ON THE MOVE
Planners
Ammon joins Creighton UniversityJana Ammon (née Von Feldt) has been hired at Creighton University as assistant director and campus conference coordinator for the university's Skutt and Harper Centers, where she is responsible for marketing the facilities as well as overseeing event planning and logistics. Prior to the move, Ammon was an independent event planner with Events by Jana, based in St. Paul, Minn.
Byrd and Rasor start Meetings Plus More! LLC
Kathryn Byrd, CMP, and Mollie Rasor, CMP, have teamed up to create Meetings Plus More! LLC, a full-service meetings management company based in Raleigh, N.C. Previously, Byrd was the director of continuing education and outreach for the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine, while Rasor was executive director of the university's Veterinary Medical Association.
Suppliers
David Cole has been hired as preopening director of sales for the 610-room JW Marriott Chicago, which is scheduled to open its doors for business in the spring of 2010.
Floyd Griffin has been named director of event operations at the New Orleans Morial Convention Center.
Rosalind Heenen has been hired as national account manager for Tierra Verde, Fla.-based Meister Meetings Services Inc., a site-selection and meetings management company.
Larry Luteran has been promoted to senior vice president of group sales and industry relations for Hilton Hotels Corp., where he will oversee group bookings for Hilton Sales Worldwide in the United States. He will continue to be based in Gaithersburg, Md.
John McClure has been promoted to associate vice president of convention sales for the Anaheim/Orange County (Calif.) Visitor & Convention Bureau.
Nickie Morgan, CMP, has been appointed convention services manager of the Austin (Texas) Convention and Visitors Bureau.
If you would like notice of a career move considered for inclusion in this column, contact Kaylee Hultgren, People Page, M&C, 100 Lighting Way, Secaucus, N.J. 07094; fax: (201) 902-2032; e-mail: [email protected].
"We'll start locally, but we hope to spread the word and become experts on a global scale."
Jen Harpaz has taken on the role of environmental sustainability officer, a newly created position at meeting planning and site-selection company VenueQuest, headquartered in Alpharetta, Ga. As the company's first ESO, Jen will create green meeting and travel programs, monitor environmental policy companywide, and educate planners and suppliers on the latest trends in sustainability.
How did the ESO position come about? Early this summer I attended two green educational conferences for the Democratic National Convention green committee. I realized how much work it takes to put on a green event, and that very few companies are paving the way for sustainable meetings and travel. VenueQuest has been green from the start, so I knew we could take on this leadership role and really make a difference. After a great deal of research, and many in-depth conversations, we established the ESO.
What will be your greatest challenge? In the beginning, it will be gaining access to the right people within organizations to ensure that significant changes can be made. We want to demonstrate how implementing green efforts not only will be valuable to the environment, but also financially viable.
Where do you see the position progressing? We're starting by being a guiding light for our clients and the hotels we work with. But we also want to help them follow through with their efforts. We'll start locally, but we hope to spread the word and become experts on a global scale.