Laura Kesselman, CMM, describes herself as resourceful, enthusiastic and tenacious. Learn more about her.
How I got here: My background is public relations and marketing. After eight years in business, I decided I never wanted to pitch another story to a journalist again, but I really enjoyed producing impactful marketing events. So, I sent a letter to my clients telling them I was now specializing in event management. The rest is history.
Greatest career accomplishment: I think being in business for 25 consecutive years is a pretty big achievement. However, the fact that I have succeeded by supporting organizations that have a positive impact on the community, helping those who help others, is what I am most proud of. This was way before social responsibility was a buzzword, I just did what felt right.
Impressive stats: In my 25 years of business, I have supported more than 65,000 attendees.
Specific improvements I’ve made: During my time as chair of the Visit Albuquerque board, the organizations contract with the city of Albuquerque was set to renew, therefore, I was intimately involved with contract negotiations. I took the opportunity to request that the board composition included a seat for a meeting professional. This was approved and is now in the organization’s bylaws.
What I do outside of work: I sit on the board of Visit Albuquerque (former chair and first meeting planner to ever serve on the board), am an honorary commander at Kirtland Airforce Base and am active with our local MPI chapter, frequently serving as a guest speaker or creating painfully punny Facebook posts.
