Nancy is a leader, innovator, and entrepreneur in the meeting planning and events industry. She began her career in the industry in 1978. Founding the firm in 1994, Nancy has a strong background in coordinating logistically complex meetings for the scientific, health care, and high tech communities.

Internationally recognized as a leader in the environmentally responsible meeting and event management field, Nancy served on the Live Earth Global Green Team and was named one of “The 25 Most Powerful People in the Meetings Industry” by MeetingNews Magazine in 2003 and 2008. She is co-founder of the Green Meeting Industry Council, a Past President of Meeting Professionals International – Oregon Chapter, and was twice awarded Planner of the Year. Nancy is coauthor of “Simple Steps to Green Meetings and Events.” Her blog, “Pretentious Musings of a Meet Green Martyr” shares resources, tips, ideas and funny stories about the life of a green meeting planner.

What is your role at MeetGreen?

Founder and Principal of MeetGreen. Everything from visionary to taking the recycling to the curb.

What past work and other experiences do you bring?

My past work experiences are the reason I started the firm. I worked for an incredible mentor and entrepreneur early in my career. I learned about taking risks and being impeccable in my work. Believing that is how all business was done, I moved on to several firms that offered more variety in the conferences and events we produced. But while at both those firms, I was admonished for “giving too much service” to the clients. I never understood how too much service was a bad thing, but felt it was possible to give incredible service AND make a living. It turns out it is.

What special talents do you bring to MeetGreen?

Initially my ability to translate the vision of technology clients into significant attendee experiences was my hallmark. My inner geek loved working with these clients who became the early adopters of sustainable initiatives collaborating to use technology to minimize the conference’s environmental footprint. As the company grew I soon learned that people like to follow leaders because they are engaged in the outcome–not just because the leader is in a position of authority. Building a company means building trust–trust from clients, colleagues, and industry peers.

What is the best compliment you have received from a client or attendee?

That our firm has an impeccable reputation for quality, integrity, and service.

What is the high point of your job?

That my passion for the Earth and my passion for this industry combine and allow me to make a real difference.

What do you like to do in your free time?

I like to spend my free time in nature and I like to learn.

What inspires you?

The people I work with every day—they are adventurers!

Amy is a principal of MeetGreen and has an international reputation in the sustainable meeting and event management field as a leader, visionary and innovator. With over 22 years in the meetings industry her passion for bringing the sustainable conversation and practice to others is evident in the training and speaking she’s done both nationally and internationally.

Amy has been named one of “The 25 Most Powerful People in the Meetings Industry,” acknowledged as one of the “Growing Green Leaders,” included in the list of “Eco-Leaders,” and been awarded the Meeting Professionals International Oregon Chapter Supplier and Planner Award.  She is co-founder of the Green Meeting Industry Council and co-author of “Simple Steps to Green Meetings and Events.”

In addition, Amy was part of the Live Earth 2007 team and chaired the APEX Green Meetings and Events Practice Panel work in partnership with ASTM to develop green meeting standards for the meetings industry. Amy is also a member of the working group for the Global Reporting Initiative’s Event Organizers Sector Supplement.

What is your role at MeetGreen?

I’m a principal and champion the marketing and business development.

What past work and other experiences do you bring?

I have a B.S. degree in Business Management, and I worked in the meeting industry from both the supplier and planner side before I even knew it was an industry. In the past decade I’ve used my experiences to help enroll and engage organizations and individuals to implement sustainable practices. I’ve worked with the meetings communities within major destinations to develop creative solutions and win-win-win scenarios to environmental and social challenges.

What special talents do you bring to MeetGreen?

I always find the question about what someone’s talents are difficult to answer. I do have a knack for negotiating, looking at a “no” as an invitation to something else, and connecting people to each other. Call them talents? Maybe, maybe not, yet they are the resources I’ve used to help grow this company’s reputation for innovation and forward-thinking sustainability solutions.

What is the best compliment you have received from a client or attendee?

My favorite bit of recognition was after a particularly challenging experience of implementing a comprehensive recycling program for the first time in a venue. One of the chairs of the organizing committee, Ross, sent me a T-shirt with the phrase and logo to match “dumpster diving champion.” I loved it and I still have it.

What is the high point of your job?

I love moments where I know I am collaborating with people to create life-changing experiences. This can range from helping a facility that never recycled to reach a 76 percent recycling rate in just one day, to working with our staff on projects they’re excited about, to seeing organizations we’ve trained taking sustainability to the next level.

What do you like to do in your free time?

Free time…hmm… Hanging out with family and friends is my priority. Being around or in the ocean is one of my favorite things. Having adventures, laughing, dancing and soothing baths are also up there on the free time preferred to do list.

What inspires you?

My parents are my foundational inspiration. I’m inspired by people who are able to make a difference in the lives around them while having it seem effortless, enjoyable and fun. I’m also moved by the champions I’ve met along the way who embrace sustainability, run with it, and create the most unexpected results.

What is your role at MeetGreen?

I have two specific focuses, Marketing and IT. I help brainstorm and implement our marketing strategies and help keep all of our computers and technology running. It’s a perfect fit for me because I love working with computers and love marketing. To me, marketing is the process of helping people find the right services and products to better their lives.

What past work and other experiences do you bring?

I worked all through school for a software company and helped set up much of their IT systems. After I graduated, I immediately joined the U.S. Coast Guard conducting search and rescue missions as well as law enforcement. After I completed my active duty service, I worked for CBS Radio and Alpha Broadcasting in both the promotions and sales departments before KUFO went off the air. I then worked for Disabled American Veterans and was the IT Director for Portland Chapter #1 before joining the MeetGreen® team.

What special talents do you bring to MeetGreen?

I bring knowledge of new technologies and a creative perspective for marketing ideas. I love the challenge of fixing anything tech and don’t give up until it works. I love meeting and talking with new people’s of all types, I could have a conversation with anyone. You never know what you might learn from someone else!

What is the best compliment you have received from a client or attendee?

“You make it simple!” In a world full of url’s and pdf’s and php’s its hard for people who don’t work on computers daily to speak IT. When I empower people by translating how to do something seemingly impossible into something simple, it makes me feel great.

What is the high point of your job?

I’ve always tried to find work that actually helps people. I’m not directly saving people’s lives like I used to in the Coast Guard, instead I know I’m helping to save the whole world and to change people’s perspective.

What do you like to do in your free time?

I enjoy spending time with my son and helping him grow up and learn new things. I love the outdoors and spend my winter weekends on Mt. Hood and summers on the Oregon Coast.

What inspires you?

The new generations. We work hard to make a difference today in order to make tomorrow better. When I leave this earth I want to know that I left it a better place than when I first got here so that my son and his can experience all the wonders and beauties of this planet.

What is your role at MeetGreen?

I head up our conference management department at MeetGreen.  This means I ensure our planning tools and processes are up to date and functioning as efficiently as possible as well as supporting anyone whose duties fall under conference management.  I also manage several projects each year.

What past work and other experiences do you bring?

I received my Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Oregon (go Ducks!), and am literate in Spanish. I’ve worked in all departments in hotels, owned a meeting and event planning business, and have been a planner for about 14 years.  I also served as president our local MPI chapter among other leadership roles in the organization over a ten year period.  I currently serve on the board of my son’s preschool and have dabbled in being my daughter’s soccer team coach.

What special talents do you bring to MeetGreen?

I think I am able to find a solution to nearly any issue, challenge, task, or difficulty that is acceptable to all involved. I find the challenge of diplomacy to be a natural fit for me and I embrace it with good humor and a positive attitude. The fact that I truly have found something that I love to do ends up shining through my work.

What is the high point of your job?

I love a lot of things about what I do–particularly the travel and getting to work with a diverse range of people and an ever-varying set of tasks. I really like having the opportunity to be involved in something special, creating unique experiences for people, understanding what motivates people and organizations and helping to fulfill those goals through an event or meeting.

What is the best compliment you have received from a client or attendee?

I’ve been told that I make hard things look easy, effortless, and fun.  One client comment on her evaluation form that our job was “exquisitely well done”.

What do you like to do in your free time?

Chase my kids around. Travel (as if I don’t get enough, but it’s the truth!). Eat good food and drink great wine. Skiing, horseback riding, running, gardening, pretty much anything active and outside.

What inspires you?

Making connections with others, the orchestration of meeting planning, the challenge of inspiring and nurturing others to be the best of who they are.

What is your role at MeetGreen?

Office Manager, so I keep the office well stocked and running smoothly. I also take care of invoicing clients, paying bills, as well as handling human resources.

What past work and other experiences do you bring?

About 25 years’ experience in all areas of accounting. I worked in the corporate world until 1994 when I started contracting with small businesses and nonprofits. I’ve also dabbled in small business myself; I owned a video production company in Tampa, Florida, for five years and now make goat milk soap products that I sell at a local farmers market and a few retail stores.

What special talents do you bring to MeetGreen?

I’m a QuickBooks expert. I’ve used that software since it’s inception and groan loudly when I have to use another general accounting software.

What is the best compliment you have received from a client or attendee?

When someone says, “But you’re too much fun to be an accountant!”

What is the high point of your job?

When I get an especially complex invoice out the door and the client pays it in full without any futher explanation needed from me.

What do you like to do in your free time?

I like to do crossword puzzles, read, hike, go camping, cook, and hang out with friends and family.

What inspires you?

A beautiful sunset, the Oregon coast, a well-written book or short story, or a beautiful piece of art.

What is your role at MeetGreen?

I seek out new potential clients, contact them to determine interest, and if there is some, come up with a plan of how we can work together.

What past work and other experiences do you bring?

I’ve either worked as a salesperson or managed sales teams since 1991, starting out in hotels, then moving to CVBs, and now with MeetGreen. I have a B.S. in Business Management from Westminster College in Salt Lake City.

What special talents do you bring to MeetGreen?

I connect easily with people, and work to create genuine relationships that allow them to feel comfortable while considering doing business with us.

What is the high point of your job?

I love finding people who want to take their meeting’s sustainability level higher, but just don’t know how. Even if they don’t end up working with us right away, just having the conversation is often rewarding enough in itself.

What is the best compliment you have received from a client or attendee?

I once had a client tell me I’m the ideal salesperson because I check in once in a while, but never make myself a pest.

What do you like to do in your free time?

I love to be outside – walking, biking, cross-country skiing, gardening, and front porch sitting with my dogs Jack and Bella. I’m also an avid traveler, whether it’s down the road to New York, Salt Lake City to visit friends, San Francisco and California’s wine country, or going home to small town Nevada.

What inspires you?

Nature, passionate people, my husband.

What is your role at MeetGreen?

I am a project manager, bringing together all the many behind-the-scene details that go into the wonderful world of meetings!

What past work and other experiences do you bring?

My educational background is in foreign languages, where I had great opportunities to study and work abroad.  I worked in the Event Services department while at the university and made my way into conference planning after moving to the Northwest in 2008.  My tempered perfectionism and nerdy love for spreadsheets made planning a natural fit.

What special talents do you bring to MeetGreen?

I am a critical thinker, organized, and I collaborate well, while trying to take a positive and resourceful approach to handling stressful situations.  I think my joy of learning new things and ability to learn quickly helps me succeed in this line of work.

What is the high point of your job?

After a long planning process, I love being able to see attendees enjoy the fruition of my efforts at a successfully run event.  I continue to get to work with great clients, who are passionate about what they do.  It energizes me to be a part of their vision and turn it into a great meeting.

What is the best compliment you have received from a client or attendee?

I enjoy when attendees or vendors will find me at least once a day to say how well everything is running and what a great time they are having at the meeting.  It is a great feeling when attendees take the extra effort to say thanks.

What do you like to do in your free time?

I enjoy hiking, triathlon, skiing, reading, cooking, wine, Wisconsin cheese and the Packers!

What inspires you?
Being surrounded by people who are motivated to improve and to do good.

What is your role at MeetGreen?

As Sustainable Business Advisor, I’m part of the green consulting team that helps organizations integrate smart, sustainable event management practices designed to deliver better events.

What past work and other experiences do you bring?

Because I served the meetings industry as a supplier (hotels) for almost 20 years, I bring some practical experience useful for successfully integrating sustainability into organizations.

What special talents do you bring to MeetGreen?

I have an eclectic background (former titles include: Sergeant, United States Marines, music store clerk and Hotel General Manager) which gives me a bit of different perspective to: (a) do more with less, and (b) deliver on time, with heart.  In addition, I’m rather creative and have a knack for writing.

What is the best compliment you have received from a client or attendee?

“It was so great to have you hold our hand through this!”   I took that to mean that they felt we worked well together and that they interpreted the results of the projects to be positive.

What is the high point of your job?

I had the privilege of assisting the Danish Foreign Ministry to certify their event management system for the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15) through the BS8901 systems for sustainable event management. That and joining the Board of the Green Meeting Industry Council in 2011 represent personal milestones.

What do you like to do in your free time?

Walk.  I’m a (near!) tireless walker and love to take in the surroundings of the outdoors, be it a city or mountain.  And biking!  I recently got a great city bike and find that offers the same experience, but faster and farther.

What inspires you?

Creative people working for the common good, powerful enough to move mountains, and colorful enough to make great music or sustainable events.

What is your role at MeetGreen?

I am a project manager working on several conferences in different capacities from logistics to food and beverage, from AV to exhibitor and sponsor fulfillment. I am also enjoying the opportunity to get move involved in green consulting work.

What past work and other experiences do you bring?

I began my career with a trade assocication and worked in a number of different departments, giving me quite a diverse work background. Eventually, I was hired as a registrar in the Convention Department and worked my way up, which is how I entered the meetings industry. I was then hired as Director of Conferences & Meetings at the National Recycling Coalition and later had the opportunity to join the MeetGreen team.

What is the high point of your job?

Knowing I am making an impact on this planet. One of my favorite quotes is by Robert Clemente: ”Any time you have an opportunity to make a difference in this world and you don’t, then you are wasting your time on Earth.”

What special talents do you bring to MeetGreen?

I’m quite organized and have several years experience in the environmental field as I worked for the National Recycling Coalition for over 12 years. While there is much about recycling that I don’t know, I did learn a lot while at NRC.

What is the best compliment you have received from a client or attendee?

“We don’t need to worry about that, Rebecca has it covered.”

What do you like to do in your free time?

Cook, read, garden, play tennis, go camping, visit the beach.

What inspires you?

Knowing that a few people can make a difference and seeing what we are able to accomplish.

What is your role at MeetGreen?

I manage our green consulting projects. In addition, I leverage the sustainability solutions we develop for individual clients into products others can benefit from, such as our tool, Best Places to MeetGreen. I ensure all our projects align with our independently certified BS 8901 Sustainable Event Management System.

What past work and other experiences do you bring?

I began as the General Manager of Oceans Blue Foundation, where I created the first tool for measuring green meetings. I was then hired as the Executive Director of the Green Meeting Industry Council before coming to MeetGreen. I remain active as a volunteer chair on several boards and author various papers on sustainable events and tourism.

What special talents do you bring to MeetGreen?

I started my career as an environmental educator and advocate who came to work in the event industry. It’s a unique path compared to other meeting professionals that I hope brings a lot of integrity to MeetGreen’s sustainable meetings work.

What is the high point of your job?

I love being able to help people who are passionate about sustainability express their values in their day job. I also love it when I watch someone who didn’t feel so committed to sustainability turn around their thinking to emerge as a champion for it once they see the results.

What is the best compliment you have received from a client or attendee?

“It’s clear you love what you do!”

What do you like to do in your free time?

Anything but be on an airplane! Usually, I find myself bumbling around Vancouver’s North Shore mountains or plucking my harp.

What inspires you?

Knowing that one person doing one thing really does make a difference.

What is your role at MeetGreen?

I am the Registration and Events Specialist, meaning that I manage the online registration system for our clients and make sure that any questions or concerns are taken care of in a timely and positive manner.

What past work and other experiences do you bring?

I have worked in the customer service field for several years, in both hotels and retail stores.  During this time, I developed and maintained strong business relationships with clients by providing knowledge of the industry, helping clients’ problem solve and efficiently completing tasks presented to me.   More recently, I initiated and ran an annual holiday fundraiser for a children’s day treatment program, utilizing strong organizational skills, attention to detail and teamwork to successfully complete the project.

What special talents do you bring to MeetGreen?

My special talents range from being able to quickly adapt to new situations and think on my feet, to providing active listening skills when a client or team member needs to talk out strategies and ideas.  I also have a very positive attitude and an insatiable work ethic.

What is the high point of your job?

I enjoy watching my hard work come to life and the reactions of clients as they experience it.

What is the best compliment you have received from a client or attendee?

The look of genuine happiness when a client says “Thank you” after a job is completed successfully.

What do you like to do in your free time?

One of my all-time favorite things to do is play my violin, either independently, or with the Vitula Quartet.  I also fully enjoy playing board games in the winter and hiking/camping in the summer.

What inspires you?

Music.  The creation, the history, and its’ ability to make people feel. 

What is your role at MeetGreen?

I am a Project Manager working on multiple conferences in a variety of capacities ranging from onsite logistics to all elements of pre conference planning including budget management, vendor relations, details for catering as well as audiovisual and meeting space coordination.

What past work and other experiences do you bring?

I have been in the meeting and event planning business for over 20 years.  My career started in the hospitality industry working for a lodging facility as the Conference Coordinator moving into the Director of Sales & Marketing position.  I have also work for a non- profit organization as the Financial Development Director, marketing and producing a whole spectrum of fundraising and sport events.

What special talents do you bring to MeetGreen?

I have a diverse background in the event industry and I am organized, diplomatic and really love the fast pace and high energy of the field.  It is a highly rewarding process to start a project  from scratch, build and then execute whether it be a small conference or large convention.

What is the high point of your job?

I feel very fortunate to be working with such impressive groups of extremely intelligent people in a variety of industries. Many of our clients are clearly the leaders in their professional realms.  Also, the education and training I get through MeetGreen in the sustainability field is unparalleled.  I really feel like we are all making progress in doing what we can to be kind to our planet and leave a lighter footprint.

What is the best compliment you have received from a client or attendee?

“It is so nice to work with such professionals”.    I can’t take ALL the credit for the compliment as it was meant for my entire MeetGreen team.

What do you like to do in your free time?

I love to travel!  I am an avid (and somewhat obsessed) mountain and road bike rider, I have a horse and love spending time at the barn and exploring new trails. My true love is Skate Skiing in winter…  I’ve never met its equal in terms of a workout.

What inspires you?

Witnessing and learning the exciting trends of what we can all accomplish in the world of sustainability. 

What is your role at MeetGreen?

I am the online tool headmistress, and I’m in charge of keeping all our online applications up and running in tip-top shape.

What past work and other experiences do you bring?

I have 10 years of project management and application development experience in the meetings, health care, manufacturing and sustainability industries. I have a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Occidental College.

What special talents do you bring to MeetGreen?

Patience and the ability to translate business world ideas and concepts into geekspeak and back.

What is the high point of your job?

I enjoy watching new tools come to life, the process of something that starts as ideas and sketches turning into something useful that provides value and helps events to be greener.

What is the best compliment you have received from a client or attendee?

It’s always good to hear things like, “You’re a miracle worker. I don’t know how you do it,” when I fix technology malfunctions with my “magic wand.”

What do you like to do in your free time?

Dancing (in its many forms, but mostly ballroom) fills up the vast majority of my non-techie life. In the few other spare moments I have I enjoy traveling, hiking and being near the ocean.

What inspires you?

The amazing people in my life.