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MPI San Diego Board of Directors
President
Tina Marie Honor
Live Nation Special Events
Tina Marie Honor’s love for the Meeting and Event industry started at the age of 12 when she joined the student body leadership group as class president. After years focusing on wedding venue sales, she joined the Live Nation team at House of Blues San Diego in 2018. Tina Marie now thrives as National Account Manager for Live Nation Special Events, representing 150+ venues!
President Elect
Nathan Medina
Vario
Nathan joined the meetings and events industry in 2013 with a role at a meeting management company. Landing an AV production sales position in 2015 at Vario, his passion for meeting new people and developing relationships, led him to become a member of SDMPI. Immediately looking to be more than just a member, he has now served 6 years on the board and will be moving into the President Elect role for his 7th year of service.
Immediate Past President
Carrie Shen, CMM, CMP, CED
Asian Real Estate Association of America
Carrie is the manager, event planning for the Asian Real Estate Association of America with their national office in Old Town, San Diego, serving 17,000 members. Prior to her current role, she spent nearly 10 years at Zovio, Inc., (formerly Bridgepoint Education) planning company and employee events.
Vice President, Membership
Marc Lehman
Ashley Media Productions
Marc, a US Navy veteran and former Nuclear Power Engineer, and his Wife Lorelei, a former, actress and on-air radio personality, started Ashley Productions at the inception of the Event Video industry. The forces driving their entrepreneurship were their passion for creating video that moved, inspired and entertained people, and their affinity for the event and service industries.
Vice President, Professional Development
Megan Powers, MA
Powers of Marketing
Megan Powers is an event marketer and podcaster who thrives on growing community and driving sales & brand recognition through events. Founded in 2013, her company Powers of Marketing is a boutique strategic event marketing & podcast production agency. She is passionate about being face-to-face for events and about the opportunities digital spaces also give us to interact, learn, and grow revenue. Her podcast Making a Marketer has been going strong since 2017, and covers all aspects of marketing, business, and branding.
Director of Membership Recruitment and Retention
Alan Simpson
House of Blues San Diego
It was almost 20 years ago when Alan Simpson started his events industry career as an AV tech at Pala Casino in January 2005. Through this role, his passion grew for the industry and craft quickly leading him to various roles handling larger and more complex events. After years of event management Alan took on a new challenge, selling events at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. Post COVID, his experience landed him at the San Diego House of Blues as the Director of Sales and Special Events, continuing a long passion for events and the events industry.
Director of Education Programs
Emily Amezcua
West End Entertainment
Having been involved in the entertainment world from a very young age, Emily has a multi-dimensional background in her field. From acting and singing, to event production and planning, to gigging with a band or two throughout the years, she is no stranger to the stage or working behind the scenes. Cultivating a career in event entertainment was a natural evolution that began in 2015. Emily primarily works with musical entertainment, as well as specialized and unique acts for the corporate and private event world.
Director of Strategic Partnerships
Meredith Twohy, CMP
Catalyst
Meredith Twohy is currently the Director of In-Person Events at Catalyst. In this role, Meredith is responsible for creating and executing all in-person events for Catalyst, including the in-person side of hybrid events and conferences. Catalyst is a global nonprofit working to build workplaces that work for women. Founded in 1962, Catalyst helps organizations accelerate progress for women at work with pioneering research, practical tools, and proven solutions to remove barriers and drive change. Prior to joining Catalyst, Meredith was the Director of Programmatic Operations at the American Nutrition Association where she led the operational management of all ANA educational programming.
Meredith is deeply committed to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion within the event industry. She understands that events are powerful platforms for connection and change, and strives to contribute to a more inclusive and equitable professional landscapeMeredith holds a BA in Communications from California State University, San Marcos and lives in Santee, CA with her husband and two young sons. When not working, you can find Meredith traveling, hiking, camping and enjoying the beautiful outdoors with her family.
Director of Special Events
Michelle Martin
MIB Worldwide Transportation
Michelle Martin started her career as Personal Stylist at Nordstrom in 2003. In 2014 she left retail to work in the transportation industry. Michelle is the Director of Sales at MIB Worldwide Transportation. Since 2014 Michelle has brought her customer service skills, and drive for success, to the transportation industry. She enjoys the hustle and bustle and truly wants the best experience for her clients. Michelle is all about building relationships, offering exceptional customer service, and going above and beyond. She has a track record of success and brings experience with hospitality, industry experts to her corporate clients.
Michelle enjoys shopping, staycations, coffee, and spending time with her two kids and incredible husband. She feels blessed and is looking forward to being on the board of MPI!
Chapter Administrator
Erin Scholes, CMP, CSEP, CMM,DES
Phone: (858) 270-2103
Erin Scholes is a past MPISD Chapter President and currently Chapter Administrator. During Scholes' 16 year tenure with MPISD she has served seven years on the MPISD board of directors and three years as a committee chair.
Chapter Administrator Assistant
Kayla Taliaferro
Phone: (626) 529-4577
Kayla Taliaferro is a recent graduate from San Diego State University with a BS in Hospitality and Tourism Management with an emphasis in Meetings and Events. Kayla’s passion for working with people & creating memorable experiences started at her first job at 16 and led her to focus on a career in Hospitality.
