Elite Meetings Advisory Board

Amanda Armstrong, originally from Colorado Springs, CO, graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder with a bachelor degree in international affairs. After working for a newspaper for a year in Santiago, Chile, she accepted a stateside logistics position with INTRAV, an international travel company. After four years on the road as a travel director, she became a program director in product development to research and operate programs in Africa, Holland, and Belgium.

Armstrong transitioned into event management at a consulting firm in Clayton, Missouri. After a steep two-year learning curve in operating large, domestic educational training events, Enterprise Rent-A-Car hired her to head their Corporate Meetings Department at their headquarters in St. Louis in 2007.

Since then she has procured more than 15 national meetings, operated 13 large meetings, and survived the largest of the line up—the four-day rental branch-manager meeting for 7,300 attendees.

Andy Anderson, a seasoned professional with an extensive background in the hospitality industry, has led sales and development efforts for St. Regis Hotels & Resorts, Foresthills Hotels & Resorts, and Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, Inc.

His resume goes on to include key sales positions with Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts and Hyatt Hotels. Today, in his role as Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Destination Hotels & Resorts, Anderson oversees the sales and marketing efforts for 34 individual properties in tandem with corporate programs, including the transition of new properties into the collection.

Meeting Professionals International (MPI) recognized Anderson with the "President's Award" in 1992. Two years later, MPI recognized him again, this time with one of its most prestigious awards, "Supplier of the Year."

Jamie Bruce returned to Kerzner International as the Senior Vice President, Sales and Revenue Management for Kerzner International Resorts, Inc., in 2006. In this role he is responsible for the strategic development and implementation of all sales and revenue management efforts for the Paradise Island operation, including Atlantis, One&Only Ocean Club, and Harborside at Atlantis.

A hospitality industry veteran, Bruce had previously been with Kerzner from 1994 to 1998. In the interim, he served as Vice President Sales and Marketing for Coral Hospitality in Naples, Florida, a full-service hospitality management firm with a portfolio of 35 properties throughout Florida and Georgia.

Bruce has also held management posts with other KSL Resorts at Grand Wailea Resort & Spa in Maui, Hawaii, and Doral Golf Resort and Spa in Miami. His hospitality career began with the Hyatt Hotels Corporation serving in a variety of sales positions at properties in Washington, DC; Virginia; Atlanta; and Hawaii.

Hillary Bessiere has spent more than 14 years in the meetings and events industry. Currently she is Vice President of Client Services for Firesky Events Group where she manages events ranging in size from 10 to 5,000 attendees.

Before joining Firesky she managed the global meetings and events group for Network Appliance, Inc., and spent close to eight years managing the Americas Sales Events Group at Symantec Corporation, where she produced more than 30 events per year.

Bessiere also has a strong background in marketing and public relations. Prior to Symantec, she worked as an account executive at Ketchum Public Relations in San Francisco, where she developed national media tours with renowned chefs to promote consumer products such as Kikkoman Soy Sauce, California Strawberries, and Spice Islands Spices. She's also held public relations and marketing positions with Hyatt Hotels and KSAN Radio in San Francisco.

"The events industry provides a working environment that is dynamic, exciting and challenging," says Bessiere. "But most of all, it's truly gratifying to see your hard work pay off through successful and memorable events."

Kelly Foy founded Elite Meetings International, Inc. in 2006, after having spent 11 years traveling the globe in search of the finest hotels and resorts. His goal: to create the meetings and incentives industry's first and most trusted peer-rated endorsement of first-class properties to host conferences, special events and business retreats. Foy focuses on bringing as much attention to smaller, outstanding destinations off the beaten path as to the grand luxury resorts and metropolitan hotels.

Together with fellow board members and the EMI staff, Foy successfully launched Elite Meetings magazine and its Web counterpart, EliteMeetings.com. Both resources are designed to be the definitive resource for meeting and incentive planners seeking the very best properties to host events.

A procurement specialist with Synthes, Glenna Fulks' career began as an aide to Mike DeWine, the lieutenant governor of Ohio who later became a United States senator. She left the political arena to become a Global Meetings Manager with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), where she spent much of her time in international locations planning events for the telecommunications industry.

Seven years ago she moved to the pharmaceutical industry, where she currently sources at least 65 programs a year, performs site visits, and handles contracts for all meetings.

The best part of her job, she says, is that she's able to maintain her working relationships with vendors she has known for years. "The chance to participate in such an exciting venture with Kelly Foy, the Elite Meetings team, and the other talented members of the Advisory Board is a rare opportunity," Fulks says.

In her 28 years with AAA, Mable Jones has served as a Training and Development Area Manager, Territory Sales Manager, and currently, as Director of Sales Administration, a role that includes taking part in the AAA rating process.

Her more than 20 years of experience in event planning include coordinating annual sales banquets and incentive trips for AAA, and events for many of the nonprofit boards she serves on, including UNFC, YWCA, and the Booker T. Washington Business Association.

"I am proud to be on the EMAB," she says, "as it allows me to meet and work with meeting planners responsible for agent recognition and to learn about fabulous destinations during annual EMAB meetings and the Elite Meetings Alliance."

Carolyn Klipin-Miller has worked in the incentives and meetings industry in northern California for 24 years. During her career, she has worked with the two largest incentive companies in addition to "boutique" houses. The experience has fostered a diverse perspective, wide client base, and extensive business travel around the world.

Klipin-Miller currently holds the position of Senior Planner with Wells Fargo Bank Events Services team in San Francisco. She is part of a company experiencing exponential growth and opportunities, beginning with the bank's 1998 merger with Norwest, and more recently with the Wachovia merger.

"These are changing and exciting times, with the need for exceptional creative planning skills and positive thinking and action in our industry," Klipin-Miller says. "What better time to be on the Elite Meetings Advisory Board?"

Jennifer Leto serves as Senior Meeting Planner at Hess Corporation, a Fortune 100 company. The midsize New York-based corporation takes a fully integrated approach to the exploration, production, and refining of oil and gas, and maintains operations in 20 countries around the world. Leto strategically plans and executes high-level corporate events and meetings throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia, including board of directors meetings, executive retreats, and senior leadership conferences.

Responsibilities in her position include site search and selection, contract negotiations, budget preparation and management, logistics coordination, vendor negotiation and supervision, participant coordination, and corporate communications coordination. Prior to joining Hess Corporation in 2003, Leto served as an event coordinator with Morgan Stanley for three years, after spending eight years as a wedding planner on Long Island.

"I am excited to be have the opportunity to engage with many talented professionals in the industry and collaborate on ways to challenge industry standards in order to reach our maximum potential," Leto says.

As Vice President of the Global Sales-Group, North America for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Carol B. Lynch oversees eight Global Sales offices in North America. She leads a sales organization of 77 senior and global account directors and is responsible for $915 million in annual revenue.

Lynch joined Starwood in 1985 as a Senior Sales Manager in the New York Global Sales Office. In 1989, she opened a satellite office for Sheraton Global Sales in Stamford, Connecticut.

When she assumed the role of Director of the New York Global Sales Office, she led the effort to integrate the Sheraton and Westin Global Sales Offices into a Starwood Global Sales Office that sells all brands in the Starwood portfolio.

Gina Mynatt-Galdi has logged over 20 years of experience in the hospitality, travel, meetings and incentives industry. As Vice President of Global Client Events Marketing at Merrill Lynch, she is responsible for managing corporate events and supporting the Board of Directors and senior management. Specifically, she works with the offices of the CEO, CFO, CAO, OGC, C&PA, Government Relations, and Diversity & Inclusion to create global meetings and special events.

Mynatt-Galdi also manages internal and external vendor relationships worldwide. Prior to joining Merrill Lynch in 2000, she worked for ADI Meetings & Incentives as Director of Operations and Merestone Productions as a DMC Planner. Her previous experience also includes work for Club Med in on-site locations around the world and in the corporate offices in Scottsdale, Arizona.

She has lived in Mexico, the Caribbean, Morocco, and Tunisia, and speaks English, French, Spanish, and Italian.

Elisa Novoa enjoys more than 15 years of experience in the events industry. She spent her early years managing corporate functions for McKinsey & Co., followed by six years at Maritz Travel Company, where she specialized in major sporting events. After a year at Compaq, she came to Charles Schwab & Co., Inc., where she creates unique and memorable programs for Schwab clients and employees.

Environmental awareness lies at the forefront of Novoa's many passions. She is currently focusing on creating and implementing Green Meeting guidelines for the events department at Charles Schwab. As part of this initiative, Elisa is tapping into resources such as the Green Meeting Industry Council and best practices of corporate meeting colleagues at various Fortune 500 companies.

Novoa's work has taken her to numerous destinations across the globe, most recently managing an employee recognition event in South Africa.

Before joining Cisco Systems as the Senior Manager of Global Meetings and Events, Carolyn Pund worked at several high-tech telecom and networking companies in Silicon Valley throughout the past 25 years. Her roles touched everything from travel and procurement to facilitating corporate meetings and marketing events.

Pund holds two leading industry certifications. She earned her CMP in 1996, and was part of the inaugural CMM class of 1998. In 1999, she cofounded MCAF (Meetings Competitive Advantage Forum), a corporate best-practices sharing team comprised of 20 Fortune 50 companies.

Pund has served on several advisory boards over the years encompassing event technology, meeting management, hospitality, economic development, client boards, and cause-based charities.

John Washko leads the sales and marketing team at The Broadmoor, the longest running consecutive winner of both the AAA Five-Diamond and Mobil Five-Star awards.

Washko sits on the HSMAI Americas Board of Directors and the HSMAI Resort Marketing Special Interest Group, of which he is the past chair. He also sits on the board of Experience Colorado Springs at Pikes Peak (CVB) and is chairman of their marketing committee.

A 28-year hospitality veteran, Washko's career highlights include national sales roles at the Sheraton Carlton, now a St. Regis property, in Washington D.C.; PGA National Resort & Spa in Florida; and the 2,300-room Atlantis, Paradise Island and the neighboring Ocean Club Resort in the Bahamas, where he rose to Executive Director of Group Sales before joining The Broadmoor.