New 2021 CEMA Board of Directors to Guide Growth and Innovation

Senior event executives ready to lead the event community into the “next normal.”

Roseville, CA, December 16, 2020 – Celebrating 31-years of service to the events industry, Corporate Event Marketing Association (CEMA) today announced its 2021 new Board of Directors. The new board brings both practical event live-to-digital pivot experience and fresh thinking to CEMA’s growth and innovation initiatives. Under its direction, CEMA will embrace and employ multiple event platforms and channels to create industry-leading educational and professional networking events, and groundbreaking study tours. 

The 2021 CEMA Board members comprise senior event marketing executives from marquee brands:

• Chairwoman: Stacey Kashubeck, Senior Director Strategic Events, Salesforce 
• Vice Chairman/Chairman Elect: Paul Coulter, Director of Group Sales, Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin 
• Immediate Past Chairwoman: Karen Cooper, Senior Manager, Event Strategy, Poly 
• Secretary: Jim Kelley, Vice President, Marketing & Industry Relation
• Treasurer: Gordon Stake, Managing Partner, Event Marketing Partners  

Newly elected Board Members at Large: 

• Amy Walter, Head of Field Marketing & Event Strategy, Atlassian 
• Karen Galatis, Senior Director, Corporate Event Marketing, Oracle 
• Julie Lynch, Head of Global Events, F5 

Board Members completing the second year of their two-year term:

• Colleen Bisconti, VP Global Conferences & Events, IBM
• Jessica Colmenares, Director of Sales, Hilton Worldwide
• Sherri Ferren, SVP Client Success, George P. Johnson
• Maria Grasso, Vice President of Citywide Sales & Convention Services, Philadelphia CVB
• Billi Little, Independent Consultant
• Sara Straw, Senior Manager Event Strategy, Sage
• Dick Wheeler, President, ProGlobal Events/ ProExhibits

“The CEMA board has guided our association through myriad shifts and disruptions in the industry through the years, and the 2020 Board was instrumental in our successful pivot to digital experiences this year,” said Kimberley Gishler, President & CEO of CEMA. “Our new board is already embracing our 2021 challenge to deliver unique, high-impact experiences to our members in the evolving multichannel event landscape.” 

About CEMA

A voice for the industry, CEMA (Corporate Event Marketing Association) is the eminent community for senior event executives, association peers and industry partners. CEMA promotes professional networking opportunities, facilitates peer-to-peer knowledge sharing and drives industry standards. Through strong relationships with strategic partners, CEMA fosters both finding innovative solutions to business issues and continuous focus on members career growth. For more information, please visit https://cemaonline.com.