DALLAS and ALEXANDRIA, Va., Oct. 6, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Meeting Professionals International (MPI) and the GBTA Foundation, the education and research arm of the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), announced today that they recently presented the distinguished Certificate in Meeting Management (CMM) to 26 more meeting and travel professionals, increasing the total number of CMM holders from 996 to 1,022 worldwide. This recent class participated in the program held May 31 – June 3, 2015, in Puebla, Mexico, and is the second group to earn the premier CMM designation since the two associations partnered to update the program.
"Today, we congratulate this new group of leaders on their accomplishment and also celebrate the growing number of more than 1,000 CMM recipients around the globe," said Paul Van Deventer, president and CEO of MPI. "Since the CMM was established in the mid-1990s, it continues to be a remarkable program attracting some of the most talented professionals within both the meeting and event and travel industries."
The CMM program is a three-phased comprehensive business education program, featuring a 3.5 day on-site immersion program comprised of rigorous business education courses delivered in a participatory learning format by professors from the renowned Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia. It also includes a virtual boot camp with on-demand offerings focused in both meeting management and business travel management and requires the development and evaluation of an independent work-based, business project.
MPI and GBTA previously held a CMM course in Denver in late-August and just concluded another class in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, two days ago. The deadline is quickly approaching for individuals interested in signing up for the last CMM program of 2015, which will be held November 12-15 in Anaheim, California – with registration closing this week on October 9th. For more information and to sign up, please visit www.mpiweb.org/CMM or www.gbta.org/cmm.
"We are thrilled with the high satisfaction scores the CMM program continues to receive from participants – with this Puebla class ranking the course instructors and interactive learning environment as the most beneficial elements of the program," added Van Deventer.
MPI and GBTA commend the following 26 professionals from the Puebla class on obtaining the CMM designation.
| Corina Balsells-Guillen / Cornerstone Credit Union League |
| Geert Behets / UCB |
| Clement Butler / Atlantis |
| Andrew Campbell / University of Florida |
| Roberta Dexter / Plan Ahead Events |
| Kari Fragnoli / Gensler |
| Maria Galindo Dib / Tip Tour Operator & DMC |
| Sheila Garcia / Natures Bliss |
| Angela Hanson / Microsoft |
| Tawny Herron / The Standard |
| Ronny Hill / Northwestern Mutual |
| Amelia Hodges / North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants |
| Faith Hubbard / T. Rowe Price |
| Molly Hudson / Martin Conference Center at Harvard Medical School/FLIK Conference Centers |
| Sherry Hunt / Applied Systems |
| Elizabeth Linn / BCD M &I |
| Roberta Meidinger-Johnson / Boston Scientific |
| Marilyn Muljat / Pacific Life Insurance Company |
| Patricia Neal / Delhaize America |
| Samantha Perez / Melia Hotels International |
| Monique Rochard / Cardiovascular Systems, Inc. |
| Arleen Salandy-Cobb / Global Productions |
| Maria Solis Trejo / Questex Travel Group |
| Cameal Soverall / Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario (CPA Ontario) |
| Winston Welch / HelmsBriscoe |
| Maurita Williams / International Baccalaureate |
About MPI
Meeting Professionals International (MPI) is the largest and most vibrant global meeting and event industry association. The organization provides innovative and relevant education, networking opportunities and business exchanges, and acts as a prominent voice for the promotion and growth of the industry. MPI membership is comprised of approximately 18,500 members belonging to more than 80 chapters and clubs in 22 countries. For additional information or to join, visit www.mpiweb.org.
About the GBTA Foundation
Collectively, GBTA's 7,000-plus members manage more than $345 billion of global business travel and meetings expenditures annually. GBTA provides its growing network of more than 28,000 travel professionals and 125,000 active contacts with world-class education, events, research, advocacy and media. The Foundation was established in 1997 to support GBTA's members and the industry as a whole. As the leading education and research foundation in the business travel industry, the GBTA Foundation seeks to fund initiatives to advance the business travel profession. The GBTA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. For more information, see gbta.org and gbta.org/foundation.