Meet Our Team
As a small business locally owned and managed, AK Consulting Group has a lean core staff that is cross-trained in many aspects of event planning and management. We have a broad team of partners who we engage to scale up for projects of any size. This staffing model enables us to implement procedures quickly, to be more effective and efficient, and leads to a better end-product and cost savings for our clients.
Amy L. Karimipour, CMP
President
As President of AK Consulting Group, Ms. Karimipour works with government, non-profit, and private sector clients to develop customized solutions for organizational challenges. She has over 30 years’ experience and 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.
Ms. Karimipour 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. She has over 20 years’ experience in the meeting and event industry and is a Certified Meeting Planner (CMP).
Lana Steele, CMP
Senior Manager, Client Success
A leader in the meeting and events industry for over 7 years, 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 and event planning, and not-for-profit and association events, each stop along the way inspiring another passion.
Prior to joining AK Consulting Group, 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.
Pat Conner
Office Manager
Pat is an integral part of making meetings a success and has worked with AK Consulting Group for 18 years. 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 the Department of Children and Families 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.
Allison Manausa
Event Coordinator
Allison is a dedicated community leader and accomplished event planner with over two decades of involvement in non-profit boards and organizations. She has played a key role in planning and executing impactful fundraising and community events for various local and nationally recognized organizations. Known for her strong communication skills and collaborative approach, she works effectively with vendors, sponsors, and community members to bring events to life. Allison implements these skills to ensure each event is a success.
Amy Allen
Event Intern
COMING SOON
Gracie
TBD
COMING SOON
Our Partners
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.