Who we are:

Byron Mignanelli
CEO
As co-founder of GSMI, Byron oversees the strategic vision and management initiatives for GSMI. Byron brings a wealth of experience within B2B media space and Executive Events.

Formerly, Byron served as Conference Director for Palladium Group / Balanced Scorecard Collaborative (BSCol). Byron has management experience in corporate start-ups, specializing in ad networks, development of interactive media sites, and business-to-business ventures. Byron was an original member of the American Strategic Management Institute (ASMI) and was eventually promoted to President.

Inspired by the outdoors, Byron is an active member of the Surfrider Foundation, a non-profit environmental organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world's oceans. He is also a proud member of UNICO, an Italian American service organization and currently sits on the Board of the local non-profit, Meals-on-Wheels.

byron.mignanelli@gsmiweb.com
Luke Vinci
President
Prior to GSMI, Luke was an original founder and COO of the American Strategic Management Institute (ASMI). He also has extensive experience in managing political campaigns across the state of California. Currently, Luke serves as an advisory member to various organizations and is the Honorary Mayor of Little Italy in San Diego. Luke also operates as a public servant and has served for 8 years in his elected seat to the Center City Advisory Committee (CCAC), a community organization that works to advance the growth and redevelopment of downtown San Diego by providing a link among citizens, the CCDC, the City Council and Redevelopment Agency. And now serves on the Downtown Community Planning Council (DCPC). April of 2013 Luke was named to San Diego’s young influential list. Luke is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles and currently resides in San Diego.

In the Media


  • Luke Vinci interviewed by CNN Money about the Little Italy community.
  • Luke Vinci discusses Ferragosto 2010 on NBC 7/39.
  • Luke talks with NBC San Diego about the 2011 Ferragosto celebration.
  • Luke Vinci is featured on Fox 5 San Diego discussing Little Italy's development.
  • Little Italy Association Intro with Luke Vinci.


    • luke.vinci@gsmiweb.com
    Michael Roche, Vice President of Sales
    Michael is responsible for the sales and marketing of the Social Media Strategy Summit and Mobile Marketing Strategies Summit. Michael has over 10+ years experience in sales and marketing, with more than half that time spent in the conference and continuing education training field.

    Michael is originally from New Jersey. He attended Norwich University, a prestigious private military school, in Northfield, VT. After graduation, Michael began working in NYC in the staffing industry. He moved into educational training in 2005, specializing in the Pharmaceutical, Medical Device and Bio-Tech industries. In 2010, he moved to San Diego where he enjoys hiking with his dog Gray, practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, playing golf and enjoying all outdoor activities.

    michael.roche@gsmiweb.com
    Kara M. Mignanelli, Esq, SVP of People & General Counsel
    Ms. Mignanelli serves as Senior Vice President of People and General Counsel. In her role, Ms. Mignanelli oversees numerous aspects of the business, including, but not limited to, HR compliance and keeping a pulse on the most current regulations and compliance requirements affecting corporations as well as working to ensure quality and professionalism in all aspects of the business. Ms. Mignanelli has cross-functional experience in multiple areas including litigation, compliance, social media, privacy, employment law, intellectual property, estate planning, corporate formation, and risk management. She is responsible for all aspects of the company's legal needs and all HR. Ms. Mignanelli also created the Governance, Risk Management and Compliance summit in 2009 and more recently the HR Compliance and Social Recruiting Strategies Conferences.

    Prior to joining GSMI, Ms. Mignanelli was the managing associate at Boyd Contreras LLP. Her practice focused primarily on civil litigation involving business disputes. Ms. Mignanelli's litigation experience includes business litigation, partnership and contract disputes, personal injury, labor and employment law, trade secrets misappropriation, and legal malpractice. She also maintains a solo practice offering transactional legal services including estate planning, probate, family law and corporate formation. Before practicing law, Ms. Mignanelli was Director of the Social Policy Center at the Performance Institute where she managed conference production staff and successfully executed over 30 conference and training events, accounting for the largest profit generating center of the company.

    Ms. Mignanelli obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Public Relations from Rutgers University. She earned a J.D. from Golden Gate University School of Law and is a licensed member of the State Bar of California.



    kara.mignanelli@gsmiweb.com
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