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Proposed Slate of 2020 Directors Elected
The PCMA Leadership Committee has elected its PCMA Foundation 2020 Board of Trustees.
Officers and trustees will take office immediately following PCMA’s Convening Leaders annual meeting Jan. 5-8 in San Francisco’s Moscone Center.
Top row, from left to right: Douglas Bennett, Jerry Cito, Jennifer Erney, Christopher Finelli, Mary Pat Heftman, Tony Lorenz, John Loveless | Middle row, from left to right: Karen Malone, Carol McGury, Gary Murakami, Kirsten Olean, Gladys O’Mahony, Angie Ranalli, Henry Rosales | Bottom row, from left to right: Stuart Ruff-Lyon, Claire Smith, Charles Starks, Valerie Sumner, Danielle Urbina, Heidi Welker (Photo illustration by PCMA)
PCMA Foundation 2020 slate of Trustees
Chair:
Valerie Sumner
Principal
VRS Meetings and Events, Inc.
Term: 2020 –2021
Chair-Elect:
Angie Ranalli, CMP
Vice President of Sales – Midwest Region
San Diego Tourism Authority
Term: 2020 –2021
Secretary-Treasurer:
Charles Starks
President and CEO
Music City Center
Term: 2020 –2021
Immediate Past Chair:
Carol McGury, MPS
Executive Vice President
SmithBucklin
Term: 2020 –2021
The following individuals will begin serving two-year terms (2020 –2022) as Trustees:
Douglas Bennett, CTA, CASE
Senior Vice President Convention Development
Louisville Tourism
Tony Lorenz, CMM
Founder
Headsail, LLC
Gladys O’Mahony
Vice President, Association Sales
Marriott International
Henry Rosales
Vice President, Strategic Events
CoreNet Global
Danielle Urbina, CMP
Vice President, Meetings
American Heart Association
Heidi Welker
Senior Vice President, Business Development
Freeman Audio Visual Canada
The following individuals are currently serving two-year terms as Trustees (2019 –2021):
Jerry Cito
Executive Vice President, Convention Development
NYC & Company
Jennifer Erney, CMP, CMM
Regional Vice President Sales
Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI)
Christopher Finelli
Regional Vice President Sales – Hyatt Sales Force
Hyatt Hotels Corp.
John Loveless, CEM
Senior Vice President Exhibition Sales
GES
Karen Malone
Vice President
Healthcare Information Management and Systems Society (HIMSS)
Gary Murakami, GTP, GLP, CMP, CMM
Director Global Sales
MGM Resorts International
The following PCMA Foundation Trustee positions are determined by PCMA:
Mary Pat Heftman
Vice Chair
Winsight Exhibitions
Term: 2019 -2021
Claire Smith, CMP
Vice President, Sales and Marketing
Vancouver Convention Centre
Term: 2020 –2022
The following PCMA Board of Directors members also serve as Trustees:
PCMA Chair:
Stuart Ruff-Lyon, CMP, DES
Vice President, Events and Exhibitions
Risk & Insurance Management Society, Inc. (RIMS)
Term: 2020 –2021
PCMA Chair-Elect:
Kirsten Olean, CAE
Director of Meetings
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
Term: 2020 –2021
Top row, from left to right: Lisa Astorga, Neil Brownlee, Ben Erwin, Bianca Ferrer, Robert Heard, Derrick M. Johnson, II, Desirée Knight | Middle row, from left to right: Diane Kovats, Gregory A. O’Dell, Kirsten Olean, Amilie Parent, Frank Passanante, Carolyn Pund, Kathleen Ratcliffe | Bottom row, from left to right: Kelly M. Ricker, Paula Rowntree, Stuart Ruff-Lyon, Valerie Sumner, Megan Tate, Christine Trimmer, Ana María Viscasillas (Photo illustration by PCMA)
Also, the PCMA Board of Directors’ proposed slate announced Sept. 16, 2019, has been elected and will take office immediately following PCMA’s Convening Leaders annual meeting in San Francisco in January:
Chair:
Stuart Ruff-Lyon, CMP, DES
Vice President, Events and Exhibitions
Risk &Insurance Management Society, Inc. (RIMS)
Term: 2020-2021
Chair-Elect:
Kirsten Olean, CAE
Director of Meetings
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
Term: 2020-2021
Secretary-Treasurer:
Kelly M. Ricker
Executive Vice President Events & Learning
CompTIA
Term: 2020-2021
Immediate Past Chair:
Gregory A. O’Dell
President and CEO
Events DC
Term: 2020-2021
The following individuals will begin serving three-year terms (2020-2022) on PCMA’s Board of Directors:
Lisa Astorga, CMP, DES
Director of Meetings
International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis
Ben Erwin
President
PSAV
Bianca Ferrer
Creative Director + Experience Designer
Bianca Ferrer Creative
Diane Kovats, CAE, CMP, DES
Executive Director
International Society for Computational Biology (ISCB)
Paula Rowntree
Head of Events & Experience
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
Ana María Viscasillas, MBA, CDME
President and Chief Visionary
Business Tourism Services
The following individuals are currently serving terms as Directors:
Neil Brownlee
Head of Business Events
VisitScotland
Term: 2018-2020
Robert Heard, MBA, CAE
Associate Executive Director
American College of Emergency Physicians
Term: 2019 –2021
Derrick M. Johnson, II, CMP, DES
Executive Director
The National Behavioral Intervention Team Association (NaBITA)
Term: 2019 –2021
Desirée Knight, CAE, CMP
Director, Education and Meetings
American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association
Term: 2019 –2021
Amilie Parent
President
Showcare Event Solutions
Term: 2019 -2021
Frank Passanante
Senior Vice President, Hilton Worldwide Sales – Americas
Hilton Worldwide
Term: 2019 –2021
Carolyn Pund, CMP, CMM
Senior Manager, Global SMM and Event Business Operations
Cisco Systems, Inc.
Term: 2018–2020
Kathleen Ratcliffe
President
Explore St. Louis
Term: 2018–2020
Valerie Sumner
Principal
VRS Meetings and Events, Inc.
Term: 2020–2021, Foundation Chair
Megan Tate, CMM, DES
Chief Operating Officer
RAW AMZ
Term: 2018–2020
Christine Trimmer
Vice-President of Membership, Marketing and Communications
The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions
Term: 2018 – 2020
For media inquiries from the Americas, APAC, EMEA and LATAM, please contact: Meghan Risch, PCMA Chief of Staff, Vice President, Corporate Communications PCMA, PCMA Foundation and CEMA educate, inspire, and listen, creating meaningful experiences where passion, purpose and commerce come together. We are the world’s largest community for Business Events Strategists, providing senior-level education, networking, and market intelligence for the global business events industry. Our mission is to drive social and economic progress through business events. Headquartered in Chicago, IL PCMA has 17 North American Chapters, regional communities in APAC, EMEA and LATAM, and members in 59 countries. The Corporate Event Marketing Association (CEMA), a PCMA subsidiary, advances strategic event marketing and marketing communications for senior-level event marketers and industry professionals. Visit us at pcma.org. The role of the Foundation of PCMA is to support the mission of PCMA through fundraising and grant-giving focused on scholarships, education and research that will advance the business events industry. Annually the Foundation funds over $900K in impact, and since 1985 has funded over 2,500 scholarships, 100 research studies and education programs, and $2.7M in charitable giving.About PCMA
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