Latoya Lewis, MTA
Founder & Executive Director
Latoya Lewis tapped into a passion for event planning and design at a very young age. Initially drawn to the intricacies of the event creation process, Lewis has come full circle from honing her expertise in live event production and management alongside some of the industry’s top influencers to now sharing her insights to inspire young people to discover and explore their own career pathway into the event industry in an academic setting…
Latoya Lewis, Founder & Executive Director
Latoya Lewis tapped into a passion for event planning and design at a very young age. Initially drawn to the intricacies of the event creation process, Lewis has come full circle from honing her expertise in live event production and management alongside some of the industry’s top influencers to now sharing her insights to inspire young people to discover and explore their own career pathway into the event industry in an academic setting.
Lewis began her career at Universal Music Group (UMG), where she oversaw and purchased over $1M in media ad buys and advertising campaigns for some of the biggest names in music entertainment, including Lil’ Wayne, Robin Thicke, Yeah Yeah Yeah’s, and The Black-Eyed Peas. She also coordinated third-party event opportunities for UMG artists valued at more than $700,000, including the All-American Rejects for Seventeen and JC Penny’s “Rock Your Prom” 2008 national sweepstakes. Lewis also implemented digital delivery of commercial creative to television networks saving UMG over $50,000 each quarter.
After a successful tenure with UMG, Lewis enrolled in the Masters of Tourism Administration program at The George Washington University. Upon completion in 2010, her talents were sought by the nationally recognized special events firm, Events by Andre Wells (EAW).
As an EAW Account Manager, Lewis coordinated, managed, and produced high-end weddings, corporate conferences, social events, conventions and more. Her milestone achievements include management of the opening for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial and its 2400-attendee Dream Gala, and a celebratory dinner for more than 250 major donors of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
After seven years with EAW, Lewis decided to pursue full-time a long-held passion to create a program high school students could engage in to be introduced to the live events industry. Originally launched in 2015, EnventU is a workforce development program that creates a pipeline to professions™ in the event industry for teens. Through various career tracks and training, EnventU gives industry experts the opportunity to help cultivate the next generation of event professionals through hands-on learning experiences both inside and out of the classroom.
Under her leadership, over 150-students have been impacted by EnventU’s one-of-a-kind programming. Additionally, Lewis has partnered with a number of industry-leading organizations, including international audiovisual association, AVIXA, and media publication, BizBash. EnventU strives to be the premiere workforce development organization of the live events industry.
Lewis has been profiled by the Washington Business Journal and named a 2017 MeetingNet Changemaker. She has also accepted the 2017 BizBash Rising Star award on behalf of EnventU and was named 2018 Connect Corporate 40 Under 40 recipient.
Latoya Lewis is originally from Los Angeles where she received a Bachelor of Arts with an emphasis in music, business, cinema, TV and arts from California State University, Northridge. She minored in Pan African Studies. Lewis also earned a Master of Tourism Administration (MTA) with an emphasis in Event & Meeting Management from the George Washington University –School of Business. She graduated Magna Cum Laude in the spring of 2010. Continuing to prioritize her professional development, in 2020 Lewis completed the Nonprofit Management Executive Certificate program at Georgetown University. When not building EnventU, she loves to balance her work life by going to live concerts, comedy shows, traveling, and collecting unforgettable experiences.
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The Board
David Adler
Board Chairman, EnventU
CEO & Founder, BizBash
David Adler, C.E.O. and founder of BizBash is a veteran media and event entrepreneur.
He founded BizBash as an idea and resource marketplace for event organizers of all types from corporate and association to high-end personal and social events…
David Adler, CEO & Founder, BizBash
David Adler, C.E.O. and founder of BizBash is a veteran media and event entrepreneur. He founded BizBash as an idea and resource marketplace for event organizers of all types from corporate and association to high-end personal and social events. His site has become the largest media property in the B-to-B event industry with nearly 1.5 million annual user sessions.
In addition to BizBash, the company also owns Masterplanner (masterplanneronline.com), a date conflict resolution for New York and Los Angeles, as well a major investment in the Event Leadership Institute (eventleadershipinstitute.com), a leader in online video training for the event industry.
Adler has recently served in various volunteer roles with U.S. State Department as a consultant to the chief of protocol on projects such as the Patrons of Diplomacy, the first Global Chiefs of Protocol Conference, and the Diplomatic Culinary Partnership’s American Chef Corp.
Prior to BizBash, Adler held posts as vice president of corporate communications for Primedia and Macmillan Inc. He was also chief of passion branding at Cone Communications, where he developed programs such as the initial Avon Breast Cancer Initiative, the Reebok Human Rights Awards, the Polaroid Missing Children Program, and the John F. Kennedy Library Profile in Courage Award.
At the age of 21, a month after graduating from American University, Adler founded and was the C.E.O. of Washington Dossier, a magazine that covered power, society, politics, and entertaining in the nation’s capital.
Adler resides in New York City and is active in several nonprofit and professional organizations, including current and previous board positions with SISO (Society of Independent Show Organizers), NYC & Company, the WNET Education Committee, the Dean’s Advisory Council of the American University School of Communication, the Hurricane Island Outward Bound School, the Magazine Publishers Association, Citymeals-on-Wheels, the Fine Arts Committee of the State Department of the United States, and the Open Future Institute.
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Edna Ezzell
Technology Consulting Executive
Accenture
Edna Ezzell joins the EnventU governing board to focus on strategy and planning. As a Technology Consulting Executive at Accenture, Edna focuses on delivery of large technology transformation programs for Financial Services institutions…
Edna Ezzell, Technology Consulting Executive, Accenture
Edna Ezzell joins the EnventU governing board to focus on strategy and planning. As a Technology Consulting Executive at Accenture, Edna focuses on delivery of large technology transformation programs for Financial Services institutions. Edna has helped financial services clients to migrate core banking and shared services to the cloud to reduce costs and enable new products, transform legacy infrastructure to reduce risk and operational costs, and implement new infrastructure and tools to drive better business decision making. As a part of her role at Accenture, she has led professional development, employee engagement, and leadership development programs for her teams and for women and diverse employees.
Edna was born and raised on Guam, and now resides in Washington, D.C. with her husband. Edna holds a degree in Civil Engineering from MIT with a focus on transportation and mass transit.
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William A. Homan
Founder
Design Cuisine
William Homan (Bill) has been a leader in the catering and event industry since 1979. Starting Design Cuisine Catering out of a small restaurant on Capitol Hill and with his partners transforming it into the area’s leading catering and rental company in the DC/MD/VA area…
William A. Homan, Founder, Design Cuisine
William Homan (Bill) has been a leader in the catering and event industry since 1979. Starting Design Cuisine Catering out of a small restaurant on Capitol Hill and with his partners transforming it into the area’s leading catering and rental company in the DC/MD/VA area. It is an innovative trend setting global company leading the metropolitan DC area in customized special events happening across the country and working with other event companies from around the world.
Bill has written several published articles on etiquette one recently appearing in the Washington Post. Design Cuisine has been featured in articles in Vogue, Elle Décor, Martha Stewart Living, Town and Country, In Style, Food and Wine, The Knot, Grace Ormonde, to name a few. Design Cuisine is proud to call among their clients The White House, The Department of State, Bloomberg, Buckingham Palace, National Gallery of Art, TI Live, Under Armor, Amazon, Vanity Fair, Tiffany and Co. and many more. Bill believes in providing the very best in farm raised food products to be used in innovative menus, that are kind to the planet. His company is a strong supporter of reducing the carbon foot print and helping us to live a healthier lifestyle thru the reduction chemicals and pesticides in our food system.
Bill and his partners have been honored at the White House as business men of the year by President George Bush. Bill was named an Event Innovator in 2011 by Bizbash Magazine and was recently inducted into the Hall of Fame of industry icons by Bizbash in 2016.
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Stuart Levy, MBA, PhD
Associate Teaching Professor
George Washington University School of Business
Stuart Levy, MBA, PhD is an associate teaching professor of management and tourism studies at The George Washington University School of Business…
Stuart Levy, MBA, PhD, Associate Teaching Professor, George Washington University School of Business
Stuart Levy, MBA, PhD is an associate teaching professor of management and tourism studies at The George Washington University School of Business. Stuart has over two decades of experience in teaching, consulting and research within a range of organizations — entrepreneurial and established businesses, consulting firms, government and academia. At George Washington University, Stuart teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in digital marketing, entrepreneurship, and event and hospitality management. He also leads consulting courses abroad focused on customer experience management. His record of scholarship includes over 20 refereed presentation and 12 peer-reviewed publications in business journals including the Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, Journal of Business Ethics, and Journal of Travel Research. Stuart is particularly passionate about experiential learning and educational travel. Stuart is a member of the DC Public Schools Hospitality Academy industry advisory board.
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Jenée L. Padmore
Coordinator
The Mark & Brenda Moore and Family Foundation
Jenée L. Padmore is the coordinator for The Mark & Brenda Moore and Family Foundation, a small business owner, and a life long student.
As coordinator she manages and coordinates all aspects…
Jenée L. Padmore, Coordinator, The Mark & Brenda Moore and Family Foundation
Jenée L. Padmore is the coordinator for The Mark & Brenda Moore and Family Foundation, a small business owner, and a life long student. As coordinator she manages and coordinates all aspects of the Foundation’s fundraising and internal events, while being responsible for communicating with contractors, and managing partnerships with a number of non-profit organizations. Her small business passion touches on many facets in hospitality and commercial development. In addition she brings valuable experience, nonprofit leadership, and a vision of education and training for today’s youth.
Mrs. Padmore is a graduate of East Carolina University and holds a certificate in event management from The George Washington University. She is currently in the process of finishing up her graduate degree in Urban and Regional Planning with a specialization in Metropolitan Studies from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in the National Capital Region.
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Marissa Sams
Founder & Chief Strategist
Marissa Sams Events
As Founder and Chief Strategist, Marissa has managed events on five continents, hosted heads of state and celebrities, and orchestrated the entire spectrum of occasions…
Marissa Sams, Founder & Chief Strategist, Marissa Sams Events
As Founder and Chief Strategist, Marissa has managed events on five continents, hosted heads of state and celebrities, and orchestrated the entire spectrum of occasions—from intimate birthday gatherings and nonprofit street campaigns to museum grand openings and tech company rallies for thousands. She is known for building unique experiences for space industry leaders, global health initiatives and cultural institutions.
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Nancy Shaffer
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Bravo! Events by Design
This savvy event strategist and marketing guru has been producing incredible live experiences for over two decades.
Nancy founded BRAVO! in 1997 following a highly successful career as a corporate marketing and sales executive…
Nancy Shaffer, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Bravo! Events by Design
This savvy event strategist and marketing guru has been producing incredible live experiences for over two decades. Nancy founded BRAVO! in 1997 following a highly successful career as a corporate marketing and sales executive. Nancy approaches all events as part of a client’s marketing and communications strategy to create the greatest impact, create true measurements for success and maximize their ROI & ROE. She is a highly sought after speaker and proven business woman who has received countless awards and recognition. Nancy is committed to expanding the understanding of the industry and works tirelessly to ensure event professionals are respected as Professional Service firms.
She volunteers by coaching non-profits in the community, and devotes much of her time to fulfilling her passion for mentoring young adults, having established a long standing group called Ladies Being Awesome (LBA). Nancy serves as an Ambassador for Safe Shores in Washington DC. She supports the annual toy, school supplies and book drives connected with the DC Foster Kids, Safe Shores as well as many other civic and non-profit organizations. Nancy has been featured in Special Events, Event Solutions, and BizBash magazines and has served on both National Advisory Boards of BizBash and Special Events Magazine.
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