Katie
Callahan-Giobbi
Less than one month
after the abrupt resignation of president and CEO Colin Rorrie,
Dallas-based Meeting Professionals International has hand-picked a
search committee from among its membership and begun the process of
identifying a new leader.
Heading up the committee is Katie Callahan-Giobbi, senior vice
president of sales for LA Inc., the Los Angeles Convention and
Visitors Bureau, and a former MPI executive member. Other members
of the committee, whose names are being kept confidential, were
drawn from across the association’s membership and include chapter
heads, international and domestic suppliers, as well as meeting
planners. The goal, said Callahan-Giobbi, is to “find a CEO to take
MPI to the next level."
Rorrie resigned on March 8, three months short of the
completion of his three-year contract, saying he had accomplished
his mission and wanted to move on. In the interim, Mark Andrew,
general manager of the Westin Bayshore Resort & Marina in
Vancouver, Canada, has been granted a leave of absence by Starwood
Hotels & Resorts Worldwide in order to serve as
chairman-elect.
At press time, MPI had received a number of proposals from
possible candidates.
“We are looking for a leader who has some experience managing
an organization outside of the U.S., because global expansion is a
big part of our strategy,” said Christine Duffy, chairwoman of the
MPI Board and president and CEO of St. Louis, Mo.-based Maritz
Travel Inc.
MPI also will continue to focus on growing its membership
ranks, keeping senior planners vested in the association and
supporting individual chapters’ efforts in regard to educational
tools.
“Very soon we’ll be making some announcements regarding a new
organization structure that will make us more adaptable and
flexible,” said Duffy. “That includes looking toward establishing
some nontraditional partnerships.”