I am a life-long learner and have a passion for solving complex problems and helping people. My experience leading of the meetings, events & travel teams has given me an opportunity to develop skills as both a people and project manager. My current role at the Marriott is allowing me to bring a planner's perspective to the supplier side of the industry. In addition to my paid positions, I have had multiple positions with Meeting Professional International, including being the chapter president for the Virginia Chapter. That experience taught me how to manage volunteers and work within a budget. I got my start managing people at a call center travel agency. After being promoted from a front-line agent position, I quickly learned that the skills for managing a team were completely different than the skills that made me a successful agent! The basis for my management style came from these early experiences - mostly from the mistakes that I made! I can attribute my success as a leader to these factors:1) Find the right people: hire the right people and then train, listen and support them. Without the right people doing the job, you are not going to succeed as a leader. 2) Be Decisive: You have to be courageous enough to make decisions but the best decisions consider all the data and different perspectives involved. 3) Communicate the Vision: give your team clear direction and hold them accountable to stay on course. 4) Empower your Team: trust your team to make daily decisions, listen to the problems they are having, encourage them and correct them (gently) when they get it wrong.5) Collaborate: listen to all your stakeholders: customers, staff, your organization & vendors. You need the complete picture in order to make the best decision.I am looking for ways to use this knowledge to give back to other organizations, especially small non-profit groups. Message me if you'd like to chat about your leadership journey, your team, or your organization, I would love to have a conversation with you!