MEETING PROFESSIONALS INTERNATIONAL NAMES MATC'S JANET SPERSTAD
"INTERNATIONAL PLANNER OF THE YEAR"
Meeting Professionals International (MPI) has awarded Janet Sperstad, CMP, lead instructor for Madison Area Technical College's Meeting and Event Management Program, the 2007 International Planner of the Year Award. The award, presented at the organization's World Education Congress in Montreal last month, honors meeting professionals who have demonstrated professional excellence and leadership in the meetings industry.
The award recognizes Sperstad's more than twenty-year career in the industry and her involvement, commitment and achievement to the organization and to the meeting and event management profession. Sperstad served as president of the MPI Wisconsin chapter and on many committees for MPI Wisconsin and MPI International.
Sperstad came to MATC with years of experience as a leader in the industry and was instrumental in the development of college's Meeting and Event Management Program, the nation's first and only associate degree program for meeting and event planners. The first educator to receive the International Planner of the Year award, she is known for her strong commitment to education and to the field. She has been featured in and has written for a variety of business and meeting industry publications and speaks regularly on the subject of meeting planning professionalism and education. In 2005, she received the college's Distinguished Teacher of the Year Award.
"I am proud to have been a part of creating the first associate degree program for meeting planners. It's great to bring my industry expertise into the classroom to teach the next generation. Our graduates tell me how important it has been for them to start their careers with practical, real-world tools and a portfolio to show employers that demonstrates practical hands-on experiences," Sperstad says.
She also credits MPI with providing opportunities for her own professional education. "I think it's so important for leaders to be engaged and constantly learning. Not only does this broaden what we can bring to our own careers, but it strengthens the industry as a whole."
Sperstad has a bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee and was designated Certified Meeting Professional by the Convention Industry Council.
Meeting Professionals International, established in 1972, is a global meetings industry community committed to delivering success for its more than 22, 000 worldwide members through educational experiences and networking opportunities.
MATC is one of the largest of the Wisconsin Technical College System’s 16 colleges. It provides “real world smart” education through a comprehensive curriculum of technical, liberal arts and science, adult basic education and life enrichment studies and activities, as well as customized employee training. MATC offers associate degrees, vocational diplomas and certificates, and non-degree courses in more than 140 programs of study. The college serves all or parts of 12 counties located in south-central Wisconsin and offers instruction through five campuses and numerous community locations throughout the district.
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Last
Modified:
August 16, 2007
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