Errr, *formerly* Apple Vice President of Developer Relations. Read below:
(story from SJ Mercury)
>
> Apple suffers another loss:
> Roizen tenders resignation
>
> Published: Feb. 11, 1997
>
> BY TIA O'BRIEN
> Special to the Mercury News
>
> APPLE COMPUTER INC. lost a high-profile
> executive Monday who many considered a
> walking barometer of the struggling
> Cupertino company's health.
>
> Heidi Roizen, vice president in charge of
> Apple's relations with software developers,
> said she is resigning effective Feb. 19.
>
> Roizen, 38, joined Apple almost exactly a
> year ago to rebuild ties with disillusioned
> developers who were increasingly reluctant
> to write for Apple's Macintosh personal
> computers.
>
> At the time, Roizen later recalled, she
> told Apple Chairman Gilbert F. Amelio she
> would leave for only three reasons: If she
> was fired, which she was not; if the
> company went bankrupt, which it has not; or
> if she was asked to lie to developers,
> damaging her credibility.
>
> On Monday, Roizen stressed that no one
> asked her to lie, but she acknowledged the
> task of selling Apple to developers was
> becoming harder and harder.
>
> ``Developer relations is only as good as
> the information it gets. If there's an
> unclear management structure and no clear
> business road map, then it does make it
> more difficult to get the answers we need
> to work with developers,'' Roizen said.
>
> While she attributed her abrupt departure
> to a need to spend more time with her two
> young children, Roizen admitted there were
> other factors, including Amelio's shake-up
> of top management last week that left Chief
> Technology Officer Ellen Hancock, one of
> her biggest allies, demoted and a fuzzy
> chain of command for technology decisions.
>
> Roizen's resignation is the latest in a
> year of management turmoil, huge losses and
> layoffs at Apple.
>
> The company also confirmed the departure of
> two other top executives Monday: Frederick
> Forsyth, senior vice president and head of
> the Power Macintosh products group; and
> John Floisand, senior vice president of
> worldwide sales. Both men were left without
> jobs in last week's executive reshuffling.
>
> Of the nine top executives who ran Apple in
> January 1996, eight have left. The only
> survivor is Marco Landi, then head of
> European operations. Amelio subsequently
> promoted Landi to chief operating officer,
> then stripped him of that title in the
> reorganization. He now oversees worldwide
> sales and support.
>
> Industry analysts place particular
> importance on Roizen's leaving because of
> her unique status. She previously ran
> T/Maker Co. of Mountain View, a publisher
> of Macintosh software, and has a loyal
> following in the developer community.
>
> After joining Apple, Roizen portrayed
> herself as the ``canary in the coal mine,''
> a reference to the old miners' practice of
> taking a bird along to see if there was
> enough oxygen underground. News of her
> departure left some analysts suggesting
> Apple is running out of air.
>
> ``I always thought she'd be bravely upright
> in her canary cage, even if her feet had to
> nailed to the perch. But what we have here
> is the dead canary,'' said Chris LeTocq, a
> computer industry analyst with the San Jose
> research firm Dataquest Inc. ``She was the
> keeper of the Apple flame.''
>
> Venture capitalist Ann Winblad of Hummer
> Winblad Venture Partners in Emeryville, one
> of Roizen's closest friend, predicted Apple
> will have a tough time replacing her.
>
> ``She is the glue for Apple developers,''
> Winblad said. ``Losing that is a blow. They
> will have a hard time finding another
> person to take that job with her
> credibility and charisma.''
>
> According to sources close the company,
> Amelio tried to talk her out of quitting.
>
> Guerrino De Luca, an Apple software
> executive who became the head of marketing
> last week in a reorganization that made him
> Roizen's immediate boss, said the
> resignation is a blow.
>
> ``Are we all certain this company will
> prosper again? I don't think so,'' De Luca
> said. ``But I'm optimistic we can make
> it.''
>
> Ken Smith, an Apple spokesman, said the
> company would work hard to find a strong
> replacement. ``She brings a great deal of
> credibility to the developer community, but
> I wouldn't count out that there's someone
> else who can pick up on the momentum she's
> started,'' Smith said.
>
> While Roizen declined to discuss the
> specific reasons behind her sudden
> departure, several colleagues noted that
> Roizen was left out of the loop on two
> critical decisions: First, Apple's purchase
> of Next Software Inc. of Redwood City,
> owned by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.
> Meanwhile, Roizen was actively involved in
> the negotiations to acquire Be Inc. of
> Menlo Park, which died when Next was
> chosen. Second, the management
> reorganization that dethroned Hancock and
> left two former Next employees in charge of
> hardware and software development.
>
> Roizen conceded to some frustration,
> saying, ``The roles need to be clarified.
> But it would be a mistake to assume that my
> departure is a result of the quote-unquote
> `Next people' gaining power at Apple.''
>
> Finally, company insiders say Apple's
> cutbacks meant Roizen would have had to be
> more selective in which developers got
> support from the company. ``She didn't want
> to be the person to turn developers away,''
> said one colleague, who didn't want to be
> named.
>
> Roizen said she has no immediate plans.
> While she said Apple still can be saved,
> she said there is virtually no margin for
> error. ``The company must execute
> flawlessly and that's difficult at a time
> when you're going through a massive
> reorganization. But I'm keeping my stock
> and I'm still using my Macintosh.''
>
> Posted at 10:49 p.m. PST Monday, February
> 10, 1997