SGMP Recognizes Top Young Professionals Under 37

November 28, 2018

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ALEXANDRIA, VA November 29, 2018 —The Society of Government Meeting Professionals (SGMP) announced the honorees of the Top Young Professionals Under 37. The campaign recognizes emerging talent among government meeting professionals. Sixteen professionals from across the United States were selected for the honor and were nominated by their peers. The recognition comes during the Society’s inaugural Government Meeting Professionals Month, which is celebrated in October.

“A new generation of professionals is joining the government meetings workforce, but many of them are not as connected to professional organizations as previous generations. We want to identify and cultivate talent early in a professional’s career,” said SGMP National President Michelle Milligan, CGMP. “The government meetings landscape is very different today from even just a decade ago. It’s critical now more than ever that professionals working in the field are up to speed on rules and regulations, budgetary constraints, ethical practice, and the critical personal connections they need in the industry to make impactful government meetings standard best practice.”

The professionals recognized include the following:

LaTwanda Broughton, CGMP
Project Manager, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Atlanta, Ga.

Tammy Chavez
Sales Manager, Avatar Hotel
Santa Clara, Calif.

Kayla Counts, CGMP, CMP
Event Manager, Tennessee Valley Authority
Nashville, Tenn.

Terra Crane, CTA
Convention Sales Manager, Columbia Convention & Visitors Bureau
Columbia, Mo.

La’Zendra B. Danforth
Director of Events, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida
Gainesville, Fla.

Julian Huerta
Sales Manager, Embassy Suites by Hilton – Denver Downtown Convention Center
Denver, Colo.

Robert Lewis, II
Sales and Catering Manager, Doubletree Suites by Hilton – Huntsville South
Huntsville, Ala.

Andrew Marks
Tourism Sales Coordinator, Office of Economic Development & Tourism, City of Lynchburg
Lynchburg, Va.

Holly Miller, CGMP
Consumer Fraud Outreach Coordinator, Colorado Attorney General’s Office
Denver, Colo.

Lindsey Rohrbaugh
Group & International Sales, Visit Fort Collins
Fort Collins, Colo.

Stephanie Scharfenburg
Executive Meeting Manager, Embassy Suites Loveland – Hotel, Spa & Conference Center
Loveland, Colo.

Brittany Tebben, CGMP
Convention Sales Manager – West Region, Visit Denver
Denver, Colo.

LeAnna Toups-Bennett, CGMP
Administrative Coordinator, Louisiana Department of Education
Baton Rouge, La.

Jennifer Wynn
Senior Sales Account Manager, Birmingham Marriott Hotel
Birmingham, Ala.

Anita Yearwood, CGMP, CMP
Special Events Manager, Virginia Commonwealth University
Richmond, Va.

Stacy Yerby
Michigan Meetings Manager, Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau
Detroit, Mich.

Each of the honorees will receive special recognition online and in SGMP’s biannual magazine Government Connections. Nominations were received from 10 of the 21 chapters across the country, including Central Florida, Georgia Peach, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri Capital, Old Dominion, Rocket City Alabama, Rocky Mountain, Sacramento, and Tennessee.

SGMP is dedicated to enhancing and promoting the expertise of government meeting professionals through education, resources and networking.
Click here for more information.

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