President's Message

Dear MPI-HAC Members:

Several years ago, I was lucky enough to attend a presentation by Victoria Labalme entitled “Crazy Busy Nuts: Getting off the Conveyer Belt of Life” and what I took away from her message was “To Just Breathe….”. This has been my motto when life gets crazy, and it certainly applies to this year. It is with this in mind that I begin my year as President of MPI-HAC. I am deeply honored by the trust you have placed in me to lead our chapter forward.

Throughout the last 42 years since our Chapter was established in 1978, we have seen many great periods of growth as well as experienced numerous challenges. Nothing could have prepared us for the challenges we've faced, and continue to, in 2020, however the chapter is lucky to have a strong foundation built by our past leaders and continuously cultivated by our incoming leaders. Please allow me to introduce the group of individuals entrusted with leading our chapter this year and the goals we have collectively set to accomplish.

2020-2021 Board of Directors:

President-Elect - Jeff Freitas
Immediate Past President - Linda Hampton-Norris, CMP
VP Communications - Heather Fricke
VP Education - Terri Higgins, CEP
VP Finance - Ursula Sloan
VP Membership - Elizabeth Brazil, CMP
Director of Programs - Robin Wagner, CMP
Director of Social Media - Lana O'Neil
Director of Special Events - Kristina Kellogg


2020-2021 Board Established Goals:

• Build our membership base, which is currently 185+ strong.
• Continue to offer CAP'd programs that speak to all members whether they are new to the event planning industry or have years of experience.
• Continue the "Bring a Guest for Free" promotion which allows a complimentary registration for first time attendees at a CAP'd Luncheon.
• Continue our new Membership Connections series throughout the Summer as a chance to connect via Zoom with other Members
• Revitalize our Volunteer Opportunity Network.

As many of you know, this talented, volunteer Board of Directors is committed more than ever to meeting and exceeding the expectations of you, our members. I am so thankful for those who agreed to serve on the board once again this year as well as our new Board Members. As we all find ourselves in a new age of the Meeting Industry, please continue to share with us how we can help you Thrive in the chapter this year.

As your incoming President, I want to share a brief history about myself with you. I began my hospitality career working at the conference resort, YMCA of the Rockies, in Estes Park, Colorado for a summer job and have been hooked ever since. I have been fortunate in my career to spend twenty years with Hyatt and Hilton Hotels here in Houston and to spend eight years in event planning with a fantastic company. Along the way, I have had the opportunity to work with so many fantastic people in this great industry of ours, many of them in this chapter.

In closing, I would like to share this quote I ran across the other day by Thomas S. Monson, that spoke to me about the challenging times we are in:

         Warmest Regards, 

         Lori Roberts-Hurta, CMP

         MPI-HAC President, 2020 -2021