2023 Stella Awards Judges
Meet the select jury of meetings professionals chosen by Northstar Meetings Group to honor organizations that consistently deliver quality service
Kate Cardoso is the Director of Strategic Services for HMI Performance Incentives. She has been a thought leader at group travel powerhouses for over 20 years. To Kate, who received her Global MBA from Suffolk University in 2010, entrepreneurial thinking is a way of life. It means constantly evolving and innovating and making “change” a “tradition.” Kate is leading within her organization and beyond by incorporating Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives into group travel experiences as a way to give back and do well by doing good.
Jerry Diaz, CMP, HMCC, is the Founder and CEO of Momentum Meetings. He is a seasoned meeting and tradeshow professional with 20-plus years of experience consulting C-Level clients. His expertise is focused on multi-generation learning; vendor sourcing and management; and contract-converting events.
Mindy Gunn, CMP, CMM, is the Global Head of Event Marketing for Amazon Business. Her current role focuses on deepening B2B relationships and helping business customers succeed through Smart Business Buying. But her experience spans multiple industries: financial services; tech; conferences, incentives and executive programs; and B2C and B2B hospitality. Mindy leads a team focused on hosting events that inspire, educate and empower small businesses to large enterprise organizations.
Brad Hecht, CIS, CITP, is the Senior Vice President of Travel & Chief Travel Strategist for Motivation Excellence, Inc. He boasts 38 years in the travel industry with an emphasis on meetings and incentives. His career encompasses expertise in operations, marketing, financial, sales, management and executive leadership.
Enrique Juarez is a Meetings & Events Guru at Prestige Global Meeting Source, a global event consulting and site selection firm that serves meeting professionals worldwide. With over 17 years of experience in the hospitality and tourism industry, he helps clients streamline the meeting planning process by managing the time-consuming task of researching, contacting and evaluating venues for their events. His mission is to create efficiency and increased buying power for event planners, and to deliver exceptional value and service to his clients.
Allison Kinsley, CMM, CMP, CED is the Founder and Chief Meeting Architect of Kinsley Meetings, where the company’s mission is to deliver exceptional experiences for attendees and exceptional outcomes for clients. For over 25 years her company has executed an array of exceptional experiences, both around the world and online, encompassing everything from executive management meetings, employee and client appreciation events, sales incentive programs and large-scale trade shows to virtual conferences, teaching webinars and education forums.
Courtney Lohmann, CMP, is an award-winning leader, CSR and sustainability expert and sought-after thought leader and keynote speaker. She is the Founder of Courtney Lohmann Consulting, a consultancy that has developed a new approach to understanding and implementing sustainability strategies. She has set out to help businesses in the hospitality, events and tourism industry identify, design and implement the right sustainability solutions for their business so they achieve the right impact.
Anh Nguyen is the Founder of Spark Event Management, an award-winning, full-service event management firm and the Spark Event Collective, a network of independent planners collaborating to deliver event experiences. From strategy planning, budgeting and comprehensive registration support to marketing and branding Spark brings current, innovative and professional market expertise to her clients.
Rhanee Palma is the Founder and CEO of Rhanee Palma & Co. a provider of solutions, an innovator of inspiration and a master connector. Palma is a respected 10-year industry veteran with award-winning expertise in hotel and destination sales and has branched out into curating creative and personalized meetings and events in the corporate and eSports industries.
Edward Perotti, CMP, CMM, is a globally recognized, multi-award-winning celebrity event designer, public speaker and Principal at EP Events & Experiences. Throughout his 27-plus years of event production, Edward’s central ethos has always been to create an immersive experience. Through his incorporation of philanthropic opportunities and the latest green initiatives into every production, Edward is spearheading change in the event industry.
Mike Rowan currently serves as an Event Strategist for Maritz Global Events. Mike boasts 20 years of experience working in hotels and has spent the last 20 years on the events management side, acting as an intermediary between group event clients and hotels and venues. His depth and breadth of experience brings a unique perspective to his work.
Jami Stapelmann is Executive Director, Global Travel and Meetings, for Estee Lauder Companies Inc. In this role, she heads the global strategy and design of the company’s meetings and travel programs focused on innovation insights.
Jeanette Stensgaard, MBA, CMP, HMCC, is the Senior Director of Events & Education at the Kidney Cancer Association. She is a nearly 20-year veteran of the meetings industry, and she volunteers as the Vice President of Membership for the MPI Rocky Mountain Chapter Board of Directors, and as an advisor on the EastWest Travel Advisory Board and the Destination Colorado Planner Advisory Panel. As an 11-year CMP, holding an MBA, and certifications in Contracting and Negotiation, Healthcare Meetings Compliance, and Meeting and Event Strategy, industry trend analysis and strategy are her passion.
Brett Sterenson is a 25-year veteran of the meetings and events industry, spending the last 16 years as the Proprietor of Hotel Lobbyists, a site selection firm based in the metro DC area. Prior to that, Brett worked for both Kimpton Hotels and Millennium Hotels. Each year, his firm places nearly 500 meetings and events across the nation and around the globe.
Tracy Stuckrath is the Founder and President of thrive! meetings & events and host of the Eating at a Meeting podcast. She boasts a 30-plus year career in corporate, association and social event planning. She works with organizations worldwide to reduce risk; improve the employee/guest experience; enhance company culture; strengthen diversity, equity and inclusion; and drive revenue using safe, sustainable and inclusive food and beverage experiences where everyone feels valued.
Jodi Swailes is a Lead Buyer and Geographic Specialist for ITA Group. She has been supporting clients with her destination expertise, creative ideas and close relationships in the industry for over 27 years. A graduate of Iowa State University (Go Cyclones!), she enjoys game day, live music and discovering new destinations.