mahic

Kathleen Marceau joined us in 2009 as a QA Specialist in the Windy City Call Center. As the call center grew, so did Kathleen’s accomplishments! She became the manager of our Quality Assurance and Training Team, and helped to grow that department prior to becoming our Director of Customer Service in 2011. Before coming to BirdDog Media, Kathleen worked in publishing, doing fact checking and copy editing, and also spent many years in the world of retail.

In her spare time, Kathleen enjoys working on her organic vegetable and herb garden, hanging out at the beach, and spending time with her husband and daughters enjoying outdoor activities.

“BirdDog Media has become like a family to me, and I feel grateful to work with so many wonderful people!” – Kathleen Marceau

Nathalie Phillips joined us in the spring of 2012 as a Client Services Specialist upon graduating from Northern Illinois University with a Bachelor’s Degree. She has since advanced to the role of Director of Client Services and is an integral part of our operations and account management team.

Outside of work Nathalie is a huge Blackhawks fan but most of all, she enjoys spending time with her family. Nat had a beautiful baby girl in February 2015 and she and her husband (and her 2 Boxers) are eagerly anticipating the arrival of baby girl #2 in December.

“I love working for a company where employees feel more like family. BirdDog really encourages its employees to be themselves and share their opinions, It’s really nice to feel valued!” – Nathalie Phillips

Amanda Worth started with BirdDog Media in 2007 as a Client Services Manager and is now our Vice President of Client Services. A graduate of DePaul University in Chicago with a major in Marketing and a minor in Communications, before joining us Amanda worked at Monster.com as a Client Services Manager.

Outside of work, Amanda enjoys reading, going to concerts, cooking, baking, and really almost anything in the kitchen except cleaning. She loves laughing and spending time with her husband and their pets.

“To me, the best part of working here is how BirdDog Media feels like a family, and the work life balance that is so strongly encouraged.” – Amanda Worth

Gloria Terry started out as a Windy City Call Center representative in 2011. Her first time working from home, she was immediately drawn to flexible scheduling as well as the friendly work environment. A short while later, Gloria was promoted to a Quality Assurance/Training Specialist position in which she participated in training new hires both in-house and virtually. She recently joined the BirdDog Media team in 2015 as our new Training Coordinator.

Gloria earned a bachelor of arts in theater at Columbia College Chicago and is also an accredited playwright, theater director and youth drama teacher. When Gloria is not working hard and mentoring others she enjoys spending time with her husband Shannon and daughter Nyla.

“I enjoy meeting new hires weekly and helping call center agents reach their weekly goals. ‘If you succeed, we all succeed’ is my motto.” – Gloria Terry

Kristyn Remus began her career with BirdDog Media in 2012, starting out as a Call Center Representative before moving into Quality Assurance and Training Specialist. Over the years, Kristyn has helped train new hires in a virtual setting and mentor existing reps. In 2019, Kristyn was promoted to her current position as Call Center Manager. Prior to starting with BDM, Kristyn attended the University of Phoenix for Business Management and obtained her EMT License. She has over 10 years of experience in the call center setting; including Internet Sales and Marketing Research.

Kristyn is a die-hard Chicago Cubs fan who enjoys riding her bike, reading Harry Potter Books and recreating recipes from her favorite restaurants.

“My favorite thing about working for BirdDog Media is the positive environment and the amazing people I get to work with each day. I always feel encouraged and supported and truly feel grateful to be a part of such an amazing team.” -Kristyn Remus