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 Please provide a brief overview of your position / venue.
As assistant director of convention services for the Albuquerque Convention & Visitors Bureau, I provide services to various size conventions, from single hotel groups to citywides, and also all booked sports events. I also supervise the convention registrar program.
How long have you been with your venue?
Since March 1991.
Where did you work previously, and in what positions?
My first career was in journalism—seven years with a small daily newspaper in Altus, OK. Started in classified advertising, progressed to advertising sales, proofreading, feature writing and eventually lifestyles section editor and weekend production editor. Second career, still in Altus, was as the public relations coordinator for the Southern Prairie Library System, developing and publicizing programs and events that would increase library usage.
How did you become involved in the meetings industry?
An acquaintance referred me to the CVB which had an opening in the sales division as a “telemarketer,” calling on cold accounts to drive new convention business to Albuquerque. I worked my way through the sales division, switching to convention services in July 1999.
Have you received your CMP designation?
Yes—in 2002, and recertified in 2007.
If yes, what do you find as the main benefit of having your CMP?
The study process made me a much more confident and competent asset to my clients—and now we speak the same language when it comes to planning and executing successful conventions. Meeting planners who also have earned certification seem to respect that process in their peers.
Have you received any special honors, awards and/or recognition within your field or by your employer?
Being named ACOM Member of the Year is the highest accolade I’ve achieved.
Are you affiliated with industry and/or professional organizations / associations in addition to ACOM? Have you held any leadership positions with those organizations?
I have been a member of PCMA, Rocky Mountain Chapter, since 1995. Past board member of the New Mexico Ballet Company, past president of Shortgrass Arts & Humanities Council.
What has been your personal involvement with ACOM to date?
Member of the board of directors, chair of the Marketing/PR committee, committee member of the Editorial Board, editor of Accommodate, scholarship review committee. I have also been asked to participate as a panelist a few times for ACOM’s annual convention and this year participated as a panelist for PCMA’s session that was sponsored by ACOM. I also had the opportunity to help write and edit, with co-ACOM members, the chapter on convention services for PCMA’s Professional Meeting Management resource book.
What is your favorite thing about ACOM?
The friendships and support of people who understand exactly what you do and how you do it. For a profession that is still in its infancy, we need one another as teachers, mentors and friends to work through tough issues, bounce ideas off each other, share best practices and encourage new growth and participation in our field.
Where did you receive your higher education and what was your main field of study?
University of Oklahoma and Cameron University-Lawton, OK. Major in English and minor in Psychology.
What are your leisure-time talents, hobbies, community involvements or interests that you would like to share?
I practice yoga—which gets me through many stressful moments. Gardening, birdwatching, singing in University Chorus.
Do you have a spouse or children/grandchildren? How many?
We have one daughter, Tovah, who graduates this summer with her MFA in acting from American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. Steve is special counsel for criminal appeals and prosecutions for the NM Attorney General’s Office.
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