Meeting Professionals International, Northeastern New York Chapter

President

Name: Doug McPhee, CMP, CMM

Contact Info: 518-895-8320
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Doug McPhee has worked with Experient since April 2000. After teaching for 20 years he started working with schools and organizations on improving the instructional process. He has extensive meeting planning experience and was an Experient client prior to working as a National Account Manager. As executive for two organizations he gained important knowledge about the meeting planning industry from the client perspective. As a professional speaker, trainer, coach, and consultant, he has traveled widely and presented to groups in the US and abroad for over 35 years. He works with companies and organizations to increase productivity and performance through their meetings. His business is based on learning, the meetings industry, and improving personal performance.

Doug was an active member of San Diego MPI and served on MPI’s Professional Development Strategy Group for 4 years. He received his CMP in 2000 and his CMM in 2008. He is a Platinum speaker for MPI. San Diego Meeting Professionals International honored him as Planner of the Year in 2006.

Doug grew up as a Navy Brat and traveled widely with his parents including duty in Cuba and France. He and his wife Cecelia are renovating an old farmhouse (1828) in Duanesburg, New York. They have owned the house since 2004 when they bought it on a weekend visit to the area. They both love to travel.

President Elect 

Name: Vanessa LaClair

Contact Info: 518-436-3749
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Vanessa is the Membership Services & Events Coordinator for the Independent Power Producers of New York, Inc. (IPPNY) and has been with the trade association for the past seven years. A native of the Adirondacks, Vanessa was born in the small town of Ellenburg, NY and moved to Chateaugay Lake, NY at age 14. Vanessa graduated from SUNY Plattsburgh in May 1998 with a Criminal Justice degree and dreams of Criminal Justice degree and dreams of working in some type of law enforcement career. Her father, a Superintendent for Corrections, inspired her to take this path in her college career after transferring to SUNY. But as any college kid will tell you after graduation, you never know what you want until you start real life.

After a brief stint as an Ophthalmologic Assistant for an Ophthalmologist in Plattsburgh NY, Vanessa relocated to Albany in 1999 and began her first “real” job with a trade association as the Administrative and Financial Assistant. Learning quickly to network the Albany way, Vanessa found herself in her current position with IPPNY and made it a point to take control of her career. Realizing the desire for meeting planning had been her true life’s passion, Vanessa took over the role as the events coordinator for the association.

In March 2007, Vanessa joined MPI and quickly became a very active member of the Northeastern New York chapter. She joined the Communications Team after meeting with Mike Snyder and Gina Mintzer at the Equinox Hotel for a site tour.

In addition to MPI, Vanessa is also a member of the Empire State Society of Association Executives, Albany Chamber Women’s Business Council and the Capital Alliance of Young Professionals.

Vanessa currently resides in Albany, NY and in her free time enjoys hiking, mountain biking and downhill skiing.

Immediate Past President

Name: Jack Roddy

Contact Info: 518-458-7264 ext 482
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Jack Roddy, Director Catering at The Holiday Inn Wolf Road, was born and raised in Cohoes NY. Jack began his career in the meeting Industry in 1989 at the former Albany Hilton/Albany Omni, where he worked for ten years. Jack then worked at The Desmond Hotel for 11 years. During his time at the Desmond Jack worked in several different positions always focusing on making his clients meetings successful.

He lives in Brunswick with his wife of 29 yrs Pam. Jack and Pam have three children, John, 25, Caitlin, 22 and Aaron 11.

Jack is an alum of Schenectady Community College and Siena College.

VP Membership

Name: Christine M. Cunningham, CMP

Contact Info: 518-859-9426
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 Christine M. Cunningham, CMP - Director of Sales with The Williams Inn in Williamstown MA is honored to be named the VP of Membership for MPI NENY. 

Christine was born and raised in Saratoga Springs.  She graduated SUNY Empire State College with a degree in Business, Management and Economics.  A 1999 graduate of Leadership Saratoga, she serves on the Leadership Saratoga Alumni Board.  She earned her CMP designation in 2005.

Christine has over 20 years in hotel sales; including 10+ years at The Gideon Putnam Hotel and Resort, 3 years at The Sagamore Resort and 7 years with The Williams Inn.  The hospitality business is in her blood; her family has over 30 years of service at The Gideon.  Christine is dedicated to the meeting industry and believes in her hotel’s philosophy - providing “Traditional New England Hospitality” to our guests.

Christine has served on numerous boards and committees.  Her volunteer and industry involvement includes:  The Berkshire Visitors Bureau group sales committee and Board of Directors and New England Inns & Resorts - group sales committee.
 
Christine has served on the membership committee for The Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce for the last 15 years.  She earned the Swantek-Woodward award in 2006 and was named The Saratogian “20 under 40 movers and shakers” in 2004.  She believes in giving time to these organizations, because they have provided so much to her personally and professionally.

She has been involved in MPI NENY since 2004; serving on various committees including Membership and Finance.  Christine also has an affiliate membership with the New England and The CT River Valley Chapters.  She is looking forward to meeting the needs of MPI NENY members in Recruitment, Recognition, Reward and Retention.  She is excited about her membership committee and is happy to hear from our members any time.

More info about the Membership Committee

VP Communications

Name: Linda Roth

She is thrilled to be joining the board of MPI as she has been a member of MPI since before there was a local chapter.

Roth most recently served as Director of Sales at the Hilton Garden Inn Albany Airport.

Roth’s hospitality career began at Upstate Tours in Saratoga Springs where she left as Vice President in 1991.  She then held the position of Sales Manager at the Saratoga Convention & Tourism Bureau for eleven years through 2003 and was then was named Director of Membership Sales at the Albany-Colonie Chamber of Commerce through 2005.

Roth has served on the boards of numerous organizations including The Empire State Society of Association Executives (ESSAE) and Soroptimist International of Saratoga County where she maintains an active membership.

 A 1999 graduation of Leadership Saratoga, she currently serves as an Ambassador with the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce.

Linda resides in Saratoga Springs.

More info about the Communications Committee

VP Administration

Name: Cindy Sullivan, CMP

Contact Info:518-693-1002
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Cindy grew up in New Lebanon, NY and started her college years planning to become an architect. After 2 years of frequently changing majors she transferred to Paul Smith’s College to get her Associates degree in Hotel & Restaurant Management. After a fun filled summer internship on campus working with the Convention Services Department, she decided that hotel sales sounded like the way to go. So she transferred to Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI, to get her Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Sales & Meeting Management. Cindy’s first MPI membership was as a student at JWU, back when it was still called Meeting Planners International.

After graduation, she moved to Glens Falls and started at the Sagamore Resort in the food & beverage department. She eventually switched to sales and worked her way from Account Executive to National Sales Manager, working the Western New York market as well as the Southeastern US. After nine years at the resort she moved to a position in Saratoga Springs and is currently a Sales Manager at The Saratoga Hilton. She works primarily with NYS Association groups.

Cindy volunteered on the Education Committee with MPI NENY at the chapter’s inception, and served as VP of Education for two years. She then switched over the VP of Administration and really enjoys the technology projects the chapter is launching. She earned her CMP designation in July 2005 with the first group of our members that attended study groups set up by the new chapter. This had been a long standing goal of hers that she’s thrilled to have finally accomplished, and she continues to lead study groups and contributing to growth of CMP members in our chapter.

Cindy currently resides in Queensbury, NY with her furry feline friends, Gracie & Cissy.

More info about the Administration Committee

VP Finance

Name: Adelynne Waldie, CMP

Contact Info: 518-376-9213
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Adelynne Waldie was most recently the manager of golf events for the Saratoga National Golf Club in Saratoga Springs, NY. Saratoga National Golf Club has won many awards since it opened in June of 2001 including prestigious recognition from Golf Magazine and Golf Digest as one of the premier upscale public golf facilities in the Northeast U.S. Her duties at Saratoga National included promotion of the facilities as a meeting and golf event destination as well as the planning and delivery of first-class events and experiences for visiting groups.

Previous to her time at Saratoga National Golf Club Addy was the Associate Director for Development with Special Olympics New York. She attended University of Central Florida and graduated from Schenectady County Community College with an A.A.S. in Hospitality & Restaurant Management, were she was selected to participate in the Walt Disney World College Program and the Kentucky Derby – Harry M Steven’s / Aramark Internships.

Addy just received her Certified Meeting Professional designation and is currently working as an independent planner. As VP of Finance and a member of the executive committee for MPINENY she is active, involved and committed to the mission of Meeting Professionals Industry.

In addition, Addy is active in several community groups including serving on the Executive Committee for Satins, Silks and Stars Weekend, a benefit for Special Olympic New York.  In her ever-evaporating “free time,” she also volunteers as a religious education teacher at her church.

Addy, her two young sons Noah and Liam along with her husband Ken live in Mechanicville, NY.

More info about the Finance Committee and the Golf Committee

VP Education

Name: Debby Goedeke

Debby Goedeke is currently Convention Services Manager of the Albany County Convention & Visitors Bureau (ACCVB) based in Albany, NY.  Since 2000 Debby has also worked as a Corporate Sales Manager for the Crowne Plaza Albany hotel and Vice-President of Meetings & Conventions for Empire Meeting Solutions, Guilderland, NY.  Debby assists all of her clients by matching up the right “Albany” resource for their sporting tournaments, military reunions, family reunions and conference needs.  In addition, Debby and the ACCVB offer attendance-building strategies with pre-event marketing techniques and support services, on-site aid, as well as public and community relations assistance.

Debby is originally from the High Peaks region of Keene, NY where her family was in the hospitality industry.  In her spare time, Debby enjoys running and participating in marathons and triathlons.  Debby and her husband Art live in Delmar with their Yorkshire Terrier Lance.

More info about the Education Committee and the CMP Study Group Committee

VP Strategic Development

Name: Tom Wysocki

Contact Info: 518-226-4701

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Tom is the Director of Sales & Marketing with Gideon Putnam Resort & Spa in Saratoga Spring NY. and has been in Hospitality/Sales industry for the past 25 years.  Tom was born and raised in Hoosick Falls, NY and presently lives in Queensbury, NY with his wife Patrice and daughters Lauren, 10 and Megan, 7.
   
Tom has a very diverse background from managing restaurants’, wine sommelier, Pharmaceutical Sales and mainly in Hotel Sales and Marketing.  He spent nearly 15 years at The Sagamore Resort in a variety of positions including Assistant Director of Sales & Marketing & Director of Group Sales.  He also worked as Director of Sales at the Desmond Hotel.

Tom has also served as Committee Chair in many phases with New England MPI.  He has been an MPI member since 2001.  He is very excited about the opportunity to serve on the Board and strive to bring the Northeastern NY MPI chapter into the future.