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President
As President of AK Consulting Group, Amy works with government, non-profit, and private sector clients to develop customized solutions for organizational challenges. She has served in senior leadership positions in both the public and private sector and has been an integral part of many human resource planning, training and development, workforce transition, and change initiatives.
Amy has held positions leading and managing organizational development and human resource projects. She has designed and implemented training, leadership, and compensation programs to address professional growth, career path, and retention needs of organizations. She has provided conference-planning consulting services for events from 10 to 3,500 people for government, non-profit, and private sector clients. She focuses on the overall goals of meetings and strives to maximize each participant’s experience. She is detail-oriented, creative, and strategic in her approach. Prior to her state experience, she has served as Manager and Management Consultant for a variety of organizations. She has assisted clients in improving performance by identifying barriers and creating interventions to identify customer requirements, redesigning processes to deliver customer-focused services, and redesigning jobs to support new processes.
Ms. Karimipour received her Master’s Degree in Human Resource Management from Marymount University and her Bachelor’s Degree in Communications from Florida State University.
Senior Event Consultant
Jayne Bennett has over 30 years of experience in the event management field working for Marriott Hotels and Resorts in Florida. Her knowledge of the industry and trends in events is invaluable in helping clients design effective and creative events that provide the best possible experience for attendees. She is a skilled project manager and is able manage multiple projects successfully. Her ability to remain calm and customer focused when challenges occur is recognized by team members and clients alike.
She holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Central Florida. She is a Certified Meeting Professional (CMP), from the Events Industry Council, which is recognized globally as the badge of excellence in the events industry.
Senior Manager, Client Success
An emerging leader in the meeting and events industry, Lana brings a fresh perspective in her knowledge of member engagement, event planning and marketing, together with a true passion for events to provide creative experiences for our clients.
Through her meetings and event experience she has had the opportunity to delve into many areas of the industry including – catering sales, corporate meetings & event planning, and not-for-profit and association events. Each stop along the way inspiring another passion.
Most recently, Lana served as the Membership and Program Coordinator for the Florida Society of Association Executives (FSAE), working alongside the events team to plan over 50 events each year, including in-person, virtual and hybrid. Lana’s previous roles included work as the Private Event Coordinator at the University Center Club at Doak Campbell Stadium where she planned over 200 events each year and managed the catering for the stadium skyboxes, using her creativity to develop unique experiences for clients. Additionally, she served as a marketing intern at the Florida Hospice and Palliative Care Association where she gained a passion for not-for-profit organizations.
Lana holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Florida State University and is a Certified Meeting Professional (CMP), from the Events Industry Council.
Conference Support Manager
As the most recent addition to AK Consulting Group, Stephanie brings a wealth of knowledge from combined experience in the administrative and hospitality industries. She is passionate about delivering excellent customer service and connecting with clients.
Through her professional experience, she has had the opportunity to contribute to some amazing teams from theme park operations to Super Bowl productions.
Before joining the team at AK Consulting, Stephanie was the Membership & Events Assistant for the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce. In this position, she worked directly with local businesses as they strengthened their connection to the Tallahassee Business community.
Additionally, she was afforded the chance to work with the host committees for Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles and Super Bowl LV in Tampa. Stephanie’s previous roles include Gift Processing Specialist for Seminole Boosters, Inc.; Director of Ticket Sales for the Florida A&M University Athletics Department; and several roles within the Walt Disney World Parks and Resorts.
Stephanie received her Master’s Degree in Management & Leadership from Webster University and her Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Florida State University. She is currently pursuing a second Master’s Degree in Hospitality Management with an emphasis in Mega and Large-Scale Events through Florida International University.
Marketing & Events Coordinator
Andrea recently graduated from Florida State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sports Management. She is excited to use her experience in customer service and interest in event planning to work with AK Consulting. As Marketing & Events Coordinator, she aids the team in developing and executing successful conferences.
Office Manager
Pat is an integral part of making meetings a success. She provides administrative and registration assistance pre-event and on-site. She is very customer focused and helps to ensure attendees are well taken care of. She works on-site at events and is responsible for ensuring office operations run smoothly. She works closely with attendees and purchasing staff to ensure all needs are met for invoicing and payment processing, and records are appropriately kept. She understands the nature of the work of clients and their partners.
Office Dog
Gracie is an integral part of the AK team, bringing joy to the office with her cute demeanor and constant demand for belly scratches.
AK Consulting Group has an experienced team of meeting professionals to assist with events of any size. Our strong relationships with trusted vendors who supply services ensure your meeting is a success. These partnerships allow our clients to receive best-in-class products and preferred pricing for audio-visual solutions, graphic design, printing, conference promotional items, exposition hall set-up and management, hotel rooms and meeting spaces, and food and beverage catering.
