Executive Profiles

Penobscot Bay Media LLC was formed in 1999 by the convergence of three successful and respected companies in Mid-Coast Maine and is owned by Ann S. Yahner and her partners, Stuart Rich and David Berez. The owners of these companies saw the benefits to be gained by combining strengths and integrating their staffs and skills into a single, cohesive unit. Each member of the ownership and management teams brings more than a decade of experience in his or her respective field, and each has been recognized for his or her achievements.

Ann S. Yahner
President & General Manager

Ann S. Yahner is President and majority owner with over 30 years experience in middle and senior administrative management of medical military and civilian personnel in the United States Navy Nurse Corps and senior-level management of civilian business organizations. Retired from the US Navy as a Captain after 25 years service, Ann assumed the role of President of Penobscot Bay Media LLC in July 2004 bringing her superior organizational and administrative skills, experience, and talent. Ann provides the day-to-day and strategic management of the company. Areas under her responsibility include overall business management and profitability, lines of business development, project management, strategic planning, project forecasting, and financial and resource allocation.

Stuart Rich
GIS Practice Manager

Stuart is a Partner and Principal of Penobscot Bay Media with more than 11 years experience developing database applications and geographic information systems for government and non-government environmental organizations across the US, Canada and Japan. He has several years of extensive geographic information systems (GIS) experience, with an expertise in ESRI technology, which includes project management, data analysis and modeling, as well as workflow methodology design work. Stuart’s strengths are seen in his work as a system architect, a business process analyst and strategic planning manager.

Some additional work experience includes being project manager and systems design analyst on several formidable projects including: World Bank Visitor Center – Science on a Sphere, Geospatial Multimedia display, San Diego Natural History Museum – San Diego County Bird Atlas Database Design and Web ArcIMS delivery, Island Institute – Database and Web Application Development Tracking World Lobster Distribution, San Francisco Bay Estuary Institute (SFEI) – Geospatial Database Implementation, Maine Department of Environmental Protection – Threats Undermining Groundwater Supplies System, Bigelow Labs – CCMP Inventory and Invoice Application Development, Princeton Nurseries – Corporate Systems Replacement.

David Berez
Marketing Media Practice Manager

As a Principal of Penobscot Bay Media, David has years of expertise as a director, producer and editor of over two hundred video, film and multimedia projects for broadcast, corporate and non-profit clients. David has written, directed and edited promotional and image films for numerous corporate clients including Cadbury Beverages, Fidelity Investments, MBNA America, PepsiCo, News Corporation, and Harper Collins. Additionally, David has expertise in directing, producing and editing a wide variety of multimedia projects. With extensive media experience in several industries, David is fluent in all aspects of post production work and has proficiency in several aspects of production technology.

As Video Program Manager, David has created programs for the Discovery Channel, PBS, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the three major networks, and several other independent producers. He has successfully completed documentaries such as “Wounded in Action”, a one hour piece that debuted at the D-Day Museum in New Orleans and has been shown nationally on PBS and “Toad Warriors” featured on Discovery Channel. During the past several years, David has produced, directed and edited numerous films for clients in the health care industry such as Pfizer, Pharmacia, Stryker Corp, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Academy of Dermatology, the Hospital for Special Surgery, and the Shriners Hospital, Houston. David has edited hundreds of programs for his own clients as well as other independent producers. He has also won several awards of excellence for many of his productions.

Frank Yahner
Director of Operations

Mr. Yahner is a retired US Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel who has 16 years of experience in senior level business management in the high-tech industry. He contributes a great deal of knowledge in the area of technology as it relates to distance learning and instructional design, particularly in the area of military and government contracts.

Mr. Yahner has served as both vice president and president of a small business specializing in e-training, web applications, and solutions for the Department of Defense. He has overseen the creation of custom e-training course material for both Internet and CD-Rom delivery, to include a 30-hour course on the Theory and Nature of War for the Marine Corps University and 32 course modules for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He has headed the development of numerous content driven websites and e-commerce solutions. He is presently in charge of development of a document development software tool for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. His importance and influence in the creation and maintenance of the Joint Doctrine, Education, and Training Electronic Information System (JDEIS) cannot be overstated. He personally created all of the Key Doctrine Elements contained within JDEIS. His team is responsible for creating the JDEIS Document Development Capability and the JDEIS Content Management System.

Mr. Yahner served for more than twenty years in the US military, including experience flying combat support missions, serving as a commanding officer, executive officer, and aircraft maintenance officer in the Marine Corps, and serving as action officer for the Joint Doctrine Division of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. While at the Pentagon, Mr. Yahner helped develop the concepts and policies behind "Joint Doctrine", the procedure by which various military commands interoperate successfully and jointly in a single theater of combat.