2025 Stella Awards Judges

Candy Campbell, Event Director and Chef, Campbell Scott Productions, is an effective and resourceful entrepreneur, a meetings and events professional with 16 years of experience, as well as a trained chef who has worked at high-profile events around the globe — including a guest chef spot at the Food and Wine Classic in Aspen, and several highly touted dinners collaborating with celebrity chefs and wine makers. Whether she is preparing a rustic farm-to-table dinner for 200 in a beautiful remote location or a secret pop-up, multi-course tasting menu for 20, she recognizes every ingredient is instrumental in telling a food story. Campbell specializes in corporate social responsibility initiatives with food sourcing, organic and regenerative farming, and spreading the word about what it means to truly source locally and responsibly.

Debbie Friedman-Hueller, MA, CMP, CSEP, CMM, DES, Manager of Meeting and Event Operations at Land O'Lakes Inc., brings a wealth of expertise and a creative spark to the meetings and events world. She's celebrated for her cutting-edge strategies, consistently driving business results through creative design and transforming visions into captivating and successful events.

Carvie Gillikin is President & CEO of MGME, leading the development and execution of the company’s mission, vision and core values. He is committed to fostering an inclusive culture that attracts and empowers exceptional talent, forming the backbone of the company’s award-winning global meetings and events agency. This foundation enables MGME to serve a diverse array of client partners with creativity, excellence and impact.

Earla J. Jones, MS, CMP is the Events Director for the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. As a member of ASAE, Association Forum and PCMA, she is most passionate about the meetings, hospitality and tourism industry. Earla is the immediate past Chair of the ASAE Meetings & Exposition Professionals Advisory Council and currently serves on the PCMA Greater Midwest Chapter Board of Directors.

Beth Lawrence is a seasoned event strategist with a proven track record of designing impactful, human-centered experiences for nonprofits, startups and global corporations. With decades of hospitality and award-winning event planning experience, she specializes in creating memorable multi-day conventions, innovative festivals, high-performing fundraisers, historic site tours and incubator programs that align with each client’s unique mission and goals.

Edward Perotti, CMP, CMM, is a multi-award-winning event designer, public speaker, facilitator, author, television personality and Principal at EP Events & Experiences. Throughout his 28-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 events industry.

Wendy Porter is the Founder and Chief Event Strategist at Wendy Porter Events, a Minneapolis-based, award-winning events agency specializing in high-impact corporate events that drive trust, brand engagement and measurable ROI. She has orchestrated over 1,300 events, from Super Bowl activations to CEO summits, and is known for igniting the magic that makes events unforgettable. Wendy was recently named one of the 100 Most Influential People in the US Events Industry by EventEx and was also the recipient of the 2024 Visionary Award by Smart Women in Meetings.

Rachael Riggs, CMP, DES, SEPC, is the General Manager of Environmental Strategy at Maritz. She leverages nearly 25 years of leadership to implement the Maritz Environmental Strategy and oversees carbon accounting, reporting and compliance across business units. Rachael collaborates with clients on design strategies to minimize environmental impact. As the subject matter expert for Wellbeing event design, they crafted Maritz's perspective on the 5 Dimensions of Wellbeing. Based in Chicago, Illinois, she continues to lead in sustainability and wellbeing with her passion and dedication to environmental stewardship.

Shawn M. Sawyer is a visionary leader and disruptor in the global MICE industry, known for pushing industry standards with a unique blend of creativity, strategy and results-driven execution. As the Founder and Creative Director of Cacique International, the first and leading Destination Management Company in The Bahamas, Shawn has spent over three decades pioneering cutting-edge incentive travel programs, high-impact corporate meetings and transformational conference experiences that go beyond logistics — creating immersive experiences that engage audiences, generate meaningful impact and drive real business results.

Bonni Scepkowski is the founder and principal of Stellar Meetings & Events, LLC, with 30+ years of experience creating meetings that reflect client culture and deliver impact. She has worked with organizations from start-ups to Fortune 500s, blending strategy, contract negotiation and budget savvy with a creative touch. Known for her humor and cultural insight, Bonni designs meetings that build connection, reinforce culture, and spark loyalty. A founding board member of SAMPS and recipient of SPIN’s 40 Over 40 Award, she is also an author, speaker and traveler who believes meetings should be as meaningful as they are memorable.

Brett Sterenson is President of Hotel Lobbyists, a site selection firm he founded in 2007 that places nearly 500 groups and meetings all over the globe each year; his background includes hotel sales experience from both Millennium Hotels out of Boston and Kimpton Hotels out of Washington, DC. He is a frequent speaker at industry events and contributor to industry publications.

Alex Zapple, CAE, CMP, CEM, is a seasoned business event strategist with over 17 years of experience leading events from 10 to 14,000 attendees across the U.S. and internationally, including Canada, Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. She has spent the past 10 years with the, American Society for Nephrology where she currently serves as Senior Director of Meetings, and previously worked as an Event Manager at SmithBucklin.