People 6-1-2002

Meetings & Conventions: People June 2002

People

Edited By Terence Baker

Amy Beaulieu is program coordinator for the Kansas City, Mo.-based Midwest Bioethics Center (www. midbio.org), a not-for-profit organization that aims to integrate ethical considerations into health-care decision-making. Beaulieu has been planning the center’s board meetings, seminars and annual fund-raising dinners for four years.

Is meeting planning your first career? No. Before this I was the managing editor of a small newspaper, the Pioneer-Tribune, in Manistique, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The job burned me out. I did everything one moment I was covering a council meeting, then at night I was taking photographs of the local school’s football match. The year I was there, we had 360 inches of snow. I’m from Chicago, my husband is from Kansas City, so we tossed a coin.

What led to your current job? I did some marketing work for a while and attended some trade shows, and I liked the environment. I also had worked in a Hilton in Chicago, so I had a little experience with meetings. The Midwest Bioethics Center did not have anyone to arrange their events, so I asked if they needed a planner. They said yes.

What is most satisfying about your work? When our members doctors, surgeons, lawyers walk away saying they learned a lot and had a great time. They are very busy people, so I know that for them to take time out, my events need to be spot on.

How do you continue to learn? I’ll be the first to graduate from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, masters program in hospitality administration. I have done the course online, which is tailor-made for meeting planners, as many of us travel with laptops. A few years ago, I had no idea one could get a formal education in this field.

PLANNERS

Calaway climbs at Eli Lilly
Sharon Calaway has been promoted to senior meeting planner at Indianapolis-based pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly & Co. Now with the company’s Global Oncology Marketing group, Calaway is responsible for planning meetings relating to women’s health issues; previously, she planned events for international groups.

Mathews joins Texas Mini Storage Association
Emily Mathews is the new director of membership and meetings for the 1,600-member Texas Mini Storage Association. She is based in Austin, Texas. Formerly, Mathews was associate director at the National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research, also in Austin.

Five form event company in Orlando
Five veteran hospitality planners have launched Meeting-Objectives, a new event and meeting planning company based in Orlando. The partners are Willie Garcia Jr.; Fraser Gray, CMP; Ellen Larkin, CMP; Karl Nybergh, CMP; and Mark Sonder, CSEP.