Nothing in the world ever changes until the right organization catalyzes a critical mass of the right people to commit to that change. The Matale Line exists to help you become that organization.

Bill Toliver
Executive Director | Strategy
After 20 years developing successful branding and communications programs for Fortune 500 clients like Westin Hotels and Hewlett-Packard, Bill has spent the last several years bringing non-traditional thinking to organizations involved in social change. As executive director of The Matale Line, he has helped a number of international nonprofits and foundations—from The U.S. Fund for UNICEF to The Oprah Winfrey foundations—reframe their approach to strategic decision-making and communications. Bill has developed a solid reputation for helping organizations define their brand, and then using that new “touchstone” as way to improve communications, strategic planning and fundraising. His experience in strategic communications has afforded him the opportunity to consult with, and make keynote presentations to, a range of audiences—most recently, the National Council of Nonprofit Associations, the American Marketing Association, and United Way of America. Today, he is the resident expert on branding for the Association of Fundraising Professionals' national newsletter. Bill had the fortune to grow up in the developing world, and traveled to more than 30 countries by the time he was 18. Though he speaks and writes Arabic, on a recent trip to a school in a Palestinian refugee camp he made a humbling discovery. “I could keep up with the third graders, but the fourth graders were killing me!”

Paul Singer
Director | Creative
After a couple of bachelor’s degrees, a stint as a jazz drummer, and a gig writing for one of the most decorated independent public affairs agencies in the country, Paul was recruited to edit Writer’s Digest magazine. Shortly thereafter, he was promoted, overseeing creative for Writer's Digest Books, North Light Art Books and Story Press (the latter, the imprint that helped launch the careers of Norman Mailer, Tennessee Williams and Truman Capote). Paul went on to hold creative director posts at HSR—named Agency of the Year nine times by Ad Age’s BtoB magazine and the Business Marketing Association—and at BBDO/Barefoot, a seminal player in the field of viral marketing. He has created advertising and Web content for a bevy of blue-chip clients, among them, Apple, Del Monte, General Electric, Kodak and Procter & Gamble. His work has been featured in a number award shows—CA Advertising Annual, CA Interactive Annual, Graphis Advertising Annual, Graphis Interactive Annual, National ADDYs—as well as in Ad Age, Adweek, Archive, PRINT and Creativity magazines. Paul is married with two daughters, fly-fishes every chance he gets and, much to the chagrin of his neighbors, still plays drums.

Teresa Riefflin-Ellis
Director | Direct Marketing and Production
A founding partner of The Matale Line, Riff (no one calls her Teresa) has more than 20 years of experience in production, process improvement and direct marketing. At award-winning DM agency Herring Newman, Riff ran national and international programs for Apple, Hewlett-Packard, Nike, Microsoft and Westin Hotels. Several of her campaigns, in fact, were honored by the Direct Marketing Association’s International ECHO Awards and by the John Caples International Awards, two of the most prestigious award shows in the field. At Think Inc., a nationally renowned interactive agency, Riff acquired a knack for applying her DM sensibilities to the Web, in particular, online social networking, a passion she continues to harness for clients here at The Matale Line. Riff is also responsible for a number of production and process systems that have saved our clients a great deal of time and money. She is our go-to resource as we are working with clients to find the most cost-effective way to implement their communications systems, and is the lead strategist in helping them become more self-sufficient. Riff has a husband, one son and three dogs: Dan, Kirby, Donnie, Penny and Gary, respectively.

Brad Roberts
Director | Creative
Nearly as tall as he is talented, Brad studied theology in England for a year before returning to the states to complete his bachelor’s degree at the University of Washington. After graduating, he moved quickly into both advertising and an old house. Between home improvement projects, Brad has art directed communications for clients such as Hewlett-Packard and Westin Hotels at Herring Newman, an award-winning direct marketing agency; ShopNow.com and F5 Networks at Think Inc., a nationally renowned interactive agency; and Lifelong AIDS Alliance, U.S. Fund for UNICEF, Oprah’s Angel Network, Good Samaritan Society and Survivor Corps here at The Matale Line. Brad is married with two sons and a daughter. In his free time, he can be found on the links, golfing, more times than not, in the rain.

Tessa Levine-Sauerhoff
Director | Programs
Tessa comes to The Matale Line most recently from Worldchanging, an award-winning nonprofit online magazine dedicated to solutions for a sustainable future. As program director, she served as the assistant editor of the bestselling book Worldchanging: A User’s Guide for the 21st Century, spearheaded the North American book tour, and was part of the leadership team that redesigned and launched the Web site. A born-and-raised New Yorker, Tessa graduated from Oberlin College in Ohio with a dual bachelor’s degree in Art History and Gender and Women’s Studies. She conducted research in Thailand on the intersection of gender and nationalist identities, worked to craft literature for women’s health advocacy groups in Lorain County, Ohio, and worked as the program director for Windsor Mountain International, in New Hampshire, developing experiential education-based curriculum. On weekends, Tessa can be found at the Seattle Farmer’s Market Alliance, extolling the innumerable joys of heirloom tomatoes.