My career started with Midwest Airlines. Part of my responsibilities included reservations and committee planning multi-department meetings. It was exciting to be part of a growing organization and have the ability to contribute to the service excellence culture that became a foundational pillar in my embracing of the industry I love today.
My dream came true with my role as part of Minnie’s Food Pantry’s 10th Anniversary Gala (“The Power of One”)—a night of working for an organization that has provided 7 million meals to families. Highlights include this quote from keynote speaker Oprah Winfrey: “Real power comes from building strength, and you don’t get strong unless you’re told no enough times to develop the strength. When you have acquired the power of one, you’ve been told no enough times, you’ve been told it’s impossible enough times, you’ve been told you can’t enough times, but you still say ‘I will find a way,’ that’s somebody worth lifting up.” Two words: leadership legacy.
It’s awesome that my leadership experience made a difference to the company culture and the bottom line through my work at the American Society for Quality, including the role of board examiner for the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program for Wisconsin and Texas. My leading of meetings, conferences, hybrid and virtual events strategy, delivery and execution has been a journey worth taking—while having fun.
The biggest challenge in my career was the disruption of the industry due to the recession. I learned and leaned on courage and resilience through my work at the International Association of Venue Managers, and my MPI engagement was crucial.
Our industry is passionate about mentorship. This has encouraged me to lead with legacy in mind, which comes naturally for me. I leap with excitement regarding my ability to advocate for Meetings Mean Business, to include being strategic from the stakeholder’s perspective through innovation and performance excellence.
I’ve had a success tribe inside and outside of the industry in my career journey. I’m grateful for Shirley Krentz and Marjorie Maupuy for providing the example of conference and event excellence, Michelle Mason for encouraging the “faithing” of my next steps and Trudy Bourgeois for our courageous conversations.
I was ignited to engage from the beginning. The MPI Dallas/Fort Worth Chapter was welcoming when I joined the Leadership Committee, then a future chapter leader invited me to chair and engage in mentorship for the board of directors role I currently serve: vice president of leadership.
The MPI Dallas/Fort Worth Chapter has been an influencer of my professional and personal journey in the industry. I would express my experience of Meeting People’s Interest Doing Fabulous Work (MPI D/FW) through my engagement as an inspired contributor and leader, collaborating with our team of professionals to build communities of learning, member-value strategies and the voice of volunteerism. Being involved with MPI has opened the door to a wealth of knowledge and ideas by connecting me to industry visionaries. The heart of MPI has given me the opportunity to share my three focuses of life: faith, family and career. My volunteer experiences and service on the board have given me the opportunity to get to know and work with others in our industry all over the globe. We’re better together
We need to reshape our workforce by creating a culture of succession to include advancing the event industry through all voices—they all matter.
I’m passionate about engaging aspiring young leaders who understand their voice can make a difference in the world.
