PCMA (Professional Convention Management Association) and CEMA (Corporate Event Marketing Association) president and CEO Sherrif Karamat, introduced the 2024 Board of Directors and Trustees Slate to PCMA and CEMA members on September 1, 2023, which has officially been approved.
Directors and Trustees will assume office immediately following PCMA’s Convening Leaders on January 7-10, 2024, at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California.
Effective January 10, 2024, the executive officers serving a one-year term include:
Chair: Leonard Hoops, president and CEO, Visit Indy
Chair-elect: Neil Brownlee, head of business events, VisitScotland
Secretary-treasurer: Kelly Ricker, chief learning officer, American Academy of Neurology
Immediate past chair: Desirée Knight, senior director, meetings and events, American Psychological Association
The following leaders will serve a two-year Director and Trustee term (2024–2025):
Deborah Caldwell, senior vice president, Asia Pacific head of global events, Bank of America
Patrick Espinoza, director of sales, Caesars Entertainment
Fernando Fondevila, CEO, Promtur Panama
Gladys O’Mahony, vice president, global sales organisation, Caribbean & Latin America, Marriott International
Peter O’Neil, CEO, ASIS International
Clifford Rippetoe, president and CEO, San Diego Convention Center Corporation
Panos Tzivanidis, director, corporate events & services, International Olympic Committee
Serving a one-year Director and Trustee term (2024) is Amy Walter, head of global event strategy and shared services, Atlassian.
The following leaders are serving the final year of a two-year Director and Trustee term (2023–2024):
Gregg Caren, president and CEO, Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau
Amanda Cecil, professor, department of tourism, event & sport management, Indiana University
Shameka Jennings, principal and chief events officer, Eventsnoire
Brian Landers, senior vice president / team director, ConferenceDirect
Lauren Parr, senior vice president, meetings and learning, American Geophysical Union
Stephen Rose, head of global communication services, Siemens AG
Kathleen Warden, director of conference sales, Scottish Event Campus
In addition, the president and CEO of PCMA and CEMA serves as a Director and Trustee:
Sherrif Karamat, president and CEO, PCMA and CEMA
