MPI and GBTA Recognize New Group of CMM Recipients, Announce Upcoming Program Dates

DALLAS and ALEXANDRIA, Va., Feb. 4, 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 22 more meeting and travel professionals, increasing the total number of CMM holders to 1,044 worldwide. This class participated in the program held August 27 – 31, 2015, in Denver.

The associations have also announced two programs scheduled for later this year in the U.S. The first program is scheduled for May 5 – 9 in Las Vegas, and the second is slated for August 24 – 28 in Norfolk, Virginia. Additional program dates will be announced later this year.
 
"MPI and GBTA extend our sincerest congratulations to each of these leaders on their significant achievement," said Paul Van Deventer, president and CEO of MPI. "The CMM Program has consistently received high satisfaction scores from each class of participants since we updated the program and we cannot be more pleased."
 
Produced by the MPI Academy and the GBTA Academy, the CMM program is a three-phased comprehensive business education program, featuring a 3.5 day on-site immersion program comprised of rigorous business education courses delivered in a participatory learning format by professors from the renowned Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia. It also includes a virtual boot camp with on-demand offerings focused in both meeting management and business travel management and requires the development and evaluation of an independent work-based, business project.
 
For more information and to apply, 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 22 professionals from the Denver class on obtaining the CMM designation.
 
Kim Anastasiou / Vendome Healthcare Media
Stacy Anthony / NFP
Ann Buhl / The Federal Reserve Bank
Suzanne Burnie / Showcase Marketing
Katrina Duncan / CSHA
Andrea Elizondo / Association of Texas Professional Educators
Rachel Frisch / Lehigh University
Mindy Gregory / Biomet
Debbie Kates / MITRE
Steve Levin, CMP / Sterling Rose Transportation
Dion Magee / Magee Enterprises, LLC
Jaimie Mattes / HelmsBriscoe
Beth McDermott / NCCI Holdings, Inc.
Nickie Morgan, CMP, CMM / NFP
Lori Pugh/Meeting Professionals International
Tami Reier, CMP / Travel and Transport
Wendy Rukstalis / John Hancock Financial Services
Lisa A. Serada / Niagara Parks Commission
Theresa Shea / 2Shea Events
Jacquelyn Smith / Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Jean Walsh / Federated Group
Sarah Whitlock / Pioneer Investments

About MPI

Meeting Professionals International (MPI) is the largest and most vibrant global meeting and event industry association. 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 membership is comprised of approximately 18,500 members belonging to more than 80 chapters and clubs in 22 countries. For additional information or to join, visit www.mpiweb.org.
 
About the GBTA Foundation

Collectively, GBTA's 7,000-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.

CONTACT: Sonya Thorpe Cobb, [email protected]