Adam Mogelonsky

Hotel Mogel Consulting Limited

Adam Mogelonsky attended Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, earning a Bachelors of Science degree with a Life Sciences (Pre-Medicine) subject of specialization. On a path to become a doctor, he instead opted to pursue personal training while studying to be a nutritionist and physiotherapist. Following the 2008-09 recession, Adam joined Larry in the advertising world.

In line with his passion for creative writing, Adam joined this hospitality-specializing marketing and communications agency as a copywriter and account executive. Over the years, he learned marketing skills including emotional messaging, front-end web design, public relations, art direction, social media, content generation, SEM/SEM and, above all, strategy.

With Larry selling LMA Communications Inc. in 2016, Adam soon also departed to join his father in managing the consultancy’s operations, including financial analysis for hotels, team training and software or hardware deployment. As the chief technologist of the company, Adam has a broad understanding of the complexities of the hotel tech stack as well as the vendors who are paving the way for increased labor efficiencies and new revenue growth opportunities.

Amy Wald

GreenLuxe Inc.

Amy Wald is the Founder and President of GreenLuxe. She is a renowned speaker and leading expert in Sustainable Hospitality and holds degrees in Sustainable Business, Wildlife Management, and multiple sustainability accreditations like GSTC, LEED, WELL, and ISSP. Her years of work in hospitality and education in sustainable tourism make her an expert at helping hospitality brands ensure they are operating as an environmentally conscious brand and reaping the benefits of what that means to the exploding consumer base looking for hospitality groups focused on more than their bottom line.

Her ability to connect, motivate and educate an organization is foundational to the success of a new sustainability endeavor, and she invites you to join her on her journey of “Turning the traveler into a conservationist”.

Bill Behrens

AmericanHort

Bill Behrens, CMP, is currently the Trade Show and Event Manager for AmericanHort, the leading national association representing the horticulture industry. In this role, Bill is part of a team that produces Cultivate, an international conference and trade show held each July in Columbus that brings 10,000+ attendees, 650 exhibiting companies and offers 130 educational sessions.

Bill also sources locations and manages the details for 7 small and medium-sized events throughout the year at locations across the U.S.

Prior to AmericanHort, Bill was the Director of Convention Services at Experience Columbus, and he started his career as a Rooms Division Manager with Hyatt Hotels.

Chris Berry

OhioX

Chris serves as the President of OhioX, a statewide nonprofit working to build Ohio into a tech hub.

OhioX is a member-based organization with representation from Fortune 500 companies, universities, research organizations, startups, and tech-focused businesses.

Previously, Chris served as the Chief of Staff and Director of Communications at the Ohio Treasurer’s office where he managed an $18 million annual operating budget and a staff of 125 employees that is responsible for the State Treasury’s $22 billion investment portfolio, $224 billion pension custody portfolio, $11 billion debt portfolio, and more than $62 billion of state revenue. Before that, he worked on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C.

Chris has spent over a decade building and engaging in high profile campaigns that have touched on a wide range of first-of-their-kind issues. His work has been quoted and seen in media outlets such as the Wall Street Journal, CNBC, the Associated Press, FOX Business, Forbes, Fortune and hundreds more across the world.

Courtnee Carrigan

Raising the Bar Performance Group

Courtnee is the Founder of Raising the Bar Performance Group (RTB). She is certified as a Change Management Practitioner with 20 years of experience as a nonprofit leader, executive trainer, and strategic facilitator of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives. Courtnee combines innovative strategy with effective communication to advise clients in developing, designing, and implementing policies, practices, and approaches that result in inclusive and equitable workplaces. Ms. Carrigan is a recipient of the 2017 Columbus Business First Diversity in Business Award. She has been featured in Ohio Business Magazine, Columbus CEO, and Columbus Dispatch. Courtnee is also a graduate of Leadership Columbus, The Ohio Minority Supplier Diversity Council MBE Academy, and the African American Leadership Academy. Courtnee serves on the Boards of WOSU and New Directions Career Center, Mount Carmel Health System Foundation, and is a member of the Columbus Rotary Club, and the NAWBO Columbus Diversity Committee. Most recently, The Supreme Court of Ohio has also appointed Ms. Carrigan as a member of the Commission on Professionalism, serving as a nonattorney member for a three-year term beginning January 1, 2022.

Don Miller

HelmsBrisco

Don has been with HelmsBriscoe in the Columbus, Ohio market since August of 2001. He works with a wide variety of association, corporate, government and not-for profit organizations throughout the U.S. Don joined HelmsBriscoe due to the company’s reputation for excellent service and ethical conduct in the meetings industry. For Don, the freedom to provide Clients exceptional service and solutions, regardless of their site selection requirements, makes it a true pleasure to start work each day. As Associate Regional Vice President in the Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee regions, Don is responsible for Associate recruitment, mentorship and development. His responsibilities are to find and recruit the best possible Associates available and assist them in providing their Clients with the best possible service. 

Don has worked in the meetings industry since 1986 for Stouffer-Renaissance, Wyndham and Marriott. He earned his Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) designation in 2002 and Certified Association Sales Executive (CASE) designation in 2009. Don currently serves as regional technology trainer, insuring that each HB Associate in his region utilizes every tool HB has to offer to gain an advantage for their Clients. Don has also been active in the Ohio Chapter of MPI, having served as VP of Finance, Director of Technology, Director of Education, and as the Chapter’s President. He was awarded the Planner of Year Award from OHMPI in 2003 as well as numerous awards from the HelmsBriscoe as well as his clients. He is a proud graduate of The Ohio State University. 

Jim Bishop

Morgan Stanley

Jim Bishop has been consulting business owners and business professionals to achieve a successful retirement for almost 20 years. He is a financial advisor with Morgan Stanley and is a Retirement Income Certified Professional. He is also the advisor to OHLA’s Multiple Employer 104k Program. Jim is focused on building wealth to help people achieve their goals. This is about generating long term income through multiple sources. You do not need to own a business to create wealth for you and your family but you do need a plan. As a retirement specialist, Jim can show you the steps to start taking today to make money, save money and invest money. 

State Representative Jon Cross

Ohio House of Representatives

State Representative Jon Cross (R-Kenton) is serving his second term in the Ohio House of Representatives, representing northwest Ohio’s 83rd District, which includes Hancock and Hardin counties, and part of Logan County.

Representative Cross is a proud father and husband, a passionate public servant and a principled conservative championing legislation that protects our rights and freedoms, as well as keeping Ohio safer, stronger and open for business.

His leadership and strong work ethic have had a positive impact on the Ohio General Assembly and the communities and constituents he represents. 

Ken Patel

EV Hotel

The goal is to revolutionize the hospitality Industry with technology innovations that will create centric experiences for our guests and employees. 2021 is Ken’s 25th year in Hospitality. He graduated from the #1 Hospitality school in the world where he obtained his MBA in international Hospitality Management.

Originally, from the NYC area , he has spent almost 34 years there and currently resides in the Atlanta area. He has been in hospitality since he was 15 years old, working 7 am to 7 pm every Saturday and Sunday at a hotel in my junior and senior year of high school to help his parents financially. Ever since then, he has been in the world of hospitality and have worked from the ground up to where he is today. Ken’s belief is to surround yourself with great people, and the journey will have a path.

Liz Green

ELEVAR Events

Liz Green, Owner and Chief Event Curator, of ELEVAR Events by Liz Green, has more than 19 years planning events in the non-profit and corporate sectors on an international, national and local scope. From 2013 - 2019, Liz traveled the globe planning the Arnold Sports Festival on six continents with the organization's co-founder, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. In 2018, Liz launched ELEVAR Events by Liz Green in Columbus and has continued to execute live, hybrid and virtual events the last 4 years as an independent planner. Liz was recently announced as a "Smart Women in Meetings" award winner in the entrepreneur division for 2022. Liz enjoys spending time with her husband and two sons on their five-acre mini farm, reading, writing, traveling and pursuing various fitness activities. 

Mark Weaver

Communications Council Inc.

Mark Weaver is an award-winning national political consultant and election law attorney. Over the last three decades advising more than 800 political campaigns in 18 states, there are very few political challenges he hasn’t seen or solved. 

The Youngstown Vindicator called him, “the most prominent and successful political consultant in Ohio.” The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review agreed, calling him “among the top political strategists in the country.” 

As a young communications consultant, he worked one-on-one with President Ronald Reagan and went on to advise many Republican candidates for Governor, U.S. Senate, Congress, state Supreme Court Justice, and other statewide offices. He has also advised the Republican legislative campaign committees in the Ohio House, the Ohio Senate, the South Dakota Senate, and the Pennsylvania House. 

He has written hundreds of campaign plans, supervised countless polls and focus groups, and produced more than two thousand TV and radio commercials – winning more than a dozen national awards for excellence in political advertising. 

Over the last two decades, Mr. Weaver taught graduate courses in Election Law and Advanced Campaign Management at the University of Akron Bliss Institute of Applied Politics. He’s also served as an instructor at the Republican National Committee campaign management college. 

Michael Goldrich

The Hotels Network

After 20 years in hospitality marketing, Michael helps hoteliers grow their direct channel by using The Hotels Network's innovative solutions to attract, engage and convert visitors throughout the online booking journey.
Coupled with two decades of hotel digital marketing experience, Michael J. Goldrich joined The Hotels Network as Chief Experience Officer to represent the Voice of the Customer.

As former Global Head of Marketing for Club Quarters Hotels, Vice President of Marketing, Ecommerce, and Distribution for Denihan, Vice President of Marketing and Ecommerce at Dolce Hotels, Senior Director of Digital Brand Marketing & Strategy at Wyndham, and Director of Global Web Services at Starwood, Michael has a clear understanding of how hotel brands operate, recognizing the importance of direct channel relationships.

During his time at Club Quarters, Michael’s goal was to grow brand contribution while shifting the post-pandemic target business segment to younger local leisure travelers. He also transformed marketing organizations by implementing and optimizing e-commerce and digital capabilities for diverse global businesses including Starwood, Accenture, Monster Worldwide, and Wyndham.

His awards include the Platinum Adrian Award for an innovative social media campaign, the Gold Adrian Award for an innovative website, and 40 under 40 from the Westchester Business Council. Most recently, he was selected by HSMAI as a Top 25 Extraordinary Minds in Sales, Marketing, and Revenue Optimization in 2020.

R.J. Lowery

RevLocal

R.J. Lowery is a Google, "digital sales certified" Senior Digital Marketing Consultant with RevLocal, living in the Columbus Ohio area. He has over 35 years of building companies as a top-performing leader, trainer, recruiter and Consultant.

In 2011 he acted on his passion for helping entrepreneurs by launching a successful consulting practice called Expert Edge Business Coaching. From 2012 to early 2022, he committed most of his time to RevLocal as they became his biggest client, helping to build their digital marketing consultant team from 4 to 140 consultants, nationwide. As he has recently taken a step back from senior leadership (and traveling) his daily motivation is to now take his last decade of digital marketing knowledge and make a difference for local business owners, multi-location brands and non-profits. 

Outside of work, R.J. loves spending time with Connie, his wife of over 30 years, their three grown daughters, sons-in-law, granddaughters and other family members. He’s also a ministry leader at One Church in Gahanna and loves mentoring other "doods" (dads of only daughters.) Although he is a proud ‘88 graduate of Ohio University, he's a HUGE Ohio STATE fan, especially Football and Wrestling, which the latter he is a season ticket holder for.

*Fun facts, back in the ‘80s, R.J. was on the Wheel of Fortune and in a 20th Century Fox movie!

Tammy Hudson

Engaged Pro Video

Back in the 90’s, this Colorado Springs native worked her way through 7 long (and unfocused) years of college (including an internship in Walt Disney World) as a full time travel agent to pay the bills. This began her love for hospitality. After college Tammy tried her hand at flying and traveling as a Flight attendant before quickly realizing that serving drinks in the sky was not the best use of her Organizational Communications degree so she returned back to working on the ground and quickly began on-air work on a local radio station as a morning show personality.

Unfortunately, being paid in CD’s and concert tickets couldn't pay the bills so Tammy moved from the Mountains the Ocean after securing a position with Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort. Years later, after chasing a boy to Columbus, Tammy began working for local luxury brand, NetJets. Her 8 years with NetJets provided opportunities beyond imaginable including a taste for event planning. Tammy enjoyed working for both luxury planning and non-profit planning with COSI, as well as leisure events and hundreds of weddings before embarking on her own business. In 2012 Tammy began working with business owners on growing their business through strategic advertising and marketing, using practices and principles that helped grow her very own company.

Through the years, the vast experiences and opportunities has given Tammy a view of the best practices to be successful. Although she’s seen and used many forms of ways to grow and promote businesses in the last 30 years, the single most important strategy in content marketing today is video. With the recent popularity of Youtube, Instagram Reels, and Tik-Tok, the use of Video is and continues to now be a necessity in order to appeal to almost every target customer. 

Now, the Owner at Engaged Pro Video, Tammy Hudson is happy to work with and help professionals and businesses with their video marketing strategies with her Do-It-Yourself platform so that her clients know how to leverage their businesses using video.