Board of Directors

Sandra grew up immersed in the arts and food, ultimately heading to New York University to pursue a degree in Performing Arts Administration.  After school Sandra moved to Houston where she managed the special events program for Stages Repertory Theatre, worked for an event décor firm, Art Attack, and was recruited manage events at The George R. Brown Convention Center.

In 2009 Sandra moved to Los Angeles and ran her own company, Bright Red Events, where she would regularly manage dance and theatrical events throughout the Los Angeles area.

In 2014, Sandra moved to Dallas where she ran the events programs for Sissy’s Southern Kitchen, Lisa Garza Taste Studio, and Cane Rosso.  Sandra was then hired by The Adolphus to cultivate a new restaurant event sales program where she represented The French Room, City Hall Bistro and The Pool at The Adolphus. 

Just recently, Sandra started her own business, The Events Project, building and managing events programs for the restaurant industry. 

Sandra has been heavily involved in the MPI D/FW Chapters for several years – chairing two galas and acting as Director of Education on the Board as well as taking part in many other volunteer opportunities.  She is  looking forward to supporting the chapter’s members in her new role as President.

There is a tree that loved a boy. And when the boy was young he enjoyed the tree’s shade: swinging from his branches, climbing up its trunk and eating its apples. As the boy grew older and his life changed, he needed different things from the tree – apples to sell for money, branches to build a house, the trunk to build a boat, and the stump to simply sit and rest.

This year, I want YOU to think of MPI D/FW as your tree. As you Evolve & Grow throughout your personal life, your professional career, and your experience within MPI, you will need different things from the chapter – apples, leaves, or maybe just a nice stump to rest. 

Robert Sanchez, CMP co-owns S3 Global Events (Single Source Solution) a Full Service Event Planning Service that provides research, negotiating and contracting for all types of events including Association Conferences, Board Retreats and Corporate Incentive Trips. Robert has over 20 years of Planning, Sales, Marketing and Human Resources experience with a strong background in leadership roles within the Hospitality, Convention, Advertising and Medical Industries. Robert enjoys volunteering his time with his Church and several organizations including the Meeting Professionals International DFW, DFW Association Executives and Grapevine Chamber of Commerce.  He has served on the board and various committees within MPI including VP of Education Events, Director of Member Care, WEC Planning Committee and Chaired multiple committees.

Robert has a degree in Business Administration from Texas Tech University, He loves to play ice hockey and also enjoys coaching his middle daughter's hockey team. Robert is originally from Acapulco, Mexico, but has been a resident of Texas since 1984. He now resides in Grapevine with his wife of 18 years Griselle and their three daughters Mia 15, Sofia 13 and Gianna 10.

As the highest rated Magician and Mentalist in Texas, Anthony Dempsey loves to provide mind-blowing entertainment for party guests who like to have FUN!

In his 10-year career he has thrilled audiences across four continents with his unique style of Comedy Magic and Mind Reading. 

From the biggest celebrities to top corporations, he has brought a laugh and an unforgettable experience to a variety of clientele through his strolling and stage performances.

He is excited to play a part in the continuing success and growth of the MPI DFW chapter and is honored to serve the community alongside the amazing 2022-2023 Board of Directors.

When Anthony isn’t entertaining at an event, you can find him spending time with his wife Rhianna and their newest addition to the family- their daughter Evelyn.

Anthony’s hobbies include traveling the world with his family, comic books, collecting dirt, theme parks, and acting.

Tim Altbaum is CEO of Vario, a premiere Event Production, Virtual Platform and Technology company servicing clients who are looking for a trusted and reliable resource to provide all pre‐production planning, in-person and hybrid A/V, and event technology needs. He is a former board member of NACE, current board member of MPI D/FW, and was awarded Community Leader of the Year by MPI and Supplier of the Year by NACE. He actively contributes to other professional organizations, as well as holds CSEP, CMP, HMCC, and CMM designations. 

As a special event producer and technology junkie, he is constantly striving to bring new and innovative experiences to the meetings and events his company Vario manages. His diverse knowledge set includes extensive expertise in Hybrid/Virtual Meetings, Experiential Marketing, Projection Mapping, Holograms, Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality (AR/VR), and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Nicole’s expertise in event planning includes curating the event strategy, focusing on the details, onsite execution, and follow up. She strives for perfection and success in every program she operates. Nicole is passionate about improving event processes and procedures to enhance efficiencies. She excels at monitoring program budgets while adding value with cost savings. Nicole is bilingual in Spanish and English and enjoys utilizing this skill during event planning, whether with attendees or hotels.

Nicole is a member of MPI (Meeting Professionals International) and is the MPI DFW Vice President of Special Events for 2022-2023. 

Nicole maintains a CMM (Certificate in Meeting Management) and CMP (Certified Meeting Professional).

Nicole enjoys traveling the world, practicing her Spanish, and discovering new restaurants. She enjoys spending time with her family, Mike and her dogs Emmie and Otis.

Amy is an event professional with 10+ years of experience in the entertainment and events industry.  She’s a proud graduate of Texas A&M University with a bachelor’s degree in Tourism Management and minor in Business Administration. Amy is thankful that her career has put her on both the planner and supplier side of the business.

After college, she booked corporate and social events for Dave and Buster’s, then spent 7 years working for the second largest concert promoter in the world, Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) before joining Brightspot Incentive Travel and Events as a Program Manager.  Amy runs the Roadshows department at Brightspot where she oversees sourcing, planning and execution of approximately 100 events per year with tight turnaround time and loads of creative detail.

She is a connector that is naturally drawn to bringing people together.  Event planning isn’t just a 9 – 5 to Amy as she finds herself coordinating events in both her professional and personal life.  Her clients and friends recognize her passion for pairing fresh ideas with sensible logistics to produce memorable experiences and trust her to turn their event vision into a beautiful reality.

Amy recognizes the importance of being well-rounded and focusing on personal growth in every facet of life.  In addition to her career achievements, she is in her 2nd year of volunteer leadership in the BOD for MPI Dallas-Fort Worth, participates in volunteer projects within the community and continues to take part in professional education opportunities to further her industry knowledge.  She maintains a Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) designation, achieved in September 2020.

In her free time, you’ll likely find Amy outdoors exploring national parks, camping, riding bicycles with her boyfriend Spencer, catching a concert or corralling her terrier mix, Reginald.

Paola Bowman is currently the Director of Client Services and Events at the Arlington Convention & Visitors Bureau. As an experienced hospitality and events professional, Bowman has worked in numerous positions, from front of the house to sales and services. Prior to her current role she worked with the Grapevine CVB leading the Destination Services team. Her previous roles include Visit Fort Worth for over nine years, where she succeeded in a variety of roles from tourism to convention services. 

As an events and destination services professional, Bowman has worked with event planners to build attendance, select partner services, assist with marketing efforts to promote, and welcome the group, and overall help design a successful event and destination experience. In her current role, Paola enthusiastically oversees the destination services offered and to enhance the planner and visitor experience in Arlington, Texas.

Bowman holds the CMP (Certified Meeting Professional) designation from the Events Industry Council and earned her CMM (Certificate in Meeting Management) from Meeting Professionals International. She was named to the Smart Meetings Magazine “100 Women Who Inspire Us” list in 2018 and was recognized in the Connect Association 40 under 40 group of 2019.

She is active in the Event Service Professionals Association (ESPA) currently serving as President, and on the conference, DEI, & continuing education committees, as well as remaining engaged through the mentorship program and the webinar series. Paola is also involved in the local DFW MPI Chapter and was recently re-elected to the Board of Directors, for the 2022-2023 term. Her passion for the hospitality and events industry drives her to remain engaged with industry organizations. 

Award-winning executive administrative assistant, highly skilled at multitasking and scheduling, planning meetings, events, travel, and office administration.  My motto is to choose joy in every circumstance.  Setbacks are set ups for comebacks.  I am so grateful for the opportunity to shine in my role at Reata Pharmaceuticals, Inc, where we actively pursue scientific discoveries to advance medicine.

Danielle has over 14 years of experience in the sports & marketing industries through roles with the Byron Nelson Golf Tournament, Adams Golf, and most recently, leaving Keurig Dr Pepper after almost eight years with their corporate events team managing high-profile events like College Football, international incentive trips, and their national sales meeting.

Danielle earned her bachelor's degree at Texas Tech University and is pursuing her Master's degree in Meeting & Event Management from San Diego State University. She is excited to take on the Director of Education role with MPI DFW and start a new professional chapter as a Senior Event Marketer with Foley & Lardner LLP.

Sarah graduated with a BFA in graphic design in 2009. In 2010 she joined Service Nation Inc., an organization for residential service contractors dedicated to helping companies improve business and financial performance. Initially, Sarah worked for Service Nation part time as a graphic designer while attending graduate school and teaching as a GTA. After joining the company full time, Sarah built the graphics team from the ground up.  

In 2011 she began attending and assisting with national conferences run by Service Nation and has since led event branding efforts for the annual member conference, today known as the International Roundtable. 

In 2012 Sarah completed a Master of Arts in graphic design and in 2013, she was promoted to Art Director at Service Nation.  

In 2016 Service Nation launched Service World Expo, an annual industry-wide conference and expo. Sarah built the logo and branding for the inaugural event, and has overseen event branding and signage installation every year since. In 2018 she also became more involved in planning the two annual events, eventually taking the lead on both.

In 2019 Sarah earned a Certificate in Meeting Management from MPI. That same year, she was promoted to Creative Director. In 2020 she volunteered as co-chair for the January MPI D/FW Chapter event. In 2021 she was promoted to Vice President of Creative at Service Nation and took the lead on the events team.

In her free time Sarah likes to cook, travel, and spend time with her husband and son.

Lauren is a native Dallasite and twenty year meetings & events industry veteran with no experience in acting whatsoever so you’re in for a real treat.  She founded her own events agency, REACH Meetings & Events in 2020 and serves as President & Chief Sales Officer for the organization.

Lauren has served as an Associate Professor at Collin College in the D/FW area where she taught the Introduction to Meetings & Events and Special Event Design courses and has held volunteer positions within Outtakes Dallas from 2008-2010, Lifewalk Dallas from 2007-2009, the Meeting Professionals International D/FW Chapter as a Board Member and President from 2009-2014 and the Society of Incentive Travel Executives from 2017-2021 as Board Member and President.  Lauren was recognized as a one of Connect Marketplace’s Top 40 Under 40 in the meetings industry in the world in 2019. 

Lauren loves history, running, gardening, play soccer, country dancing and most importantly being the best, crazy fun mom she can be to her beautiful six year old daughter, Gwyneth. 

Cheryl has been involved in the event industry for over 30 years with the opportunity to plan meetings and events as part of a Fortune 500 team, for a national high school baseball tournament, a CPA review firm, a children’s furniture company, a church, and most recently for a VIP Buyer’s Program in the home building industry.  

In addition to her work she enjoys volunteering as a planner for most any organization she stumbles across, currently for her church and MPI’s Dallas chapter.

A member of the MPI D/FW chapter for 3 years, Cheryl learned about the chapter through M.T. Hickman’s Hospitality and Event Planning Program at Dallas College. Cheryl immediately joined the chapter and the Membership committee, where she has served from day one. She’s excited to be a part of the 2022-2023 as the Director of Membership and spread the great news about our chapter.

Cheryl grew up near White Rock Lake in Dallas and married a Yankee who was transplanted in Dallas temporarily. They live in Richardson and travel to upstate NY every chance they get to hang out at the family dairy farm. In her spare time Cheryl can be found having coffee with friends, exercising, hiking with her husband, or volunteering at her church or for the American Heart Association.

Faith Gladden, CMP, CEM is the Co-Founder and President/CEO of Gladden & Associates Event Management.  Faith is no stranger to conference and event planning, with over 20 years of working with corporations, nonprofit agencies, Christian ministries, and small businesses to plan conferences, special events, and meetings both domestically and internationally.  She is a Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) and a Certified Exhibitions Manager (CEM) and is highly skilled in both live and digital/virtual event design, implementation, and production.  Faith has always been passionate about hospitality and her purpose is fulfilled by bringing people together to do good things.  She is motivated by creating opportunities to create positive change and diversity, equity and inclusion work is modeled throughout her personal life and professional work.  

Faith’s biggest areas of expertise are in hotel contract negotiations, sponsorship and exhibit sales, exhibit/table-top floor management, as well as finding ways to express her creativity through her design skills and putting her special “Faith stamp” on every event she plans.  When not at work, Faith can be found rolling on the floor laughing with her grandsons, singing at church, or hanging with her family and friends.  Faith and her husband (and G&A Co-Founder) Ken have 3 grown children and 3 grandchildren and live in Texas.  

Please contact Sandra Dyeak at president@mpidfw.org if you are interested in the position.