Benchmark Communities (“Benchmark”) today announced that it has named Karen Becker as Vice President of Marketing, effective immediately. Ms. Becker, who has held executive marketing positions for public and private companies over the last 20 years, will be responsible for implementing and overseeing Benchmark’s marketing and branding efforts.

“Over the course of her career, Karen has proven adept at designing and implementing highly effective marketing campaigns that resonate with customers and drive sales,” said Dustin Bogue, President and Chief Executive Officer of Benchmark Communities. “As a brand that is synonymous with high-quality homes and award-winning customer service, we feel strongly that Karen will uphold what we have built while applying her intimate knowledge of the marketing landscape to further strengthen consumer awareness of our communities and homes.”

Ms. Becker comes to Benchmark from Immersion Corporation, a leading innovator of touch feedback technology, where she was tasked with leading its corporate marketing efforts. Prior to this, she spent 12 years serving in advancing marketing leadership positions for multiple divisions at Autodesk, Inc., including Industry Marketing and Sales Enablement, Brand and Web Engagement, Digital Marketing and Web Product Management, and Corporate Marketing. At Autodesk, she successfully combined her inherent marketing intuition with data and analytics to deliver innovative global strategies that accelerated growth and increased brand awareness.

Ms. Becker also spent five years at Sun Microsystems, where she led their global advertising efforts that considerably strengthened its corporate reputation. In addition, she has held leadership roles with a number of consumer and technology marketing agencies. Ms. Becker attended San Jose State University.

Ms. Becker commented, “I am very excited to join the Benchmark family, a brand associated with integrity, character, value and trust. I look forward to ensuring these principles remain a fundamental component of our marketing efforts while incorporating a fresh perspective that will help widen the geographic reach of our targeted homebuyer.”

About Benchmark Communities

Benchmark Communities designs, constructs and builds high-quality, single-family homes for a variety of lifestyles and budgets in California, Washington, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The brand is recognized by homebuyers for its high-quality construction and craftsmanship, cutting-edge home design, and customer-centric service and warranty programs. Benchmark Communities is a wholly-owned subsidiary of San Jose-based UCP, Inc. (NYSE:UCP).