Mr. Gondella was Managing Partner with Causeware, a marketing and branding firm serving small businesses and nonprofits, before coming to work at DBI as Director of Marketing. Prior to that, he was Vice President of Marketing, Communications, and Media Relations at America’s Charities, an organization that specializes in delivering flexible giving and volunteering options to major corporations. That background gives Rick a unique perspective. “Marketing isn’t just about selling product,” Rick says. “Ethical marketing is about determining the needs of the client and presenting goods and services that address those needs while exceeding expectations.” Rick’s alma mater is George Mason University, where he designed his Bachelor of Independent Studies program to address presentation of complex issues in understandable terms. In his time at GMU, he completely exhausted the writing program, and took large chunks out of the environmental sciences and biology programs. Rick is an avid environmentalist and photographer. He’s written two novels and dozens of short stories.