The Annabelle Project is built on the generosity, leadership, and experience of industry professionals who believe in opening doors for the next generation.
This group represents mentors who have played a meaningful role in shaping TAP and who continue to support the mission in an advisory capacity. While they are no longer assigned to active mentees, their insight, perspective, and commitment to access and excellence remain an important part of our community.
Active mentoring assignments are managed separately to ensure students receive the most relevant, hands-on support at each stage of their professional development.
Principal and Chief Wonderer Level Up Event Strategies, LLC
Coming out of college, I was fortunate to get a job with one of the big eight accounting firms – Arthur Andersen (Today, there are maybe four, and Arthur Andersen is Accenture.). I was on the consulting side, versus the accounting side. I soon discovered though, that “consulting” was actually management systems consulting, a term for software development. Arthur Andersen had a great training program, and I knew it couldn’t hurt to know software. But over a couple of years, I realized I wasn’t happy staring at a screen all day; I needed something with more variety and interaction with humans.
It happened that a friend from Arthur Andersen had taken an information technology job with a trade association in Washington, DC, the Food Marketing Institute (FMI). I told him it was time for me to explore a new career path, and he said that FMI’s conventions group was looking for a sales manager. I knew nothing about events, trade shows or associations, but I went for an interview, hit it off with the hiring manager (he graduated from the same school), and have been a part of the events industry ever since.
I enjoyed the work right away. FMI represented the supermarket industry – a fun and relatable industry for me. I worked with big companies like Coke, Anheuser-Busch, Kellogg, Borden and NCR (National Cash Register). It was fascinating and fun. Every trip to the grocery store was a work study mission. Before long, I realized I could both enjoy and grow in a career in events. As I learned more, I became more excited to realize that it was almost an “invisible” industry. People were just not aware of this industry, and that it was successful and growing quickly. It felt like an adventure, and an opportunity to impact a younger and evolving business. I worked my way up to Director of Sales and built a full sales function and team. We grew the trade show to the Top 10 largest trade shows in North America by exhibit area size.
The vast majority of my career has been with trade associations, but I did spend almost a year with a for-profit events organizer where I took entrepreneurial action to launch a new division. I wanted to offer managed services to trade associations, primarily in the DC area. This approach ultimately did not align with the organization’s revenue goals, and I returned to associations to merge my “for-profit mentality” with my values of delivering at a high quality level and serving the needs of the industries that associations represent. I became Vice President of Conventions for the Personal Communications Industry Association (PCIA), which represented wireless telecommunications. PCIA wanted to grow a fairly new trade show. This was the start of perhaps the wildest ride in my career. We tripled the size of the event in 3 years, surpassing another show that had served the cellular industry for many years. We also launched a trade show in Singapore, the association’s first presence overseas.
Just as things were taking off, I was recruited for the top conventions role at NAB. This was, and still is, one of the premier roles in the events space. The NAB Show, which covers the entire spectrum of media and entertainment, has perennially been among the top five or six trade shows in North America, and is among the two most important technology shows on the continent. I landed the job after two tries, and as VP of Conventions, ran all aspects of trade show production – sales, marketing, operations and education sessions (700 a year). In 8 years, I was promoted to Executive VP and given revenue-generating responsibilities. Interesting things we did:
As a leader, I believe in the inverted pyramid – I’m not at the top of the hierarchy, but at the bottom, and my job is to support the team. I ensure they have the tools, information and support they need to do their jobs to the best of their ability. Beyond that, I foster a transparent and honest working environment; everyone must feel that no question is too trivial, and we want honesty with one another about what is working and what isn’t. It is not about assigning blame; it is about sharing information so we can solve problems and get better. I am an “open-door,” always accessible manager. Also, organizations that embrace a culture of “failing fast” are not only going to succeed more than those that punish mistakes, but they also create a culture that values people, ideas and fun. This applies to the small things, in the day-to-day-work, as well as the large.
It is exciting to connect people to people, products and information. We are facilitators and catalysts for innovation, with a mission of driving growth in the industries we serve. Trade shows are enormous drivers of economic value, which is often underappreciated. Each NAB Show drives more than $2 billion in economic activity in the industry; and several hundred million dollars of economic value to the local community. The other aspect that gets me up every day is that I work with great people, and help them grow as individuals and in their career. What we do to positively influence the lives of others is what matters. If we can touch even one life in a good way, then we have worth. And I have learned as much from my team as they have learned from me. Our work depends on close teamwork.
Lastly, there is nothing more exciting than the opening day of a trade show. It is when you see the fruits of your labor come to life – thousands of people coming together, creating a buzz, an excitement, and then flowing into an exhibit hall to see exhibitors. In this business, we work with the ultimate deadline – it cannot be moved, which creates stress, but the satisfaction of seeing everything come together according to plan is unique.
I’d like to offer a lesson learned and some advice to the next generation. There are few things as important as the ability to communicate, verbally and in writing. Be able to express your ideas in a succinct and persuasive way. And share your ideas. Younger professionals hesitate to speak up in meetings; they may feel inexperienced, insufficiently knowledgeable, or too junior, perhaps. We can’t know what you bring to the table if you don’t express your thoughts. It is better to speak and engage than remain silent. We are all in the sales business. We sell our ideas every day, personally and professionally. Those who are better at it are the ones who stand the better chance of success.
President, MPH Solutions
I was a marketing major in college and fortunate to have a marketing professor who engaged us in real life marketing disciplines. He took us to the Housewares Tradeshow in McCormick Place in Chicago, and I was immediately hooked. The energy, magnitude and diversity of products being demonstrated, commerce, and comradery between exhibitors and attendees spawned my love for trade shows. It was exhilarating and inspiring to know there was such a career opportunity — and it was all there in front of me. That experience was life changing.
As I have progressed through my career and my network and opportunities have grown, I have often thought the Housewares Show was my winning lottery ticket. Since then, I have been all in. For 30 years, I led a top 20 U.S. tradeshow: the National Restaurant Association Show. I have spoken at international and domestic events including EXPO-EXPO, Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) Convening Leaders, Exhibition and Convention Executives Forum (ECEF), and Gold 100. I have been active in membership and engagement for the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) since 1991, and I was Chair of Major American Trade Show Organizers (MATSO) and Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR).
I have had several specific accomplishments and recognition; here are some of the top ones:
My father started an independent shoe store chain in the early 1960s that lasted into the 1990s. Early on, he instilled in his children a strong work ethic. He taught us the value and necessity of hard work in everything you do and doing it well. We never had an allowance. My brothers and I were required to work in the store from a young age, marking stock, vacuuming, cleaning the bathrooms, keeping the parking lot clean. We later graduated to working with the customers on the store floor. Working in retail, I learned to have a disciplined, positive disposition while interacting with the public. Serving a diverse customer and employee base, one must have a positive attitude and the ability to work with all cultures and personalities. I am a people person and genuinely love convening and meeting people.
Early in my years of managing team members, I had a difficult individual who performed well but was difficult to work with. My supervisor suggested that I recognize him when I see him doing something good. To let him see you appreciate him, she said. Over time, acknowledging his positives when having a difficult conversation with him, softened the criticism and it was received constructively. As it came from a point of developed trust, it was easier for him to accept; and it worked. From then on, frequent recognition of individuals and teams became a hallmark of my management. I would characterize my management style as a blend of coaching and charisma.
I am particularly proud to be able to say,
I would like to share the following lessons and advice I learned in my career:
Founding Partner, Rutherford & Associates
My career in the hospitality industry began before I graduated from Southern Methodist University (SMU). During my sophomore summer, I had the opportunity to work on the SMU conference staff. In those days, SMU hosted a number of groups on campus during the summer, from high school cheerleaders to seasoned professional bankers. As a Conference Coordinator, my role was to check them into the dormitories, answer their questions, and occasionally make a bed or two. This early introduction allowed me to experience conference planning from the inside. In my junior year, I was introduced to the challenge of opening a hotel when I was recruited to participate in a sales blitz for the launch of a new property.
While I graduated with a dual degree in Public Relations and Advertising, because of my experiences in college, I knew that I wanted to pursue a career in hospitality. Knowing this, I interviewed with several hotel companies. I decided to begin with Loews hotels because I felt they offered me the greatest opportunity to learn and quickly advance. I was rewarded within three months of joining the company when I was promoted to Hotel Manager on Duty (MOD). The property had 1,620 rooms and five Hotel MODs responsible for troubleshooting guest issues. This role sharpened my listening and conflict resolution skills and led to a call from my General Manager (GM) to become the interim telecommunications manager. To address the problems in that department, I moved into the hotel so I could observe all three shifts and offer solutions. The corrective measures I instituted were favorably received by staff and owners, which led to my promotion to Senior Hotel MOD, working primarily with the GM on special projects and assignments.
One day, the GM called me into his office and said he appreciated my solid understanding of operations, but I needed sales experience, so he had recommended me for a sales management position with the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau (DCVB). At the time, Dallas was the second busiest convention destination in the country and an ideal training ground. I interviewed for and accepted a sales manager position, focusing on national accounts. I worked closely with meeting planners who represented corporations, associations and government events. They shed light on a part of the industry that I had not considered — event planning and production. I picked the brains of the planners and my DCVB colleagues and realized it might be a new career path. I considered striking out on my own when I was approached by Marriott Hotels, Inc., to be a hotel GM. It was a dream of mine, so I accepted and began as a sales leader specializing more on strategy and team development.
These experiences were preparing me to lead my own hotel, but a meeting planner asked me whether I had thought of event planning. I had to take a moment to consider this. Well, at this point the entrepreneurial pull was just too strong, so I resigned my position at Marriott and launched Rutherford & Associates. I called the client I had been working with and said that I had launched my own event management company, and to my delight, she said she would be my first client. With that, R&A was up and running.
In the early days, I remember working 25 hours a day, 8 days a week and loving every minute. What resonated with me was the trust people placed in me, which drove my commitment not to let them down. Our reputation grew, and slowly but surely our client portfolio increased. More and more opportunities presented themselves. The one I cherish the most was a call from The White House to consult with the presidential advance team, which plans and executes presidential events here and abroad. (I grew up in Arkansas, and had met Governor Clinton several times.) I was asked to lead a team overseeing the myriad details for a presidential visit, including working with the event host, US Secret Service, Air Force 1, and the White House Communications Agency. I did this while growing my business and serving my regular clients.
However, as a political appointee, I served the last two years of the Clinton administration, as Associate Director of Presidential Advance and was responsible for overseeing production of events such as the G8 Summit, Asia Pacific Economic Conference, and state visits to Australia and Nigeria. Aboard Air Force 1, I served as the President’s Trip Director where I resolved issues inherent in presidential travel as well managing the destinations we were visiting. While I enjoyed traveling with the President, when he left office, I was pleased to return to Dallas and continue working with my clients.
Looking back on my career, there were numerous people along the way who encouraged and developed me, and I will be forever grateful. When I think about my life, the work that I’ve done, the experiences that I’ve had, and the people I’ve met, two factors I think led to my success were being detail oriented and solution focused. My management style was always hands on because what we do can’t be phoned in. You’ve got to be there to make a difference.
Apply now to The Annabelle Project and get matched with a mentor who can guide your path to professional success.
