MPI and GBTA Foundation Recognize CMM Recipients from Las Vegas 2016 Class

Accepting Applications for Reno/Tahoe Program in December

DALLAS, TX and ALEXANDRIA, VA – September 6, 2016 – Meeting Professionals International (MPI) and the GBTA Foundation, the education and research arm of the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), recently presented the distinguished Certificate in Meeting Management (CMM) to 20 more meeting and travel professionals, bringing the total number of holders to 1,148 worldwide. This class participated in the program held May 6 – 9, 2016, in Las Vegas at the Aria Resort & Casino.

“Since its inception three decades ago, the CMM program continues to attract some of the most talented professionals within both the meeting and event and travel industries,” said Paul Van Deventer, president and CEO of MPI. “We congratulate these leaders for this astounding achievement.”

In addition, MPI and GBTA are currently accepting applications for the upcoming CMM Reno/Tahoe Program scheduled for December 1 – 4, 2016, at the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort in Incline Village, Nevada. The registration deadline is November 1, 2016, and it is limited to only 50 participants so interested applicants are encouraged to register now.

Pat Schneider, CMP, CMM, vice president at Florida Venture Forum and member of the CMM Las Vegas 2016 class, recently stated, “The MPI and GBTA CMM Program represents the pinnacle for education in the professional meeting industry. The classes are designed for planners that have a wealth of experience in meeting planning, management and execution. The CMM Program enhances that expertise. I found this to be a valuable experience and I hope that others have the opportunity to benefit from this program.”

For more information on the CMM Program, please visit www.mpiweb.org/CMM. To learn more about the MPI Academy’s various professional development offerings, check out www.mpiweb.org/mpi-academy.

MPI and GBTA commend the following 20 professionals from the Las Vegas class on obtaining the CMM designation.

Carrie Adamson, CMP| Bridgepoint Education| San Diego, California

Cerena Cantrell| American Association of Physics Teachers| College Park, Maryland

Matt Ceule| H&R Block| Kansas City, Missouri

James R. Davis| GPJ| Rockland, Massachusetts

Deanne Figueras| CA/NV Credit Union Leagues| Ontario, Canada

Tina M. Garcia| SWVS| McKinney, Texas

Kimberly Hutcherson| TravelSolutions by Campbell| McKinney, Texas

Give Kockaya, CMP | Society of Petroleum Engineers | London, England

Mariles Krok, CMP| Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board| Los Angeles, California

Anna Link| Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group| Florham, New Jersey

Deborah K. Lowery, CMP, CMM| USS Midway Museum| San Diego, California

Cindy Lupkey| Women’s Tennis Association| Saint Petersburg, Florida

Sarah Neis, CMP, CMM| True Value| Chicago, Illinois

Cheryl Payne, CMP| Meeting Sites Resource| Las Vegas, Nevada

Melissa Perry| Ball State University| Indianapolis, Indianapolis

Tara Salvatelli| Zurvita| Houston, Texas

Pat Schneider, CMP| Florida Venture Forum| Tampa, Florida

Julie Seyler| Wells Fargo Bank| Irvine, California

Jill Stark CCTE, CGMP, CMM| Lawrence Berkeley Lab| Berkeley, California

Shannon Valeriote, CMP| Scotiabank Convention Centre| Holland Landing, Ontario, Canada

CONTACT:

Colleen Gallagher line, +1 703-236-1133, cgallagher@gbta.org

About MPI
Meeting Professionals International (MPI) is the largest meeting and event industry association worldwide. The organization provides innovative and relevant education, networking opportunities and business exchanges, and acts as a prominent voice for the promotion and growth of the industry. MPI has a global community of 60,000 meeting and event professionals including more than 17,000 engaged members and its Plan Your Meetings audience. It has more than 90 chapters and clubs in 24 countries. For additional information or to join, visit www.mpiweb.org.

About the GBTA Foundation

Collectively, GBTA’s 8,000-plus members manage more than $345 billion of global business travel and meetings expenditures annually. GBTA provides its growing network of more than 28,000 travel professionals and 125,000 active contacts with world-class education, events, research, advocacy and media. The Foundation was established in 1997 to support GBTA’s members and the industry as a whole. As the leading education and research foundation in the business travel industry, the GBTA Foundation seeks to fund initiatives to advance the business travel profession. The GBTA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. For more information, see gbta.org and gbta.org/foundation.

About the Global Business Travel Association
The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) is the world’s premier business travel and meetings trade organization headquartered in the Washington, D.C. area with operations on six continents. GBTA’s 9,000-plus members manage more than $345 billion of global business travel and meetings expenditures annually. GBTA and the GBTA Foundation deliver world-class education, events, research, advocacy and media to a growing global network of more than 28,000 travel professionals and 125,000 active contacts. To learn how business travel drives lasting business growth, gbta.org