Debbie Thomas, CSEP
AFFILIATIONS, AWARDS AND MERITS Alice Conway, CSEP
She is the founder and past president of The Greater Washington chapter of ISES and has served for years either on the Board of Directors or the Advisory Board both locally and internationally. She is the former president of ISEF, the educational foundation of ISES, and was a founding member of the Search foundation. She has taught and lectured at universities internationally including those in Korea, the Philippines, Spain, Canada and Trinidad, as well as The University of San Diego, The University of Southern Oregon, Temple University, The University of Arizona, and American University among several. As a musician and special events professional, she has conducted a community orchestra for seven years, a children’s choir for ten years, was director of two different community music schools, and toured with a band. She has booked name entertainment and has herself performed as a harpist with numerous musicians from Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, and Crystal Gayle to Igor Stravinsky and John Williams. She has worked for the Marriott and Ritz Carlton chains for over twenty years and is in demand as a harpist and as a producer. She has produced all types of performances from outdoor concerts for over 10,000 people to chamber music concerts for 20 guests. Stratford University's event-management certificate program. Joan Burns, CSEP
For six years, Joan worked with Ali Lassen’s Leads Club achieving the title of Vice President. She oversaw all aspects of the company development in the United States and abroad. Joan advised and provided direction to company clients which involved customer service, corporate event planning, seminars and workshops. Currently, with her own company, Sampson & Associates, a full service meeting and event planning agency, she has been contracted as a project manager and event coordinator for business, social and community events including Destination Management. Throughout her illustrious career, Ms. Burns has had the privilege of planning and She is the current President Elect for the San Diego Chapter of the International Special Event Society. Certification Achieved: Certified Special Event Professional Instructor, California State University San Marcos, Meeting and Event Planning Program
Judy Issokson
Judy works with leading organizations in multiple industries to improve leadership performance, align people and processes, identify emerging issues, and assess the effectiveness of organizational interventions. She works directly with executive teams, senior staff, and line managers facing diverse strategic business challenges such as unprecedented growth, dramatic market shifts, mergers and acquisitions, and developing the next generation of leaders. She possesses the capabilities to readily adapt to the dynamics of the engagement—functioning as consultant, coach, facilitator, program designer, or advisor. Over the past twenty years, Judy has worked with internal and external clients who are eager to align organizational structure to emerging business needs, improve global implementations, define improved strategies for effective transitions, and fine tune business integration processes. Clients appreciate her attention to designing actionable solutions and her willingness to adapt to doing business in their terms. Judy holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Masters in Education from Northeastern University and a BS in English Education from Boston University. She is certified to facilitate Myers-Briggs assessments, Team Management Systems, and Emotional Competency Inventories. Judy is a board member-at-large of the OD Network and a member of APT. She is also a charter member of STEP, a consortium of education professionals in Fortune 500 companies. |
Deborah Thomas, CSEP CDP is the founder and president of the School for the Service
Alice Conway, CSEP. Is the Director of Marketing and the Event Management Program
at Stratford University in Falls Church, Virginia. Ms Conway received both her
Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Music Education from The University of Rochester’s
Eastman School of Music and has completed all but the dissertation for her doctorate in
Higher Education Administration at the George Washington University.
She holds the Certified Special Events Professional designation from the International
Special Events Society (ISES).
Joan Burns, CSEP has a diversified background in marketing and business management, working with some of the largest companies in the hotel industry. She has 20 years of experience in Hospitality Operations and Management including the Rooms and Food and Beverage areas. Ms. Burns has also held the position of Human Resource Director for a Marriott Hotel and was responsible for administration of all front line employees' training which concentrated on guest relations and guest service. She also conducted training for Departmental Mangers in order to train their staff associates.
Judy Issokson is a wonderful addition to the SSA Consulting team. She is Owner and Managing Principal of Issokson & Associates, a consulting group that offers ‘blended solutions for balanced results’ in the areas of Organizational Design, Leadership Development, Change Management, and Performance Consulting.