A journalist, freelance writer and SAVVY’s founding Editor-in-Chief, Caroline Mangan O’Halloran’s work has appeared in national magazines, regional newspapers and collegiate publications. Caroline was associate editor of Main Line Times, Main Line Suburban Life and MainLineMediaNews.com and the founding editor of Flair, a monthly fashion, beauty, fitness and well-being publication. She previously served as editor of the Lifestyles, Education and Society sections of Main Line Life. Caroline began her career as a radio news reporter, anchor and producer in Providence, RI. She is a proud graduate of Merion Mercy Academy and Brown University. She has two grown children and lives in Malvern with her husband, Rich and their beagle mutt, Lucy.
After 15 years as a stay-at-home mom to Natalie, Grant and Jack, Kathy Shields Stevens returns to her first career as SAVVY Main Line’s Sales and Advertising Director. A fashion design major at Philadelphia University, Kathy has worked in various sales positions for lingerie and menswear companies. She’s currently a personal clothier for men (J. Hilburn) and runs the youth program at her church. When she’s not running her kids around town, Kathy enjoys competitive tennis, working out and entertaining in the Gladwyne home she shares with her husband, Peter.
SAVVY Events Coordinator Nicole Dresnin Schaeffer is a lifelong learner, born communicator and tireless event planner. She’s passionate about art, education and health and serves on the leadership council of the Wistar Institute. Formerly a licensed medical esthetician with advanced certifications in all facets of skin care and skin rejuvenation, Nicole has discussed skin care and laser treatments on NBC’s “Today” show, CNN and other nationally syndicated news outlets and has been quoted extensively in industry journals. Nicole has a bachelor’s degree in communications from Temple and lives in Villanova with her husband, Jim, and the six children they share between them.
Barbara Bowers Bigford is an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Villanova University’s Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship Institute (ICE) and serves on ICE’s Advisory Council. Barbara, her patented Beach Pockets®, and her manufacturing company, Seabreeze Products, Inc. have been featured in national magazines, newspapers and TV shows. A graduate of Columbia’s School of Oral and Dental Surgery, Barbara was a dental hygienist and QVC product demonstrator before she invented Beach Pockets®. She shares her experiences in keynote speeches and as a new-product consultant for QVC. Barbara Barbara and her husband, Doug, have three grown children and live in the same Paoli home in which she was raised.
SAVVY Street Teamer Aly Ricker McBride is a real estate attorney turned stay-at-home-mom. When she’s not tending to little Miss Molly, baby Bella James and her rescue dog, Harper, Aly is likely engrossed in the latest “it” book, planning a fabulous party, antiquing or sprucing up the Bryn Mawr home she and husband Chris gutted when they bought it in 2012. Aly holds degrees from Connecticut College (go Camels!) and the Villanova School of Law and grew up in Portsmouth, NH.
A CPA, CFA and financial whiz, Kara O’Halloran is SAVVY’s Chief Financial Officer. She’s also one of our go-to gals for our “SAVVY in the City” scoops. Her CV may scream Main Line – Conestoga ’09, Villanova ’13 with lots and lots of horseback riding throughout – but she’s a confirmed Philly girl now. By day, Kara works in investment research. By night, she and her pals sleuth for SAVVY, scoping out Philly’s finest – from our best beer gardens and hottest hangouts to our tastiest tables. What’s worth the schlep to Center City? Count on Kara and Co. for the 411.
Newtown Square native, Haverford resident and Wharton alum, Lisa A. Kazanjian is among the Main Line’s biggest fans. Work and wanderlust have taken her around the world, but family, friends, the Armenian community – think “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” – and love for this area always call her home. Lisa’s a born marketer; she’s promoted everything from robotic surgery to the Indy 500, earning an Emmy along the way. Passionate about health, wellness and the arts, you’ll find Lisa walking a scenic local trail, catching a movie at the Bryn Mawr Film Institute, enjoying a concert or visiting the Barnes.
Somehow, a lifelong love of words and justice landed Courtney Mullen – an English & Philosophy major at Drexel – a marketing job at a preeminent Philly-based law firm. Her favorite word: petrichor. (Yeah, we had to look it up, too.) When she’s not working or working out, Courtney’s probably spending too much time on social media or is buried in a book. In no particular order, she adores puns, poems, spiritual podcasts, champagne, astrology and music. We’re thrilled to add this Wayne gal’s singular voice to SAVVY Main Line.
Tracy Liebman Simon is a creative and passionate PR pro (tlsimonpr.com) who helps clients big and small reach audiences that are important to them. Media relations is her sweet spot – she’s proud of the stories she regularly places in outlets ranging from the hyper-local to CNN. Tracy led the media effort for her local friends, the Murnaghans, who fought and won a high-profile battle to save their daughter and, in the process, changed how transplanted lungs are allocated. For its efforts, Tracy’s team won the national 2014 PRWeek Public Affairs Campaign of the Year award. Tracy graduated from the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse U. and lives in Bala Cynwyd with her husband, two daughters and two furballs, Desmond and Molly Jones (Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da).
One of SAVVY’s go-to writers, Rebecca Adler was an editor at More magazine in NYC, where she covered books, careers and entertainment. Her work has also appeared in Cosmopolitan, Brides, Philadelphia magazine, xoJane, among others. Her favorite interview to date? Joan Rivers (!) A Bryn Mawr native, Rebecca is a proud graduate of the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse U. A move back to the Main Line – and out of her tiny New York apartment – gave her the space to explore her love of art. She paints female figures and animals in bold shapes and colors in her home studio in Malvern (RebeccaAdlerArt.com). Yoga, interior design, a healthy dose of reality TV, and afternoons spent hiking with her husband and son make Rebecca happy.
