CMPs Make Collaborate Magazine's "40 Under 40" List

Collaborate Magazine recently published its list of "40 Under 40," its selection of an accomplished group of young meeting professionals. From the magazine: "The power planners, suppliers, speakers and industry insiders on this list are whiz kids and wunderkinds. They’re in hospitalities, yes, but they fuse their affable skill sets into other industries such as biomedical, hotels, auto, energy and finance. Collaborate shares the stories of how they rose to the top at such young ages.

Carrie Abernathy, CMP, CEM, CSEP
31, Founder and CEO, CAbernathy Consulting
San Diego
"I am a matchmaker in a sense," says Abernathy. "I put together events that bring together planners and vendors to network and do good for the community."

Liz Aughey, CMP
29, Vice President, BlackRock
New York
"Since new event technologies are entering the market at such a rapid pace, my role is to make sure we’re at the forefront," says Aughey.

Nia L. Benjamin, CMP, MTA
32, Event Planner, ExxonMobil Global Services Company
Houston
Benjamin began her career at Booz Allen Hamilton consulting with federal agencies like Department of Homeland Security, NSA and Department of State and eventually became a planner for various federal government entities.

Christie Blake, CMP
38, Owner and Meeting Planner, Blake & Co. Events
Portland, Oregon
She calls herself a "get-it-doner and a make-it-happener."

Jody Brandes, CMP
37, Senior Meeting Partner, Genentech
San Francisco
Although her major in college was zoology, Brandes now plans and executes sales meetings, advisory board meetings and conventions in the United States and Europe.

Mindy Gunn, CMP, CMM
39, Vice President, Meeting and Event Planning Manager, Wells Fargo Bank
Scottsdale, Arizona
This June will mark Gunn’s 20th anniversary with Wells Fargo, where she started as a bank teller her freshman year of college.

Maggie Johnston, CMP
35, Director of Meetings, Assurex Global
Columbus, Ohio
Johnston started out on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., as a project coordinator for the National Sheriffs’ Association and is now an event planner for a network of independent insurance brokers.

Joe Marcy, CMP
29, Sales Manager, The Westin Long Beach, Interstate Hotels & Resorts
Manhattan Beach, California
Marcy was introduced to the hospitality industry when he volunteered for U.S. Travel Association’s International Pow Wow. He handles the upper half of the United States for his company.

Latoya Shanell McCreary, CMP
32, Events Manager, Insurance Auto Auctions
Woodridge, Illinois
"I always had a passion for event management, but it was difficult for me to get into the events industry without solid company experience," so she created her own event company.

Luke Williamson, CMP
38, Assistant Manager of Corporate Events, Nintendo of America
Seattle
Armed with 17 years of experience in the event business, Williamson has spent the last 10 of those planning up to 150 events per year for gaming giant Nintendo.

To read more about these CMPs, please click their names for links to their stories. To see the entire list, click here.

The Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) is a
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