Veteran meeting planners have again been honored by Senior Planners Industry Network (SPIN) with its SPIN: 40 Over 40 awards. It’s the third year that prominent planners have been recognized as industry role models, influencers, innovators and pioneers.
“This year we have a group of 28 honorees,” said Tracey Smith, CMP, CMM, SPIN’s executive director. “This is an evolving process, and we changed some of our criteria, focusing more on giving back, innovation and accomplishments. While we had many candidates, the ones chosen best represented the qualifications we were looking for.”
Almost all this year’s honorees are third-party planners, but representatives from the academic, corporate, event and sports world have also been chosen.
“It is an honor to be nominated and to have been selected as part of this group,” noted Stephanie Krzywanski, CMM, who is chief operating officer of JR Global Events in the Philadelphia area. “I’ve been drawn to this industry since college and have had the good fortune to have had many opportunities to create my own path within it and to give back.”
Another honoree, Sally Mainprize, SMMC, CRP, of Iron Peacock Events in Arlington, Texas, echoed that sentiment and added, “I love what I do and am humbled that my industry colleagues value my contributions. The truth is, without my mighty team, I could accomplish very little.”
The honorees will each receive two complimentary registrations for SPINCon 2019 (one for the honoree, and one for their nominator or a fellow qualified planner), and they will be recognized at the conference in a ceremony. SPINCon 2019 will be held Nov. 3–5 at Hyatt Regency Monterey.
“They’re helping the next generation learn from their examples.” SPIN’s founder, Shawna Suckow, CMP, CSP, said.
This year’s winners:
| Mary Margaret Armstrong, CMP, CAE—Meeting Advantage |
| Allison Beers—Events North |
| Erika Biddix, CMM, CMP—Biddix Meetings & Events |
| Kathy Bradley Sheldrake, CMP—Kemet Corp. |
| Sue Couling—University of Minnesota |
| Sherry DeLaGarza, CMP, CMM—Key Standards Event Management |
| Cori Dossett, CEM, CMP—Conferences Designed |
| Mozelle Goodwin, CMP, HMCC—Goodwin Consulting |
| Sue Gordon, CMP—Epic Meetings & Events |
| Lin Guba, CMM, CMP—International Economic Development Council |
| Laura Hearvin, CMP, CTA—Treasures Travel & Events, LLC |
| Deborah Jayne—Society for American Baseball Research |
| Stephanie Krzywanski, CMM—JR Global Events, Inc. |
| Peggy Lamberton, CMP—InterAct.Events |
| Cathi Lundgren, CAE, CMP—The Lundgren Group |
| Jeremy Luski—JML Worldwide |
| Sally Mainprize, SMMC, CRP—Iron Peacock Events |
| Emily Milliot, CMP, HMCC—AG Communications, LLC |
| Lorena Moore, CMP, CGMP—ICF International |
| Susan Piel, CMP—Spiel Planning |
| Gregory Pynes, MPA—Oncology Meeting Innovations |
| Jeff Rasco—Attendee Management, Inc. |
| Larissa Schultz, CMP, MHA, ACC—Journey-Wide Travel & Events, LLC |
| Brent Taylor, CMP, DES, CMM—Timewise Event Management Inc. |
| Cindy Thorp—MeetingsNevents, Inc. |
| Rose Timmerman Gitzi, CMM—RTG Special Events |
| Denise Waldron, CMP—Vival Events, LLC |
| Julie Walker, CMP, HMCC—Choice Meetings |
