2020 Speaking Faculty

Josh has had the fortunate opportunity to craft his role at streamlinevents as an Industry Relations Strategist, a role which draws on 40 years of industry experience. The role takes advantage of his operational, sales, and industry participation knowledge. The role is designed to influence three key areas for streamlinevents: client recruitment and retention, elevated visibility and participation within the event industry, and the development of a Sustainability effort that can be shared with clients and colleagues through educational opportunities.

With respect to today’s topic, Josh has helped manage logistics through the 9/11 event, relocation of a meeting taking place when the Mandarin Oriental Hotel London caught fire while the meeting was taking place, amongst other numerous incidents which could easily happen during the planning or execution of a meeting.

In his current role, Josh is an active member of the PCMA and MPI community where he currently serves as the Co-Chair of Education for the MPI Northern California’s Annual Conference and Expo. He also participates with the California Chapter of the Green Meetings Industry Council as well as Positive Impact Events based in the United Kingdom, an organization focused on working with the United Nations to advance the UN Sustainability Development Goals as they relate to the events industry.

Josh’s love of the industry is the foundation for his passion to see the industry and its members achieve recognition for the value and contribution our work brings to communities. He believes strongly that education is key to the health and vitality of our profession and therefore finds his greatest passion in working with those opportunities that offer the greatest learning opportunities.

Madelyn Archibald is a Compliance Analyst for Merz North America, Inc. In this role, she is responsible for Compliance Training, Education and Compliance PR.

Madelyn brings over 9 years of Pharma experience working in the Training departments for Invisalign and Salix Pharmaceuticals.

She recently designed, spearheaded and participated in the Merz National Sales Meeting where she led 39 sessions, of 12 people per session, through an escape room activity. She successfully trained 400+ Merz employees at that event.

During her pharma career she has successfully trained over 3000 employees.

Madelyn is committed to increasing her knowledge in the pharma industry through certification and continuing education. She holds certifications in Healthcare Corporate Compliance from Seton Hall Law School, a Trainer Certification I from Romar Learning Solutions and a certification as a Cornerstone Core Specialist.

In her spare time, Madelyn enjoys international travel, app development and charitable community volunteer work.

Merz North America, Inc. develops, markets and sells pharmaceutical, medical device and cosmetic products in the fields of aesthetics and neurosciences. It is a key business of the Merz Group, a privately held German pharmaceutical and aesthetic device company.

Jacqueline Beaulieu, HMCC is Director, Strategic Marketing & Client Engagement at Poretta & Orr, an exhibits, events and strategic marketing agency in Doylestown, PA. Jackie is the former Vice President of the Healthcare Convention & Exhibitors Association (HCEA), an industry trade organization whose mission it is to improve healthcare conventions, exhibitions and events. With over 20 years of experience working with all sized companies, from Fortune 100 to start-ups, across all industry sectors, with a focus on pharmaceutical, medical device, biotech and other healthcare companies and associations. Jackie continues to participate in educational forums in our industry by speaking at industry events, contributing to trade publications, membership in MPI, HBA, MassBio and PhillyBio and as Director-elect of the MPI MD Advisory Board.

Sandy Biback has been a member of the conference/business/event business for over 35 years. She has, along the way, worked for planning companies, a hotel and owned her own professional planning consulting company since January 1990.

Sandy has, for about 15 years, taught hospitality and conference management at a variety of Ontario Canada colleges and online for the University of Nevada at Las Vegas. She has served on countless boards within professional associations, including being one of the founders of an independent planning consulting association in Canada. She has collaborated on industry text books that have been used in colleges and universities. Sandy has spoken at many industry events; has been published widely. Along the way she has continued to learn, and grow within her own profession. She has won several awards for her work, her teaching and her mentoring.

Sandy officially retired in 2017. Aligned with her retirement, she began researching the horrors of sex trafficking and realized it WAS happening in hotels at all levels; at conferences; at sporting events, etc. She formed Meeting Professionals Against Human Trafficking (www.mpaht.com) as a grassroots organization with a group of passionate professionals, to create awareness and collaboration between planners and hotels. Ultimately MPAHT wants to see every planner ask about training of every hotel they intend to use AND to see every hotel have training in place for all staff.

Maggie Butler co-founded The CM Group with Cherie Myatt in 2005, following more than a decade in medical event management for companies in Boston and New York City. Starting out as a Speaker Bureau logistics agency, The CM Group today is a full-service agency with a broad array of services and offerings including Strategic Meetings & Congress Management, Patient Engagement Initiatives, and HCP/Patient Speaker Bureau Management.

Butler’s focus at The CM Group is on operations, where as a managing partner her attention to detail and people-person skills ensure that the company’s services and deliveries are second to none and flawlessly executed. She has been influential in building The CM Group into a company that helps its clients navigate the changing landscape of the pharma industry, including how to effectively hold compliant programs.

The CM Group handles more than 6,000 events across the United States and in Europe each year. At the head of a company that has grown from 2 employees 15 years ago to 83 today, Butler believes in leading by example. Her role has become more high-level than day-to-day as The CM Group has expanded. With that, she says, it is important that the company view itself as an extension of a client’s team, not just an outside vendor.

Andi Campbell is a workplace behavior expert with an emphasis in strategic talent management. As the SVP of People and Culture for LAZ Parking, she leads human resources for LAZ’s 13,000+ employees across the U.S. Prior to joining LAZ in 2012, Andi was the VP of Learning & Development for LPL Financial. She was listed as one of the "Top 40 Young Trainers" by Training Magazine in 2012 and a “Game Changer” by Workforce Magazine in 2014, as well as having received acclaim in CLO, ELearning and Parking Magazines for her work with people strategies. She speaks at many events, conferences and organizations about her cutting-edge work with people and culture initiatives at LAZ Parking. Andi was a featured speaker at TEDx Hartford in 2017 (“Bringing Humans Back to Work”) and a speaker at DisruptHR 1.0 in Hartford in 2018 (“HR on the Frontline of the Self-Care Revolution”). In addition to having a master’s degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology, she is a yoga teacher, a certified intuitive coach, a black belt in karate and is best known for giving hugs, not handshakes!

Born and raised in the south of France, Agnès also lived in Buenos Aires, Argentina and Grand Case, St. Martin prior to moving to the United States in 1981. She is fluent in French and Spanish and has a working knowledge of Brazilian Portuguese. Her professional background includes owning her own incentive company for over a decade and filling the role of strategic meeting manager in multiple industry sectors, including Life Sciences. For the last 14 years, Agnès has worked for leading agencies, responsible for implementing, growing, and leading International teams and accounts across the globe, delivering programs in over 50 countries.

Agnès joined MCI USA in 2015 to lead the Corporate Meetings & Events division across multiple industry sectors. As a thought leader/subject matter expert in the meetings industry, Agnès is frequently invited as a Subject Matter Expert contributor on SMMP, International & Life Sciences subjects, in addition to serving as an advisory board member for various global hotel brands. Canonica obtained her Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) designation in 2000, as well as her Certification in Meeting Management (CMM) in March 2008. Agnès is also an active member of the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association (HBA) and currently serving a three-year term on the CIC CMP Governance Commission.

Becky Cavanaugh began her career in both the meetings industry and the Contract Research Organization world in 2002 at a niche company in Cincinnati where she spent five years planning meetings and last served as Manager, Client Management and Business Development . She briefly left the CRO world to expand her experience in the events industry to try exhibit management. It was only six months when she realized it wasn’t for her. In 2007, Becky joined the Global Clinical Education and Strategic Programs team at INC Research. After a number of promotions within the team, she is now the Associate Director, Strategic Programs and leads the Americas region. Becky's role as an Associate Director includes growth and management of the Americas region staff, ensuring successful program management by her team and building organizational capacity to increase work effectiveness and cost efficiencies. In Becky’s spare time (when she isn’t traveling for work-which isn’t very often), she enjoys spending time with her family and friends in her hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio. Becky has an extremely supportive husband and a wonderful “mini-me” daughter who’s a high school senior and soon to be studying Stage Management/Theater in college. Becky’s favorite city in the world she’s gotten to visit is Istanbul (with Florence, Italy a close 2nd).

Nancy Chrismer is currently the Vice President of Event Management at BI WORLDWIDE. In this role, she is responsible for a team of Event Registration Managers and Group Air Consultants who handle the design and delivery logistics of website build, registration and air travel arrangements while providing pre-event customer service to program attendees. She is responsible for the research, development and implementation of industry technology to align with the event’s goals and objectives. With over 20 years of travel and event experience, Nancy knows that innovation and implementing the correct tools are critical to success given the constant and rapid pace of change in the industry. Nancy is also an active board member of SITE Minnesota.

Heidi Cocca has been at Merck for almost 15 years, working on various aspects of the clinical trial process, including training investigative sites. In 2009, she joined the newly formed Meeting Management department with a goal to develop, implement, and sustain a new meeting model that produces compliant, cost effective and high-quality investigator meetings. Prior to joining Merck, Heidi worked in software development, and now brings that zeal for technology to her current meetings, through digital and hybrid meetings, as well as staying on top of the latest trends such as meeting applications and gamification.

Heidi received her undergraduate degree from Lynchburg College, and now lives in Connecticut with her husband and two boys.

As the Director of Business Development – Economic Sectors for Destination Canada’s Business Events Canada (BEC) team, Virginie is responsible for leading the development and managing the implementation of BEC’s economic sector strategy. Responsible for increasing overnight visitations to Canada by attracting business events from international markets in alignment with economic sectors identified in Canada’s Trade and Investment Strategy.

Virginie has an extensive background in business development and international operations with 17 years’ experience. She has lived and worked in more than seven countries in Asia, Africa and Europe before moving to Canada in 2010, where she was director of international trade at the World Trade Centre Winnipeg for five years.

In 2015-2016, she was the director of business development at Economic Development Winnipeg, responsible for attracting meetings and conventions business through local influencers as leader of the Bring it Home program. Prior to her relocation to Canada, Virginie spent 11 years working in Africa. She was operations manager of UGACOF Ltd, Uganda (coffee and cocoa processing and exporting company) for four years. Her varied work experience also includes time in Democratic Republic of Congo as commercial, marketing and administrative manager with Transys (IT company) and as a financial administrator with the Belgian Red Cross. Virginie is the Honorary Consul for the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Manitoba and is a certified International Trade Professional (CITP) through the Forum for International Trade Training.

Virginie holds a Masters of Science from the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences at the Catholic University of Louvain (UCL) in Belgium, and a diploma of Engineering in Agriculture. She is originally from Belgium and has language skills in French, English, Spanish, Dutch and Bahasa Indonesia.

Michael Dominguez is the President and Chief Executive Officer Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI). Prior to ALHI, Michael was Senior Vice President for MGM Resorts International providing oversight for all Hotel Sales operations in Las Vegas, Regional and Global destinations.

Michael is actively involved in leadership roles in the Meetings and Events Industry and currently serves as the Chairman on the International Board of Directors for Meeting Professionals International. His other industry leadership involvement includes board positions with: US Travel Association (Executive Committee), Steering Committee for US Travel’s Meetings Means Business Coalition, Starcite Advisory Board, Elite Meetings Advisory Board, PCMA Issues and Trends Taskforce, ASAE Industry Partner Alliance and Convene Green Advisory Board.

Sonya brings over 20 years of experience in strategic meeting planning and management in the hospitality industry. Over 15 years of her experience was focused in the pharmaceutical and medical device area. In her current role as Certified Global Event Management Leader, Sonya is responsible for overseeing global meetings & events that is primarily responsible for planning, coordination, and logistical support of Commercial & Sr. Executive Committee meetings for Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma America. Which includes direct oversight of all business critical & high impact meetings such as the National Sales Meeting and Presidents Club Incentive trips to name a few.

Sonya is a Certified Meeting Professional, Certified Meeting Manager, HMCC Designee and is currently working on her Certified Trade Show Management Certification along with ‘attempting’ learning Spanish and Japanese with her son. Sonya has attended University of Phoenix for her BA in Business Administration and County College Of Morris for and Associates in Hospitality Management. In addition, Sonya is amateur Chocolatier and hopes to further her craft at Culinary Institute of Art someday soon.

Professional activities include volunteer roles with the Hunterdon YMCA and other non-profit agencies. Sonya also organizes and participates in various projects with the local PTA at her son’s school.

Aleka Garcia has been in the healthcare & pharmaceutical industry for more than 20 years. Her experience includes accreditation, healthcare communications, event and tradeshow management. Aleka is a proven medical marketing event professional with extensive experience building and leading multi-disciplinary teams. Aleka is an active volunteer and lecturer on healthcare meeting management who holds the CMP-HC certification. Currently, she is the Past Chair of the CMP Governance Commission with the Events Industry Council.

Pádraic Gilligan is Managing Partner at SoolNua, a specialist advisory in the area of Business Events. SoolNua is the external contractor for all SITE’s marketing and communications and Pádraic serves as the association’s Chief Marketing Officer. Following the acquisition of his former company by MCI in 2007, Pádraic and his business partner Patrick Delaney, established Ovation Global DMC, opening offices at over 100 locations worldwide.

A global strategic meeting professional, Mozelle’s experience spans more than 20 years in the medical education programming arena as well as programming in higher education, publishing and technology. Her career started at Sterling Drug where she was introduced to the world of meeting planning. She later acquired a position at a third-party medical education agency, where she held positions in operations and account management during her 13-year tenure before deciding to venture out as an Independent Planner. Having a passion for medical programming, Mozelle is currently in her third year with Eisai Inc. as a Pharmaceutical Meeting Planner.

A member of Meeting Professionals International (MPI) since 1997, she earned her CMP in 1998, served as President of the WestField Chapter from 2013-2014 and has recently rejoined the chapter’s board of directors as Director of Leadership Development. In 2016, she was invited to be a member of the inaugural MPI-MD Advisory Council whose objective is to support and promote medical meeting professionals through education, career development programs and resources, an exclusive online member community, and private consulting. Mozelle currently serves as a member of the MPI-MD Advisory Council, as well as the Maritz Travel HCP Advisory Council.

Other certifications include Sports, Entertainment and Event Marketing (New York University School of Continuing and Professional Studies) and Healthcare Meetings Compliance (MPI and St. Louis University). Mozelle holds a BSBA in general business from Bowling Green State University (Ohio).

Kathy Grau is an industry thought leader and a frequent speaker at conferences. She is a global meeting professional with 20+ years of industry experience. Having worked with medical device, pharmaceutical, financial services and third-party meeting management companies, she understands meeting management from multiple perspectives. Kathy’s experience spans trade show management, event planning, operations management and consulting. Kathy has experience with supplier management, global events, Cvent implementation on an enterprise level as well as building and evolving a strategic meetings management program.

Kathy was previously Global Operations Director at CWT Meetings & Events and an Assistant Director on the Global Meetings & Events team at Ernst & Young. She is currently managing her own meetings management and consulting firm.

Kathy is President Elect for Meeting Professional International, New Jersey Chapter and a member of the Global Business Travel Association’s Meeting Committee. Kathy created a Strategic Meetings Mastermind Group that meets monthly to review and discuss industry hot topics, best practices and idea sharing.

Jeff Guberman is the CEO of McVeigh Global Meetings and Events, a corporate meetings and events management company catering to Fortune 1000 clientele. Jeff is a graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program. Jeff started his career as a theatrical lighting and scenic designer. In 2004, he founded Fourth Wall Events, an event planning company focused on providing creative experiences across the globe. In 2010, he founded Dynamic Drape and Décor, a drapery rental company to the events industry. Four years later, he sold this business. That same year, he started Formset, a modular scenery company. He sold Formset in 2016. He then acquired Discover New York and Beyond Times Square, merging them together to create Beyond Times Square, a New York based travel experience company. In 2018, Fourth Wall Events merged with Worldtek, and acquired McVeigh Associates, creating McVeigh Global Meetings and Events.

With over 18 years of broad-ranging experience planning and managing meetings and events for clients in the corporate, third party, pharmaceutical and mobile marketing industries, Amber uses her soft but no nonsense approach to deliver exceptional and memorable programs for clients while building and maintaining trusted relationships. Her extensive pharmaceutical planning background lends her to being the trusted resource her clients expect and can rely on. Amber has led teams while keeping a sharp eye on the big picture goals and deliverables her clients require. Outside of work Amber enjoys time at home with her husband and daughter and retreating to nature.

Scott Higgins is an industry professional of 11 years and has the pleasure of being the Associate Director of Sales & Business Development for the Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board. His career has lead him through a number of hotels and allowed him to develop a strong understanding for the hospitality industry. In his current role, he works as a trusted advisor to those looking for a new and unique destination for their meetings and events.

Deborah brings to the table over 25 years of medical meetings management expertise with a focus on national account development and client management. She is proud to serve on the board of MPIMD and as immediate past president of IMMPA (International Medical Meeting Professionals Association.) Deborah was named MPI Gulf States Chapter Planner Of The Year and has served as the President of the Foundation of NACE. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from Purdue University.

Hotelier with over 35 years in the industry leading, inspiring and engaging associates and executive teams with strong communication skills and a creative approach, fostering a culture of accountability for achieving success through leading by example.

Extremely responsive to new concepts and how they affect the industry which will always hold a place in the process of strategic planning.

An out of the box thinker, was among the first to embrace social media marketing, and the hotels have been at the forefront of sustainability initiatives, earning three Starwood sustainability awards.

Excellent Crisis Management skills. Have weathered multiple crises, affecting his hotels as well as the surrounding areas. Experience has taught that the best way to handle a crisis is thorough preparation, beginning with building a team you trust and who trusts you, followed by contingency planning and ability to stay calm and gather facts before making an informed decision.

Has a unique ability to inspire associates and has earned multiple accolades, as well as a go-to resource for federal, state and city officials during change events.

Lisa Keilty is the Sr. Director of Compliance and Operations for Maritz Global Events. Lisa joined Maritz after serving as founder of the Compliance Consulting firm PMC2 and spending over 25 years in the life sciences and meeting management industry. Leading such organizations as Pfizer, Bristol Myers Squibb and Biogen Idec through numerous international healthcare professional engagement projects, financial transparency and reporting requirements, Lisa’s industry expertise has delivered operational efficiencies and has saved over 30 million dollars for her clients.

Lisa is passionate about validating her commitment and knowledge in the industry through certification and continuing education. As 2009 – 2011 President of the International Medical Meeting Professionals Association (IMMPA), Lisa built the organization and led the Board of Directors consisting of astute colleagues and industry leaders in achieving a program for Healthcare Certification in Meeting Management, now owned by MPI. Lisa also served as a member of the Governance Committee of Convention Industry Council (CIC) bringing the Healthcare Certification to Meeting Professionals globally in the fall of 2013.

Lisa Keilty is a CMP and is certified in Healthcare Corporate Compliance through Seton Hall Law School and member of Cambridge Who’s Who. Over the past decade, Lisa has spent additional time speaking at a multitude of industry trade shows and events, training professionals on successfully navigating the nuances of the life science industry.

Colleen Kenney, CMP, is the Senior Director of Corporate Meetings & Events at Alkermes, Inc. based in Waltham, MA. She leads the company’s global Strategic Meetings Management Program (SMMP) and is responsible for companywide events and meetings inclusive of 200 meetings.

Before joining Alkermes in the Spring, Ms. Kenney was the Associate Director of Events, Meetings, and Conventions (EMAC) group at Takeda Pharmaceuticals where she held positions of increasing responsibility for 10 years. Throughout her tenure at Takeda, she managed a team of project managers with responsibility for the successful execution of 500 meetings per year. She partnered with global procurement on cost savings initiatives, implementation of a global meeting policy, and establishing a global congress hub. Ms. Kenney also created a new HCP liaison role to better align the EMAC, compliance, and legal groups around strategic meeting objectives for their HCP audience.

Prior to Takeda, she was a senior meeting planner at Sepracor where she planned and executed R&D; meetings, which included Investigator Meetings, Ad Boards, and Speaker Bureau Trainings. Before her career in the pharmaceutical industry, Ms. Kenney worked in the hospitality industry for 15 years, holding roles such as the director of sales, director of catering, and banquet manager. She has a son named Jake (6) and they live in Shrewsbury, MA.

Dusty has been in the meetings and events industry for 17 years and has a focus on global compliance and strategy in her present position as Director with Syneos Health. She has worked on both sides of the industry, for clients and agencies, in large corporate companies and start-ups, and industries from pharmaceuticals to technology. A passion to learn, so libraries of the world is a favorite stop when she travels. She is a card-carrying member of the Library of Congress.

In addition to her industry knowledge, Dusty is a CMP (Certified Meeting Planner) and has a HMCC designation and is a faculty member of MPI, teaching the Health Meeting Compliance Certification Course.

Ella Korets-Smith is a Business Development Executive focused on creating value for Canadian biotechnology and health technology companies through building strong relationships. Her various executive level roles include Chief Business Officer of Virica Biotech and Head of Regional Business Development at Antibe Therapeutics. Ella was the founding CEO and Director of TOHealth!, an industry-led not-for-profit raising the profile of the Toronto Region’s Health Cluster as a global hub for health innovation. In her 15 years in industry, Ella worked with small and large, public and private life science and medical device companies and has built an extensive network of business leaders and funders in Canada and internationally. Ella has an MSc in Medical Genetics from the University of Toronto and an MBA from Dalhousie University.

Staci Kvasnik is a Meeting Professional with 15+ years’ experience in the meetings and events industry including: Destination Management, Corporate Meeting Planning, Strategic Meetings Management and Process Improvement. Recently, Staci assumed a new leadership position managing Boston Scientific’s Maple Grove Innovation Center. Responsible for managing a team of Customer Engagement Specialists by driving execution of corporate and divisional marketing objectives through strategic onsite customer engagement.

Previously Staci was part of the Boston Scientific Global Business Services Meetings Management Team, where she was a Global Process Lead. She was part of a newly formed team developing a Strategic Meetings Management Program for Boston Scientific. Her primary duties included project acceleration, customer outreach, planner education and policy development. Staci started at Boston Scientific 8 years ago as a Senior Meetings and Events Specialist on a Shared Services Meetings and Events Team. Her role involved stakeholder and vendor management while planning National Sales Meetings, Medical Advisory Meetings and other Sales and Marketing related events. Prior to that she managed programs at metroConnections, Land O’Lakes and ACCESS DMC.

In her spare time, Staci enjoys volunteering in her community as well as spending time with her family.

Passionate about engagement, professionally and personally, Frank has been fortunate to build a career that has provided him the opportunity to do something he truly enjoys.

As Chief Sales Officer at MeetingPlay, his role is to enhance the future of MeetingPlay’s growth including development, tracking, and overseeing the MeetingPlay Brand; Designing and Implementing the MeetingPlay Sales Growth Strategy. In addition, his goal is to develop and build a fabulous team: Work hard, ‘wow’ clients, and provide each associate an atmosphere for personal growth.

His background has been successfully building high performing sales & marketing teams in the ‘engagement’ space, and his specialties include strategic planning, business development & sales; team building, training, coaching, and mentoring. He’s worked at E Group Inc., Burlington Industries, Triad Systems Corp, and IBM. He is a graduate of Shippensburg University in PA with a BSBA in Marketing, and enjoys tennis, golf, the outdoors, cooking, and a love of music. (www.meetingplay.com)

Ryan Mazon is Senior Vice President of Business Development at Educational Measures, a meeting technology and analytics company. He has more than a decade of event technology experience with a primary focus in life sciences and healthcare communications. His experience spans everything from pharmaceutical events (including speaker trainings and investigator meetings) to technology and meeting design. Ryan works with clients all over the world to help them utilize innovative technologies to maximize audience engagement, improve meeting impact, and create remarkable experiences. Ryan served in the military as a Sergeant in the Army and was deployed to Baghdad, Iraq where he received awards and accommodations for his service to our country. Ryan holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Grantham University, with a focus in Homeland Security.

Brian began his career 20+ years ago working at the Krisam Group, a hotel sales and marketing company. He joined WorldTravel Meetings & Incentives on-site at Warner-Lambert as a Sourcing Manager in 1999, staying through the Pfizer acquisition. In 2006, he joined Maritz Travel on-site at Schering-Plough to develop their International sourcing department.

Following Merck’s acquisition of Schering in 2010, he joined the Maritz team on-site at Novartis to develop an international sourcing department there. He moved to Forest Laboratories, Inc. in November, 2013 as Manager, Global Procurement, Meeting/Conference Sourcing, overseeing the company’s venue sourcing program. Promoted to Senior Manager in 2017, he continues in that role following the acquisition of Allergan.

Brenda Miller Is a 29 year industry professional serving in the role as a Senior Director, SMM Global Life Sciences for CWT Meetings & Events. Brenda’s experience spans not only the meetings and travel space but also experience from the customer side within an established procurement community. Brenda since 2010, has been a leader in the development of best in class strategic meetings programs with a focus on compliance and transparency regulations, globally. Brenda is responsible for the strategy and deployment for CWT Meetings and Events global life sciences client base with over 75 countries in scope.

She has held various roles in her career including procurement, project management, contract negotiations/analysis, operations management and program/account management.

Marnie is the Manager, Global Congresses & Meetings at CSL Behring where she plans and executes meetings across therapeutic areas. After graduating from East Carolina University with a degree in Hospitality Management, Marnie worked in many facets of the Hospitality Industry. For the past 10 years, she has focused on Pharmaceutical Meeting planning.

Jill Joy Rankin, C.P.M. Global Category Manager, is part of a Global Sourcing Team at Boehringer Ingelheim, whose corporate offices are based in Ingelheim, Germany. Jill is based out of Ridgefield Connecticut and is currently responsible for Global Sourcing initiatives for domestic and international programs. She has extensive leadership and cross functional experience across Sourcing and Procurement for more than 20 years. She currently supports Global Sourcing categories which includes Contract Sales, Meetings, Congresses, Sales Training, and Print management at BI leading Cross Functional and Cross Divisional Project Teams.

Prior to Boehringer Ingelheim, Jill supported Sourcing and Procurement Categories as Associate Director at Novartis Consumer Health which included Global Category strategy management of their Marketing Services and Digital Services programs as part of their Over the Counter (OTC) Division. In addition she worked in Strategic sourcing group for Johnson and Johnson, based in New Brunswick New Jersey as part of a shared services team function supporting and leading Strategic Sourcing specific categories across three business sectors including Pharma, Consumer and Medical Devise Business units. Jill was previously based on the West Coast as part of the Purchasing team for Neutrogena supporting all Supply Chain plant site functions.

Jill has been in a Procurement function across multiple industries including Software, Health and Beauty, and worked in manufacturing leading the purchasing team for a Billion dollar Global Corporation in the Food industry as well as experience working for Wella Corporation running the Purchasing function for their West Coast division. She is a Lifetime Certified Purchasing Manager and Green Belt for Six Sigma and has a vast knowledge across many industries which lends to her success and leadership in Procurement roles and expertise initiating new processes, approach and innovation to this field with both her internal stakeholders and Suppliers.

Danielle Restaino, CMP, HMCC, is a Senior Professional Meeting Partner with Genentech’s Meeting & Convention Services team. As a strategic business partner to internal stakeholders, Danielle drives teams to meet business goals and objectives through sales and marketing meetings, product launch meetings, convention related activities, advisory board meetings, clinical trial and other HCP meetings and interactions.

With recognition and a proven track record as a meeting strategist, she leads cross-functional teams, drives to maintain excellent event operational and compliance standards, cost containment strategies, and manages vendor teams to provide excellent pre-planning and onsite production and logistics management.

Previously with Kaiser Permanente’s Corporate Meeting Services, with stints in the tech industry and non profit community, Danielle has been in the meeting & event planning industry for almost twenty years. She graduated from UC Davis with a degree in Art History and entered the world of Arts Administration, where she realized her aptitude managing workshops and conferences was destined for a career in the Meetings and Events Industry.

An active industry professional, Danielle served on the Meeting Professional International Northern California Chapter Board of Directors in various roles, including Director of Education, Vice-President of Education, and Vice President of Membership, as well as serving on Meeting Professional International’s Committees. For over six years she co-authored articles for the MPINCC Quarterly Magazine Perspective, continues to be active in MPINCC and the Green Meetings Industry Council, as well serving on hotel and CVB customer advisory panels.

Mary Rivers is the Director, Commercial Meetings and Events at Takeda. As one of the pharmaceutical industry’s leading strategic meeting professionals, Mary has been implementing cross-functional solutions for her organization and her partners for over 20 years.

Mary has a proven track record of leading successful, mission-critical projects for a wide range of business units and programs, including Commercial Operations, Product Launches and Incentives. Mary has executed programs for various corporations, spent 6 years supporting a variety of clients on the third party management side, and for the past 12 years has dedicated herself to the pharmaceutical industry.

Mary prides herself on creating not only long-term partnerships but friendships with colleagues and industry partners. To every project, Mary brings her commitment to supporting the strategies that drive the meetings and events she and her team deliver, as well as her passion for helping her associates learn and grow.

As RED Company’s founder and President, Carmela Roth brings over 30 years of experience and dedication in meeting planning and special event production. Carmela takes immense pride in her partnerships, 95% client retention rate and long-standing relationships during this journey. Working within the life sciences and healthcare industry, she ensures meticulous attention to detail, in-depth understanding of unique company cultures, a high-touch approach, creative cost savings, flexibility and tenacity.

Carmela earned her BA in Business Administration, Marketing and Advertising at California State University Fullerton. With only $800, she co-founded and successfully operated a special event production and meeting planning firm, Red Letter Productions, for over twelve years before branching out on her own to start Roth Event-full Design Company, Inc. (dba RED Company). RED Company has been recognized as one of the LA Business Journal’s Top 100 Women-Owned Businesses for the last seven years and their Top 100 Fastest Growing Companies for three. In 2016, RED Company earned recognition in Inc. 500’s 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies in the US.

Carmela currently serves on the Board of Directors for Diversity Alliance for Science, an organization created to provide a platform to identify, attract and develop small and/or diverse businesses to drive inclusive procurement practices within the life science and healthcare industries.

Carmela is inspiRED every day by her team who shares her passion, kindRED spirit and “will do” philosophy. RED Company’s service-centric culture has evolved into making a difference by giving back with Power-full Acts of Compassion and Kindness™ initiatives through their RED PACK™ Program.

Pat is the author of “Breaking the Code to Healthcare Compliance”, 5th Edition, a health policy resource book for meeting professionals, physicians and manufacturers that addresses the impact of the National Physician Payment Transparency Program: Open Payments (formally the Physician Payments Sunshine Act) and global cross-border compliance. The book is the resource for the Healthcare Meeting Compliance Certificate program being offered globally through MPI, St. Louis University and the Convention Industry Council CMP-HC certification program. She is also the Executive Editor of the newly released “MPI CMP Healthcare Training Manual and “The Guide to Successful Destination Management”. Pat is a contributing editor to 5 editions of the CIC Manual.

The Healthcare Meeting Compliance Certificate (HMCC) program was designed by Pat and currently has 2,200 recipients representing 16 countries.

Pat was recently named by Meetings Today as on the 2016 Meetings Trendsetters and was again named One of the Top 25 Women in the Meetings Industry 2017. She was recently recognized, for the third time, by Successful Meetings magazine as One of the 25 Most Influential People in the Meetings Industry. Her honors include being named the first recipient of the International Destination Management Professional of the Year by ADME International, named as One of the Magnificent 7 in the Global Hospitality Industry and was most recently named as One of the 25 Most Influential Women in Business by the St. Louis Business Journal. Pat was also selected as Meeting Professional of the Year by the MPI-St. Louis Chapter and Event Professional of the Year by ISES-Missouri Chapter.

She is proud of her impact and roots within the Hospitality Industry. She is past president of Meeting Professionals International (MPI), St. Louis Chapter, Founder and Past President of the International Special Event Society (ISES-Missouri Chapter) and Past President of the Association of Destination Management Executives International (ADME).

She has served as an adjunct Professor at 4 universities and currently Co-chairs the Hospitality Management Industry Advisory Board at St. Louis University’s School of Professional Studies and serves as faculty for the Healthcare Meeting Compliance Certificate.

Don Schmid currently holds the position of Global Congress Lead for Pfizer Corporation. In this position, he is responsible for strategy and execution of medical tradeshows for Pfizer

Don embraces F2F (Face to Face) as a marketing channel and has enjoyed leading roles of brand building through event experience with Chrysler Corporation, GE Healthcare and now Pfizer. He is recognized as calculated risk taker in the event arena and was the featured cover story of the debut issue of Event Marketing magazine. Don also has worked in the not-for-profit segment as the Executive Director of Hot August Nights classic car and rock music festival and President of The Parade Company in Detroit. Don has also been a long-term BOD member of the Healthcare Exhibitors Association and recently served as their President.

Don has been a presenter on various Event Marketing topics and he holds an MBA in Marketing, a BA in Economics and Management and has earned a CTSM (Certified Trade Show Manager) Gold certification.

David A. Shore is a leading authority on innovation and managing change initiatives to gain competitive advantage. Throughout his career he has worked to combine research, teaching, consulting and writing to build constructive links between theory and practice.

Shore has been on the faculty of Harvard University for more than two decades. He is also Distinguished Professor of Innovation and Change at Tianjin University of Finance and Economics (China) and Adjunct Professor of Organizational Development and Change at the School of Business, University of Monterrey (Mexico). Shore is a faculty member of The Governance Institute and Executive-in-Residence at Enable East (United Kingdom). He has held visiting professorships including in Amsterdam, Santiago, and Shanghai and consulted on six continents. Shore offers executive education seminars and facilitates strategic planning and guided implementation retreats. He has delivered hundreds of keynote addresses and workshops across multiple industries.

Previously, Shore spent two decades at the Harvard School of Public Health, where he served as associate dean. He founded and directed the School's flagship programs: Forces of Change; The Trust Initiative; and the Certificate Program on Launching and Leading Successful Change Initiatives.

He has served on and chaired numerous boards and committees, and currently is a founding member of McKinsey & Company's External Implementation Advisory Board which has a primary focus on operationalizing strategy for transformational change. He also sits on the Board of Directors of the Marshfield Clinic Health System, as well as several editorial boards. Among his honors is the Doctorate Fellow from the Academy of Multi-Skills (United Kingdom). Along with innovation and change, Shore's body of work focuses on creating higher performing organizations including building and rebuilding trust; reimaging and reengineering meetings; and, strategic marketing and branding.

His most recent books include Launching and Leading Successful Change Initiatives in Health Care Organizations: (Jossey-Bass, 2014); Forces of Change: New Strategies for the Evolving Health Care Marketplace (Jossey-Bass, 2012); and High Stakes: The Critical Role of Stakeholders in Health Care, with E. Kupferberg (Oxford University Press, 2011). He has also written a book on trust and edited a second.

Professor Shore has been recognized as a Top Thought Leader in Trust by Trust Across America – Trust Around the World. He is also a multiple recipient of Harvard's Letter of Commendation for Distinguished Teaching Performance, including in 2017 and 2018; and was chosen to deliver a 2015 and 2016 Harvard Lecture That Lasts (Harvard's version of a TED Talk) and a TEDx Talk.

Never known to simply :admire the problem," beyond intellectually stimulating, Shore provides executable advice, inspiring leaders and organizations to gain a unique and adaptable competitive advantage.

Malak Sidky is the founder and President of Health Care Event Planning. She has a BSc in Biochemistry from McGill University and a Master’s degree in Health Administration from the University of Toronto. She is fluently bilingual is conversant in 5 languages.

Malak teaches Event Planning at Conestoga College and Risk Management at Fanshawe College She is the VP, Partnerships for the Canadian Society of Professional Event Planners (CanSPEP), sits on the Education Committee for PCMA, Central East and is the volunteer coordinator for Meeting Professionals Against Human Trafficking (MPAHT).

Malak’s breadth of experience in the industry is vast; she has planned and executed a variety of health care educational events and projects for various clients in the health and pharmaceutical arena. Her events include think tanks, webinars, workshops, advisory board meetings, continuing medical education (CME) sessions, wellness retreats, union conventions and multi-day conferences in Canada and the United States.

Malak and her family love travelling, and are constantly planning their next adventure! They recently moved to Stratford, Ontario and are delighted with the theatre offerings and the Chef School where they take cooking classes or attend themed dinners paired with delectable wines.

Founder and president of thrive! meetings & events, Tracy Stuckrath has had a 29-year career in corporate, association and social event planning. In 2009, her personal health journey changed the trajectory of her career. She works with organizations worldwide to understand how food and beverage (F&B;) affects risk, employee/guest experience, company culture and the bottom line and how to create safe and inclusive food experiences that deliver unrivaled participant experiences so everyone feels valued.

Jennifer Rupe Tontini is Vice President, Global Business Development with Educational Measures. She is recognized as a thought leader in strategic engagement and adult learning, focusing on onsite, virtual and onsite/virtual hybrid event engagement planning and execution. Jenn is a certified Change Management Professional (CMP) and leverages her experience in introducing innovation strategies based on principles of adult education and instructional design and technology to design Meaningful Engagement (ME) initiatives via strategic interactions and content.

Jenn has spent nearly 20 years developing and executing interactive educational, marketing, and training strategies for clients in many verticals, with a primary focus on biopharmaceutical companies, their MedComm companies and agencies, and their CROs. She has helped to lead the industry trend in designing ME to not only provide a meaningful experience for participants, but to provide valuable, actionable data for sponsors, and has served as a trusted partner and consultant to dozens of organizations in this capacity.

Heartfelt connections are at the core of Kimpton’s ethos–and Telesa Via is a shining example of that ethos brought to life. Over nearly two decades, Telesa has built a successful career overseeing hospitality sales, marketing and public relations operations. But what makes her story truly impressive is the incredible amount that she’s given back during that same amount of time. She continues to travel the path of a well-rounded leader for whom success is as much about moving forward as it is about giving back.

Telesa oversees sales activities from coast to coast and beyond, within North America. While the scope of her role is straightforward, it’s anything but simple. Tasked with helping Kimpton grow market share in more than thirty metropolitan areas in the continental U.S. and beyond, such as Grand Cayman, Telesa must synthesize and address the nuances of these widely varying markets to support broader, brand-wide objectives. It’s definitely not a task for the faint of heart, and one that requires both outstanding tactical and strategic skills.

In the eight years she’s been part of the Kimpton family, Telesa has overseen sales and marketing activities for the Mid-Atlantic, a region that extends from Washington DC to Savannah, GA. Crossing geographic divides, she has consistently built strong bridges between the Mid-Atlantic ownership groups and Kimpton’s corporate office in San Francisco. Back home with other Kimptonites, her leadership has been equally dynamic. Whether employing time-tested strategies to inspire her team and drive regional topline, or infusing new energy into training programs and the successful redeployment of sales pods, she remains a focused and dedicated team player with a singular vision of Kimpton’s success.

But in actuality, Kimpton is not the only cause that is close to Telesa’s heart. Sharing that space is the MLC Cancer Foundation, an organization she co-founded with the mission of raising ovarian and breast cancer awareness. Continuing her focus on women’s issues, Telesa also chairs the Board of Directors of the Cinderella Foundation, dedicated to empowering girls living in high-risk, low-income communities in the Washington DC metropolitan area. A passionate believer in higher education, Telesa is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and the Arlington Chapter of the Links, Incorporated. She also serves as a mentor with Capital Partners for Education. In recognition of her service and professional accomplishments, Telesa was honored with the Bill Kimpton Award in 2014.

Telesa earned her BA in Communications from University of Virginia, and has had the chance to experience life in different parts of the US, such as Atlanta, Charlottesville, VA and Washington, DC. Her roots are strongest in the Washington DC metropolitan area, where she received the Top Minority Business Leaders Award from the Washington Business Journal and completed the Leadership Greater Washington program in 2015. She is a member of the American Society of Association Executives, Professional Conference Management Association and International Association of Exhibition Executives, among others.

Steve Vincze serves as President and CEO of TRESTLE Compliance, LLC . He is a former Chief Compliance Officer & Privacy Officer/senior executive for several healthcare companies, a former counsel to a U.S. House of Representatives Oversight Committee, and a successful entrepreneur and consultant.

Steve has worked directly with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) to draft the medical billing industry compliance guidance.

Steve brings over 20 years of experience to his clients in regulatory compliance matters. Combining his past experiences, Steve brings a unique blend of insights from government policy and enforcement to private sector business implementation to his clients. Steve is an expert in sales and marketing, anti-kickback, false claims, IRO and CIA implementation, and anti-corruption/FCPA compliance issues in a U.S. and global context.

Steve has been one of the premier compliance leaders since the 1990‘s with a focus on designing and implementing effective commercial compliance programs for research-/science-based organizations that strike the right balance to integrate scientific, business and legal requirements for success. This unique blend of experiences and perspectives provides maximum credibility to his clients when addressing healthcare and life science business and compliance issues.

Starting with the TAP case in 2001, which at $885 million was for many years the largest settlement in the pharmaceutical industry and which led to key reforms, such as the OIG Compliance Guidance to Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and the PhRMA Code that changed commercial compliance practices, to more recently at Warner Chilcott, which in 2013 was under federal criminal and civil investigation for alleged improper commercial activities, Steve has been recruited to address these cases and team with legal, commercial and executive teams.

Steve has worked with a wide-variety of life science companies around the world, to include the very largest and most prominent U.S., Japanese and European companies. Most recently, Steve has worked with specialty pharma/biotech companies that are preparing to launch new products.

Prior to forming TRESTLE Compliance, LLC, Steve split his 23-year private-sector career between service as a Sr. VP or VP Chief Compliance Officer/Privacy for three different health care organizations and as a consultant, forming his own companies as well as for a “Big 4” firm.

Steve started his career as an officer in the United States Marine Corps, received various citations, decorations and a full scholarship to law school, served as a prosecutor and defense counsel, served in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and later was selected to serve as a counsel and professional staff member of the Government Operations Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Steve received an A.B. degree from Columbia, a J.D. from Southern Methodist University School of Law, an LL.M. in International & Comparative Law with distinction from the Georgetown University Law Center, and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

As the Director, Global Pharmaceutical Sales, Americas, Bonnie Weiss is responsible for Hyatt’s group sales efforts with key global Pharmaceutical/Medical Device accounts, and is based in Chicago.

Bonnie has been with Hyatt Hotels for 30+ years. Previous positions include Director of Sales of Hyatt’s New York National Sales Office, Associate Director of Sales, and Travel Industry Sales Manager. During her career at Hyatt she was named Hyatt National Sales Manager of the Year, and has won the prestigious Donald N. Pritzker Award. Bonnie was previously on MPI’s Healthcare Advisory Board.

Bonnie received a Bachelor of Science-Communications degree from Southern Illinois University, and is a member of MPI.

Dawn Will has been in the healthcare & pharmaceutical industry for more than 30 years. She began her healthcare career in the United States Air Force as a Health Services Management enlisted force member serving over 14 years. Dawn graduated from National University in 1999 with a Master of Business Administration degree with Healthcare Administration emphasis. Dawn spent over 14 years with Pfizer in various roles including professional specialty representative, HQ medical information and HQ global congresses and conventions.

Dawn then joined Freeman XP supporting Sanofi Pharmaceuticals in 2012 as the Director, Convention Operations. In 2015, she joined Regeneron Pharmaceuticals as part of the Commercial Operations department as Director, Meetings and Conventions.

A member of Meetings Professional International (MPI) since 2016, she earned the Healthcare Meetings Compliance Certification. Dawn is on the Executive Committee as Secretary for the Healthcare Conventions and Exhibitors Association and is a member of the MPI-MD Advisory Council with a focus on communicating industry trends, networking and creating forums for knowledge and idea exchange among healthcare meeting industry experts and an active participant on the task force which focuses on Research, Regulation and Compliance.

Prior to joining EMD Serono, Scott held leadership positions at the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network and Men's Health Network for 13 years. Prior to this, he held positions in industry working for Sanofi Pasteur and PharmaStrat, Inc. Scott received his BA in Political Science with Honors and a minor in Business Management from Moravian College in Bethlehem, PA. Scott also has a Master’s in Public Administration (MPA) from American University in Washington, DC. Scott is currently a member of the National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) Board of Directors.

Tammy Williams joined the Rx Worldwide Meetings team, a Division of Infinix Global Meetings, in 2016, where she is currently the Senior Sales Manager serving a diverse client-base from start-up organizations, to Top-Ten Pharmaceutical clients, Medical Device Companies, Associations and beyond. After working in sales for a Fortune 500 Company more than 20 years ago, Tammy knew her servant’s heart was leading her to the hospitality industry. Her career in hospitality spans nearly two decades where she honed her skills in group sales and venue management working for a major hotel brand and then transitioning to the dynamic third-party meeting management side of our industry. Tammy’s zeal is reflected in her work with industry associations such as MPI, DA4S and Bio North Texas, where she has volunteered on numerous committees and served two terms on the Dallas/Fort Worth Chapter of MPI’s Board of Directors. Tammy is passionate about partnerships and is always looking for an opportunity to be a conduit to add value to the lives of others, both personally and professionally. “It’s a thrill to learn of someone in need and how my sphere of influence can be a positive impact. If I can help one person accomplish a task, reach a new level, find better work-life balance or just make someone feel better about themselves, it’s an AWESOME day. My strategy in work and life is simple…treat others the way you wish to be treated.”

While traversing the country for work, Tammy’s faith and family keeps her grounded and VERY busy beyond the industry. This “boymom” is regular at football, soccer, baseball games, serving as class mom and also teaches in her church’s children’s ministry. “We are a family on the go and prefer experiences to “things” so don’t be surprised if you run into us on a ski slope, at the beach, taking in a Broadway show, on stage with our community theatre, or just peddling through the neighborhood on our cruisers… I’ll be on the pink one with Coco, our 8lb Shih-Tzu, in the basket.”

Stacy has been involved in the meeting, event, and tradeshow industries since 2005 through varying levels of responsibility at Alcon Laboratories, Freese and Nichols, Inc., and - most recently – as the Senior Manager, US Congresses & Events, at Galderma Laboratories. Her current role at Galderma allows her to split time between the special event and tradeshow management worlds. She received her CMP in January 2013, HMCC in 2018, and Cvent Event Management Certification in 2019. Outside of work, Stacy is mom to two fantastic little humans, two big dogs, and wife to one pretty awesome husband who humors her love of all things Disney. She also loves to network and attend industry shows like this one – first for the coffee, with networking a close second - so please say hello and connect on LinkedIn.