Who Makes Up the CMP Board?

In my last article, I mentioned a team of subject matter experts who are committed and dedicated to guiding the CMP program. So who are these experts? You may already know some of them or recognize their names from the list below. It is my honor to introduce my fellow members of the CMP Board who represent the various member organizations of the Convention Industry Council (CIC). A detailed listing of our organizations and contact information can be found here on the CIC website.

CMP Board:

Joanne Joham, CMP, CMM (ICCA), Vice Chair	Karen Gonzales, CMP (DMAI), Immediate Past Chair
Diana Hakenholz (ACCED-I)	Valerie Hershiser, CMP, DCMP (ADMEI)
S. Kimberly Miles, CMP (AH&LA)	Phelps Hope, CMP (AMC Institute)
Amy Ledoux, CAE, CMP (ASAE)	Eric Blanc, CMP (CSPI)
Matthew DiSalvo, CMP (ESCA)	Cary Bradley, CMP, CMM (ESPA)
Linda Shaw, CMP (FICP)	Janet Sperstad, CMP (GMIC)
Lisa Laubgross, CMP (IACC)	Cathy Breden, CAE, CMP (IAEE)
Erin Tench, CMM, CMP (MPI)	Bill Irwin, CMP (NACE)
Dawn McEvoy, CAE, CMP (PCMA)	Michael Lynn, CMP, CEM, CME, CM, CPC (PDI-POA)
Edward Scannell, CMP, CSP (IASB, NSA)	Melvin Worthington, CMP (RCMA)
Michael Gunn, CMP (NCBMP)	Carol Krugman, MEd, CMP, CMM (Academic Liaison)

Eduardo Chaillo, CMP, CMM (International
Liaison)

What are we doing on your behalf? Several years ago, the board developed a Strategic Framework to use as an operational baseline to ensure the CMP program remains valuable to our CMP community in the future. The framework consists of three pillars with core functions being accomplished by the team. Below are some key points from each pillar to provide you an awareness of the work at hand.

The first pillar - "relevance" - focuses on best practices, professional standards and identifying ways to showcase the CMP Body of Knowledge to meeting professionals globally.
The second pillar - "expansion" - focuses on ongoing work to raise the global profile of the CMP and ensure that our industry’s "best and brightest" attain and keep the CMP designation.
The third pillar - "value proposition" - focuses on continuing to build awareness of the value of professional certification with a return on investment of the CMP, both for the organization and the individual.

The board has a lot of work to do in the coming months and, to that end, has created Task Forces to help get the job done. Certainly, we can’t do the work alone and will soon be reaching out to the CMP community to serve. Be on the lookout for the "call for volunteers" from the CIC staff.

I want to also acknowledge our Regional Representatives, who are part of the team serving on behalf of our CMP community in other countries. They are: Alda Egurrola-Wienke (Europe), Jose Ferreras (South America), Joanne Joham (North America), Chris Prieto (South Africa) and Richard Rheindorf (Asia Pacific).

Now that you've had a virtual introduction to the CMP Board, I welcome you to reach out to anyone of us with your questions, to share your ideas or to let us know how you can be of assistance in serving our CMP community. If you see any of us at an industry event, just tap us on the shoulder and we’ll be happy to chat with you.

As always, I welcome your feedback and thoughts.

Melody Kebe, CMP, CGMP
Chair, CMP Board of Directors
(Society of Government Meeting Professionals)

The Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) is a
program of the Convention Industry Council

Convention Industry Council
700 N. Fairfax Street, Suite 510
Alexandria, VA, USA, 22314
Tel: 571-527-3116