# Kathleen Shanahan

> Kathleen Shanahan is the CEO and founder of BOCA Marketing Agency, a San Francisco business serving B2B technology companies. Her background includes leadership roles at Eastwick and Schwartz MSL and global corporate communications at Wind River Systems. She began BOCA as an independent consultancy in December 2008 and developed it into an agency, with an early interest in helping European technology startups enter the US market.

- **Role:** CEO and Founder at BOCA Marketing Agency
- **Organizations:** BOCA Marketing Agency (formerly BOCA Communications), Wind River Systems, Eastwick, Schwartz MSL, PRSA Silicon Valley
- **Education:** Bachelor’s degrees in History and History of Art, University of California, Berkeley
- **Known for:** Founded BOCA and developed it from an independent consultancy into an agency., Worked with Wind River executives on category positioning around device software optimization., Built client relationships spanning DataStax and Altify, documented in a repeat client’s recommendation.

## Career timeline

- **Before 2008** — Held vice president roles at Eastwick and Schwartz MSL and oversaw global corporate communications at Wind River Systems; exact sequence and employment dates not established.
- **2008** — Visited London marketing and PR agencies to build relationships for European startups entering the US.
- **2008-12** — Started BOCA as an independent consultancy advising CEOs on marketing communications.
- **2010** — Began developing BOCA into a digital PR agency.
- **2018-03** — Appointed former Schwartz colleague and mentor Merrill Freund as first general manager and executive vice president.
- **2021** — Named to PRSA Silicon Valley’s agency advisory board.
- **2022-09** — Featured in PRSA Silicon Valley’s FridayForum interview on business ownership; BOCA Elevate employee education program had been introduced.
- **2025-02** — Introduced The BOCA Beat with a founder’s welcome.
- **2026-01** — Published her views on agency growth, narrative-centered content and participatory senior leadership.

## Achievements

- Founded BOCA and developed it from an independent consultancy into an agency.
- Worked with Wind River executives on category positioning around device software optimization.
- Built client relationships spanning DataStax and Altify, documented in a repeat client’s recommendation.
- Served on PRSA Silicon Valley’s 2021 agency advisory board.

## Latest updates

- **2026-01** — January 28: described BOCA’s model of senior staff remaining involved in strategy and execution.
- **2026-01** — January 14: outlined a narrative-centered content operation spanning video, written content and other formats.
- **2026-01** — January 7: reported two new business wins at the end of 2025 and discussed growth and hiring intentions for 2026.

## Links

- Website: https://bocamarketing.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bocalife

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/kathleen-shanahan
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-21