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Kristin Wienold -- President
Event Digital Photography, Inc.
(301) 229-3305

Kristin has been a member of ISES since 2007. During the 2008-2009, she held the position of Public Relations Chair, and in 2009-10 Kristin was the VP or Marketing and Communications and a Co-Chairing of iDEA 2009, ISES DC Expo. She has been in the event industry for nearly 20 years and has been a professional photographer for over 12 years. Kristin is the Director of Sales and Marketing for Event Digital Photography, Inc. and after completing her undergrad studies in Kinesiology and Business Communication, graduated from Regis University in 2008 with and MBA specializing in Marketing and PR. Kristin lives in Annapolis, Maryland with her husband, Matthew, and their two dogs.

Heidi Berger -- President-Elect
AFR Event Furnishings
(202) 321-6814

Prior to opening the Washington, DC division of Room Service, which is now AFR Event Furnishings, Heidi was a designing member of the Creative Services team at the premier Destination Management Company in Orlando, FL, producing events for a wide range clients from intimate celebrations for Fortune 500 companies to farewell parties for groups of 7,500 participants. With an honors degree from one of the top hospitality colleges in the country and her vast experience, she is excited to add DC ISES Board Member to her accomplishments. When not working, you can find Heidi on the National Mall hopping in and out of museums pulling inspiration from the art and taking advantage of all her new hometown has to offer.

Denise Thorne -- Immediate Past President
Instyle Caterers
(301) 486-0300

Denise Thorne has been a member of the Greater Washington DC Chapter of ISES since 1998. Denise recognized the need to become involved and so began volunteering almost immediately wherever needed, but joined the board in 2004 as Job Bank / Volunteer Director and has since held various positions and served on various committees. She was awarded Volunteer of The Year in 2008. Denise is co-owner of InStyle Caterers a boutique style full service catering company located in Maryland. She also is on the Advisory Board of the Culinary & Hospitality Department at Prince George’s Community College, is a member of the Prince George’s Chamber Of Commerce Hospitality Committee and is an adjunct Professor at Prince George’s College. Denise's experience for the last nineteen years plus as a caterer includes banquet services for as many as eighteen hundred guests, catering for corporate executive functions, weddings, birthdays, bar/ bat mitzvahs etc. Other events include black tie affairs, fundraisers, foreign embassy parties and even company picnics. Denise has directed functions at such locations as Corcoran Gallery Of Art, OAS, Library Of Congress, The Smithsonian, Women's Museum, Newton White Mansion and other historic locations. Denise lives with her husband and two daughters in Upper Marlboro MD.

Mike Ostrow -- VP/Marketing & Communications
Entertainment Exchange, LLC
(301) 986-4640

Mike Ostrow has served on a number of ISES committees over the past years and joined the board as the Director of Communications this year. He has 30 years of experience in the event industry as Co-Owner of the Entertainment Exchange and as the band leader of the nationally acclaimed variety dance band, Free Spirit. In addition to playing music and working full time at the Entertainment Exchange, Mike holds a Ph.D. in Management and he served as the Director of the Small Business Development Center at The University of Maryland, College Park. Mike is highly regarded as an industry expert and he has been recruited to contribute to various publications and conferences such as The Special Event (TSE) nationally and Washingtonian Magazine locally.

Deborah Gitelson Krauth -- VP/Education & Programs
The Webster Group
(202) 237-0090

As vice president of production for The Webster Group, Deborah Gitelson leads her team in overseeing all facets of event productions for our nonprofit, corporate, and government clients.

Deborah brings to her role more than 16 years of event management and production expertise.  She has produced numerous galas, dinners, groundbreakings, memorial unveilings, congressional receptions, large scale entertainment productions, conferences, concerts, fashion shows and marathon walks. She has worked with performers such as Mark Anthony, James Brown, The Blues Brothers, Annie Lennox, Jennifer Hudson, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw and Julian Lennon among others. Signature events include The Texas State Society’s Black Tie and Boots Inaugural Ball, Pentagon Memorial Fund Dedication Events, Lyndon B. Johnson’s Centennial Celebration Events and the American Red Cross Tiffany Circle Summit. In addition, her extensive client list also includes BancAlliance, The Mentor Foundation, Common Sense Media, Teach for America, The Tug McGraw Foundation, The Lab School of Washington, and The Lupus Foundation of America.

She is also the In-Kind Chair for the American Heart Association’s Heart’s Delight events, is a member of the Advisory Board of Washington Women & Wine, a member of SKAL International Washington and serves as Fundraising Co-Chair for the Bethesda Elementary School PTA.  A graduate of the University of Maryland, Deborah is a native Washingtonian. She resides in Bethesda, Maryland with her husband and two children. 

David Fritz -- VP/Membership
CORT Event Furnishings
(301) 776-7690

An active ISES Member since 2006, Dave has served on our ISES Board as Director of Membership for two years and now as VP of Membership for his second year. As a Cort Event Furnishings Account Executive, he helps clients create exceptional environments with event furnishings that enhance the event experience. Dave has over 10 years of experience in the event industry. Dave is an alumnus of the University of Delaware, where he was an All American in football. Dave also has a passion for ice hockey and rugby. He has a graduate TESOL Certificate from William Carey University in California. Dave lives in Ellicott City, Maryland with his wife, Allison, and two girls.

Melanie Allan McCarty -- Director/Education
Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts
(703) 255-1944

 

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Eddie Fam -- Director/Marketing
IMPACT Marketing & Events
(703) 224-8039

Eddie Fam, Founder and Principal of IMPACT Marketing & Events, has planned premium special event functions since 1997. Eddie’s background in events and marketing is diverse and dynamic. He has planned everything from large-scale concerts and festivals to corporate events for Walmart and Sam’s Club to charity fundraisers and weddings.

Fam has also heavily been involved in raising funds for local, national, and global causes such as Coptic Orphans, Hoop Dreams Scholarship Fund, Mission Life Center, Georgetown Lombardi Breast Cancer Research Center, We Believe Foundation, and Tigerlily Foundation for breast cancer awareness. In 2005, Eddie was selected for Bono’s ONE Campaign to serve as a U.S. delegate to help promote the “Commission for Africa” which increased global funding to the world’s poorest people by $50 billion. Eddie is also the co-founder of Networking for Good, a networking event series that raises awareness and funds for non-profit organizations.

Currently, Eddie is the Marketing Director for International Special Events Society in Washington, DC, where IMPACT was nominated for 2 awards for “Best Corporate Events” in 2011. IMPACT Weddings also just won the Bride's Choice Awards from Wedding Wire for 2011, which put Eddie and his team in the top 5 percent of Wedding Pros nationwide.

Joann Chae -- Director/PR
Atlantic Valet
(202) 466-5050

Joann Chae was hired as the Executive Assistant to the CEO for Atlantic Services Group, Inc. in 2008 and soon after joined ISES in 2009.  Outside of her executive duties, she oversaw office managerial tasks and learned the operations for each specific line of business within Atlantic: Valet, Parking, Transportation and Maintenance.  She is active within her community and participates in several donation drives throughout the year.  After joining the DC ISES chapter in 2009, she gained knowledge about her event specialist peers by volunteering at events and building business relationships and many friendships.  She is excited about joining the Board and expanding her current knowledge about the DC chapter and looks forward to contributing her talents for all the members of the ISES community.  

Joyce Mnkande -- Director/Membership
Events2Remember, Inc
(301) 317-1441 x1

After attending several ad-hoc networking events, the desire to become a participating member compelled Joyce Mnkande to join the Greater Washington DC Chapter of ISES in 2007. In 2009, Joyce’s desire to become a factor and to make a significant contribution in the organization propelled her to join the membership committee as the Event Planners Liaison. She later accepted her nomination of her current position as Director of Membership in 2010.

Joyce is the founder and owner of Events2Remember, Inc. With a strong background in accounting and as a certified event planner, she has successfully designed, developed, produced, and executed a myriad of events ranging from small intimate events to large cross-cultural, multi-faceted events. Having resided and visited many different countries, Joyce’s exposure to different cultures and protocols has facilitated her in working with embassies, foreign dignitaries and government officials.She has participated in planning and producing corporate events, meetings and a variety of social events and fundraisers both locally and overseas.

David Markowitz -- Director/Sponsorship
Professional Bartenders and Servers
(301) 938-9235

David has over 23 years in the hospitality industry being involved at every level from event planning and club managing to booking agent, kitchen chef and bartending. He is a certified TIPS trainer for responsible beverage service. David joined ISES in the fall of 2006 and quickly became involved with the membership committee. In the fall of 2007 David accepted his current position on the Board of Directors.

Robin Gordon -- Director/Volunteers
Radio King Orchestra
(301) 330-8622

Robin Gordon has been in the entertainment and hospitality industry for most of her adult life. As Co-owner, President and vocalist of Radio King Orchestra, a popular and unique entertainment package, she and her husband, Rick (also an ISES member) have built their “specialty” entertainment business from scratch. As a business owner, Robin has a profound respect for the importance of building relationships and setting new standards for quality and customer focus. As an active member and volunteer in the ISES DC Chapter since 2006, Robin served on the Gala Sponsorship Committee 2 years in a row and is now excited to be Director of Volunteers. Committed to continual learning and growth in business leadership and philanthropy, Robin sees her new position with the ISES Board as an opportunity to venture into new areas of growth while at the same time serving others and making a difference.