CSMFO Staff Spotlight
What is it about CSMFO that makes them interesting?
My favorite thing about CSMFO is that there are no egos in the leadership. Typically with an organization (especially one with as many volunteers as CSMFO), you get people who are just there to pad their resumes or who come with their own personal agendas. Not with CSMFO. At CSMFO Board meetings, everyone is there to try to better the profession, to try to make it easier for others (members) to succeed. And while only Board members get a vote, every person attending the meeting (chapter chairs, committee members, you name it) is equally heard and validated. There’s magic in like-minded volunteers coming together for a common purpose, and CSMFO has that in spades.
What have you done with previous clients or careers that make you a great fit for CSMFO?
I am a very logical/practical person, and I love budgeting and numbers. The members, and especially the leadership, at CSMFO are very analytically minded people too, which means that I understand their points of view and can often predict what information they’ll need in order to make a decision. At the same time, CSMFO people like to have fun. They appreciate my creative side and are willing to go that little extra to really turn an event into a member experience.
Describe your first CSMFO conference experience.
My first conference was San Francisco in 2009. I was five months pregnant (which is awkward already with a brand new client), and of course knew no one. Aspects of this particular conference were pretty difficult, as the Thursday night event was Beach Blanket Babylon–which we outgrew. So then we added Teatro…something or other. And then ran out of those tickets as well. And when people came up to check in for the conference, we had to ask them which one they wanted–and then keep track of tickets and trade them out when Friend A had found out that Friend B had chosen the other one, and they really wanted to go together. Add on top of that the fact that the exhibit hall was in three separate meeting rooms and none of the exhibitors were happy…it was definitely challenging. But even through all the madness, all the people were so pleasant and friendly!
If you could choose the entire theme for a CSMFO conference, what would it be?
CSMFO and the Goblet of Finance. I really wanted a Harry Potter-themed conference in 2018, when the venue was the Mission Inn in Riverside. Couldn’t you just see that historic building being akin to Hogwarts?? I wanted to sort everyone into houses (I’m Gryffindor) and keep house points and have the Thursday event be the Yule Ball. Can you dance like a hippogriff? Now we’ll never know.
What are you looking forward to for CSMFO 2020?
Being at Disneyland (my favorite place) with CSMFO (my favorite people). That probably sounds like a line, but it’s true. I love this organization. When you combine the passion and dedication of CSMFO members with the magic of Disney? Nothing better.
What is a common question CSMFO members have and what’s the answer?
When does the conference hotel room block open? The answer is, at the same time as registration, which is roughly 4-5 months prior to the conference. I’ll give you a little tip, though. If you volunteer as part of the leadership (meaning being on the Board, being a chapter chair, or joining a committee), we release the room block to you a couple days before we open it to everyone else. Participation has its privileges.
