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PCMA’s 2019 class of “20 in their Twenties” come from around the world and from boutique to global organizations.
“This passionate group inspires me every year as they represent the future of the business events industry,” said Meredith Rollins, executive director of the PCMA Education Foundation. “I have no doubt this class of bright, skilled professionals will achieve success and PCMA is proud to assist them at every stage of their career.”
The 2019 class, supported by the PCMA Education Foundation and Experience Columbus, will be honored at the PCMA Convening Leaders conference taking place Jan. 6-9, 2019 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Each of the “20 in their Twenties” class members is selected by a committee comprised of veteran industry professionals and “20 in their Twenties” alumni. Applicants were required to be full-time employees in the business events industry and no older than 29 on Jan. 9, 2019. They must have provided examples of industry leadership, a video statement and professional references.
Members of the 2019 “20 in their Twenties” class will receive recognition as the next generation of industry leaders and a scholarship to attend Convening Leaders, PCMA’s annual signature event. Individuals will also receive complimentary registration for the 2019 PCMA Education Conference in June in Los Angeles, PCMA membership and educational products.
The 2019 ‘20 in their Twenties’ class will also be featured in PCMA’s Convene magazine and other PCMA communications.
Here is the PCMA’s ‘20 in their Twenties’ class for 2019:
Edward Bagsic, CMP, DES
Manager, Conventions VIP Events and Budgets
National Business Aviation Association
Alexandria, Virginia, USA
Raul Cavazos-Binder
Account Executive
Development Counsellors International (DCI)
New York, New York, USA
Jared Chambers
Strategic Account Manager
Experient, a Maritz Global Events Company
Frederick, Maryland, USA
Emily Dietrich
Manager, Business Events
Niagara Parks Commission
Niagara, Ontario, Canada
Molly Holt, CMP
Manager, Meeting Operations
Heart Rhythm Society
Washington, D.C., USA
Kara Hsu
Convention Sales Manager
Destination DC
Washington, D.C., USA
Veronika Ivanova
Marketing and Meeting Architecture Specialist
Kenes International
Sofia, Bulgaria
Andrea Lane, MTA
Meeting Planner
National Defense Industrial Association
Fairfax, Virginia, USA
Janelle Lewis
Meetings and Events Manager
Foundation for the National Institutes of Health
North Bethesda, Maryland, USA
Chad Manhertz, MTA
Event Manager
Events DC
Washington, D.C., USA
Femke Morelisse
Sales Manager
GES
Alexandria, Virginia, USA
Greg Morris, CMP
Director, Meetings and Education
Destinations International
Washington, D.C., USA
Laura Neufeld
Account Manager, Meetings and Events
MCI Group Canada Inc.
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Khadijah Nimrod
Convention Sales Assistant
Destination DC
Washington, D.C., USA
Olivia Pelzer
Senior Strategic Account Analyst
Cvent
Delaware, Ohio, USA
Gita Pun
Client Relations Team Manager
Shocklogic
London, England
Giulia Ineke Sarri
MARCOM and Social Project Assistant
AIM Group International
Milan, Italy
Erin Simcox
Senior Manager of Housing
Visit Knoxville
Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
Kevin J. Thompson
Event Manager
Events DC
Washington, D.C., USA
Lindsay Williams
Sales Manager
GES
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Top row, left to right: Raul Cavazos-Binder, Femke Morelisse, Andrea Lane, Greg Morris, Olivia Pelzer
Second row, left to right: Gita Pun, Jared Chambers, Kara Hsu, Edward Bagsic, Kevin J. Thompson
Third row, left to right: Janelle Lewis, Laura Neufeld, Chad Manhertz, Lindsay Williams, Veronika Ivanova
Bottom row, left to right: Emily Dietrich, Erin Simcox, Giulia Ineke Sarri, Khadijah Nimrod, Molly Holt (Photo illustration by Martha Smith, PCMA)
For media queries from the Americas, APAC, EMEA, and requests for interviews with Sherrif Karamat, 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 $700K in impact, and since 1985 has funded over 2,500 scholarships, 100 research studies and education programs, and $2.7M in charitable giving. The Corporate Event Marketing Association (CEMA) is the eminent community for senior event executives, association peers and industry partners and is an integral component of the Professional Convention Management Association’s (PCMA) brand collective. CEMA promotes professional networking opportunities, facilitates peer-to-peer knowledge sharing and drives industry standards. Through strong relationships with strategic partners, CEMA fosters both finding innovative solutions to business issues and continuous focus on members’ career growth. For more information, please visit http://www.cemaonline.com.About PCMA
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