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CHICAGO, IL (September 1, 2023) — Sherrif Karamat, CAE, PCMA and CEMA President and CEO today announced he has received the 2024 Board of Directors and Trustees Slate from PCMA’s Nominating Committee Chair and Immediate Past Chair, Charles Starks. The PCMA Board of Directors is comprised of Directors and Trustees for PCMA and the PCMA Foundation who support the association’s mission to drive global economic and social transformation through business events.
Four leaders are on the slate for their second two-year terms, including Fernando Fondevila, Gladys O’Mahony, Peter O’Neil and Panos Tzivanidis.
“We are fortunate to have an incredible group of volunteer leaders who stand ready to support PCMA’s vision to become the platform for the global business events industry,” said Karamat. “The 2024 Board Slate represents the diverse skills and industry knowledge required to guide us in our commitment to develop and deliver what our global community needs to be successful.”
The following leaders will begin serving a one-year Executive Officer term (2024):
Chair: Leonard Hoops, President and CEO, Visit Indy
Chair-Elect: Neil Brownlee, Head of Business Events, VisitScotland
Immediate Past Chair: Desirée Knight, CAE, CMP, DES, Senior Director, Meetings and Events, American Psychological Association
Upon PCMA membership approval, the following leader will begin serving a one-year Executive Officer term (2024):
Secretary-Treasurer: Kelly Ricker, Chief Learning Officer, American Academy of Neurology
The incoming CEMA Advisory Board Chair will begin serving a one-year Director and Trustee term (2024):
Amy Walter, Head of Global Event Strategy and Shared Services, Atlassian
Upon PCMA membership approval, the following leaders will begin serving a two-year Director and Trustee term (2024–2025):
Deborah Caldwell, Senior Vice President, Asia Pacific Head of Global Events, Bank of America
Patrick Espinoza, MBA, CMP, Director of Sales, Caesars Entertainment, Inc.
Clifford “Rip” Rippetoe, President and CEO, San Diego Convention Center Corporation
Upon PCMA membership approval, the following leaders will begin serving a second two-year Director and Trustee term (2024–2025):
Fernando Fondevila, MBA, CEO, Promtur Panama
Gladys O’Mahony, Vice President, Global Sales Organization, Caribbean & Latin America, Marriott International
Peter O’Neil, FASAE, CAE, CEO, ASIS International
Panos Tzivanidis, Director, Corporate Events & Services, International Olympic Committee
The following leaders are serving the final year of a two-year Director and Trustee term (2023–2024):
Gregg Caren, President and CEO, Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau
Dr. Amanda Cecil, PhD, CMP, Professor, Department of Tourism, Event & Sport Management, Indiana University
Shameka Jennings, MTA, CAE, CMP, DES, Principal and Chief Events Officer, Eventsnoire
Brian Landers, CDS, Senior Vice President / Team Director, ConferenceDirect
Lauren Parr, Senior Vice President, Meetings and Learning, American Geophysical Union
Stephen Rose, Head of Global Communication Services, Siemens AG
Kathleen Warden, Director of Conference Sales, Scottish Event Campus
In addition, the President and CEO of PCMA and CEMA serves as a Director and Trustee:
Sherrif Karamat, CAE, President and CEO, PCMA and CEMA
The slate will be deemed confirmed at 5:00 pm Chicago time on October 2, 2023, unless a valid written petition by membership is received according to the Bylaws noted in section XIII available here.
Directors and Trustees will assume office immediately following PCMA’s Convening Leaders annual meeting January 7-10 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, CA.
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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