Chapter News

Member Spotlight: Marla Roe

Meet Marla Roe, Executive Director, Visit Frisco If you will drive seven hours for a baseball game or a football game, you probably are a pretty big sports fan. Marla Roe is just that. Growing up in Brownsville, Roe would need to make that seven-hour, family road trip north to Houston if she wanted to

Member Spotlight: Sarah Kokernot, CEM, CMP

Meet Sarah Kokernot, CEM, CMP, Director of Meetings & Events for Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care Society. Sarah Kokernot hopes she will be lying on a nice, hot beach in Kawaii in December relaxing after successfully planning and executing a meeting on the Hawaiian island and reflecting on this wild, exhausting year. But for now,

Member Spotlight: Kimberly Castanuela

Meet Kimberly Castanuela, Senior Logistics Manager, for Vizient, Inc. Kimberly Castanuela has just finished an hour-and-a-half virtual meeting about clinical skills for her members and later today she will be heading into an internal meeting to discuss a digital platform for her company’s larger meetings that will go on-line later in the year. Such is

Member Spotlight: Elaine Williams

Meet Elaine Williams, Director of Sales at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans There is a pretty good chance that if you have ever planned a meeting at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans you have met Elaine Williams. If you haven’t, Williams wants to meet you. Williams, the

Member Spotlight: Brenda Teichroeb

Meet Brenda Teichroeb, Director of Sales and Catering, The RK Culinary Group at Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. As San Antonio hits triple digits this week during the usual hot Texas summer, Brenda Teichroeb is right where she wants to be. Like they say, ‘If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.’

Member Spotlight: Geraldine Bordelon, CMP

Meet Geraldine Bordelon, CMP, Director of Destination Sales at Visit Baton Rouge. Visit Baton Rouge was feeling really good about 2020 when an event it had been preparing for some time was a huge success. “We had a great event, it was a tourism event in March. We worked on it for two years and

Member Spotlight: Dr. Tracy Ginsburg, Ed. D, CAE

Meet Dr. Tracy Ginsburg, Ed. D, CAE, Executive Director for the Texas Association of School Business Officials. Ever since Dr. Tracy Ginsburg went to her first Texas Association of School Business Officials (TASBO) conference in El Paso, she has been a big believer in both the association and the conference environment. “I went to my

Member Spotlight: Amy Simon

Meet Amy Simon, Director of Events for AEG Presents at the Theater at Grand Prairie Social distancing and being apart from family and friends is tough enough for most people during this current environment, but for someone in the meeting planning industry, it is even more of a challenge since most everyone in this business

Member Spotlight: Melissa Ariate Jarvis

Meet Melissa Ariate Jarvis, Director, Scientific Conferences and Meetings Programming for the American Heart Association. When her hotel contacts and meeting planning colleagues find out Melissa Jarvis graduated from Cornell University, they just assume she majored in hospitality. Ranked No. 1 in BestSchools.org 2019 rankings of schools producing hospitality management degrees, Cornell has long been

Member Spotlight – Tonya Farmer, CMP

Meet Tonya, Farmer, CMP, Meetings Director, International Association of Venue Managers When Tonya Farmer was ready to go back full-time into the meeting planning business after taking two and a half years off to raise her now four-year-old daughter, she found that the business wasn’t quite ready for her. “I had a lot of experience,

Member Spotlight – Karen Aytes

Karen Aytes has a dream of being a meeting planner. As a new member of PCMA and the Gulf States Chapter, Aytes has been taking the steps to hopefully one day work in the industry that she feels fulfills her natural traits of planning and making people happy. “I love planning things – meetings, weddings,

Member Spotlight – Jennifer Brown, CMP

Jennifer Brown is a student again. She is not back in school per se like her time as a Speech Communication major at University of California-Fresno or Fresno Pacific University where she received her Master of Arts in Organizational Development. No, this time Brown, like most everyone in the meetings world, is navigating the galaxy

Member Spotlight – Samantha Vogel

Feeding her creative juices and her zest for innovation, Samantha Vogel, CMP, loves her position at GameStop where she is able to utilize her talents to the fullest. Innovation, however, has had a whole new meaning in this COVID-19 world as this Sr. Manager of Meetings and Travel and her GameStop (the video game store

Recap of Gulf States November Lunch and Learn

Last week the chapter hosted our final in person education event for 2019 at Live! by Loews Arlington. A very special thank you to Visit Denver and the PCMA Education Foundation for making the luncheon possible. Our PCMA Best in Class Speaker, Sourabh Kothari, presented on Building on Neuroscience Princes for Storytelling. His presentation touched

Member Spotlight – Victor Fernandez

Member Name  Victor Fernandez 2020 Gulf States Board of Director at Large Current Position & Company Sales Executive – Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority The first concert I went to was? Ozzy & Motley Crue! What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? Peanut Butter/Chocolate What would people be surprised to know about you?

Members On The Move

Join us in recognizing our new and renewing PCMA Gulf States Chapter members! Welcome to all the new and renewing members of the Gulf States Chapter this month: Katherine Putnam Patrick Espinoza Melanie Hoover Amy Tran Susan Booth Jennifer Gustafson Melissa Read Jason Purifoy Liz Polom Laura Garcia Kristina Elizondo Nathan Joel Kasselder Lisa Jackson

Win Big At The November Lunch & Learn

Attention Suppliers and Planners! Are you planning to attend the November Lunch and Learn? Bring a Supplier or Planner friend and be entered in a drawing for fabulous prizes! Suppliers who bring at least one Planner (PCMA member or nonmember) will be entered into the prize drawing. Planners attending with a Supplier (PCMA Member or

Member Spotlight – Nann S. Philips, CMP, CMM, DES

Member Name: Nann S. Philips CMP, CMM, DES   Current Position & Company: Owner & CEO, Scurry Street Meeting Management   Current Involvement with Gulf States Chapter: 2019 Programs Committee Co-Chair   The first concert I went to was? Olivia Newton-John, the “Physical” tour!   What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? I don’t

Members On The Move

Join us in recognizing our members’ achievements and welcome our new or renewing Gulf States members! Welcome to all the new or renewing Gulf States PCMA Members this month: Jason Purifoy Arron Brooks Kristina Elizondo Lisa Jackson Bree Busse Christine McInnis   Do you have a promotion or special announcement that you’d like to share

New! Member Spotlight

Members are what make our chapter run. We are starting a new feature in our newsletter, that highlights the many members of PCMA Gulf States. Would you like to be included in an upcoming spotlight? Please take a moment to complete the form, and you may be spotlighted in an upcoming newsletter! Complete Your Member

2020 PCMA Gulf States Board of Directors

The PCMA (Chapter) nominating committee met to determine the final slate of 2020 board officers and directors for open positions. PCMA bylaws require the official announcement of the proposed slate to be sent to its membership. The nominating process, according to the bylaws, allows for additional nominations for any officer or director position by members

2020 Board of Directors Candidate Applications

The PCMA Gulf States Chapter, representing more than 300 members throughout Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi, is seeking applications for its 2019 Board of Directors. We are seeking: (1) President-Elect (1) Treasurer (1) Secretary (2) Directors-at-Large Click here for full committee descriptions and responsibilities. Applications due Monday, September 9, 2018 To apply, complete the online application

Silent auction raises more than $3,200

Thank you to everyone who was able to join us for our chapter reception and silent auction at Convening Leaders. With your support, we were able to raise more than $3,200 for educational and member engagement initiatives.

New 2019 Silent Auctions

Exciting news! In 2019, we will have TWO silent auction events to help the chapter continue to provide the best educational and networking resources for our members. Donate your items today!

Venue RFP

The PCMA Gulf States Chapter is currently seeking venues to host its 2019 series of educational luncheons and networking events. 

Call For Speaker Proposals

The PCMA Gulf States Chapter is actively seeking speaker proposals for its 2019 educational programs.

Social Media

Stay updated on chapter news, events and special announcements. Follow, like and share on our social channels.

“Let’s Talk” Summer Tour

The PCMA Gulf States Chapter wants to talk to YOU! Whether you’re a current member, a former member or have never been a member, we’d love to know what you’re thinking and what you’d like to see from your local PCMA Gulf States chapter. Got a great idea for an educational program? Want to know

Silent Auction Donations

Now accepting silent auction donations for the annual Mix & Bowl fundraiser and networking event on May 9 at Pinstack in Irving (Las Colinas), TX

Member Mondays: Jacquelyn Helton

Jacquelyn Helton, CTA, PCMA Gulf States Chapter President and Development Manager at Galveston Island Convention & Visitors Bureau

2018 Board Slate

Congratulations to the Officers and Board of Directors who will be leading the PCMA Gulf States Chapter in 2018.

Host an Event

PCMA Gulf States Chapter is currently seeking venues to host its 2018 series of educational luncheons and networking events.

Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund

Your Chapter has issued a $5,000 donation to the PCMA Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund to aid in recovery efforts.