PCMA TODAY MARCH 2013

PCMA is the leading resource and premier educator for professionals in the meetings and conventions industry.

Celebrating Professional Achievement

In May, the PCMA Education Foundation will honor three meeting professionals whose achievements and contributions inspire the entire industry.

T

he PCMA Education Foundation will present its annual Dinner Celebrating Professional

Achievement at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C., on the evening of May 15. The black-tie-optional event will recognize Educator Honoree Cynthia Vannucci, Ph.D., CHME, CHSP, CMP, professor in the Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSUD) Department of Hospitality, Tourism, and Events; Meeting Professional Honoree Lisa Block, vice president of meetings and conferences for the Soci- ety for Human Resource Management (SHRM); and Supplier Honoree Gino Giancola, formerly senior vice presi- dent of sales for Tourism Toronto and now a citywide sales consultant.

12 PCMA CONVENE MARCH 2013 Each honoree has made significant

contributions to the meetings and events industry as well as to PCMA. Prior to entering academia, Van- nucci was a hotel sales and marketing executive. During her 15-year tenure at MSUD, Vannucci has brought more than 150 students to PCMA Convening Leaders. She has also served on PCMA’s national Annual Meeting Program Committee and Faculty Task Force, as well as on 10 different committees for the Rocky Mountain Chapter. Block, who has served as SHRM vice

president for the past 22 years, has been an active PCMA member since 1993. Her many volunteer roles include chair of the Annual Meeting Program Com- mittee and the Leadership Conference

(now PCMA Education Conference), and chair of the PCMA Board of Direc- tors. In addition, she has served on the PCMA Education Foundation Board of Trustees. Giancola has played an important

role in PCMA’s growth, working to help the organization reach out to a wider audience of Canadian meeting profes- sionals through chapter development in the early 1990s. Giancola spearheaded the chapter movement in the Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal areas, and within two years, PCMA’s first Canadian chap- ter (now the Canada East Chapter) was established. For more information on the gala

event— and to purchase tables and tick- ets — visit pcma.org/dinner.

PCMA.ORG