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Our Staff
KCA would not be able to operate if it wasn’t for the talented and dedicated members of the KCA performance team. Each team member is unique and adds a different component to the company, which translates into great success for KCA and our valued clients.
Katherine Christensen, CMP ~ President/Owner
Katherine Christensen is the owner and founder of Katherine Christensen & Associates, Inc. She was selected to help launch the PR division of America West Airlines during a period of high growth and remained in this position for seven years. Since then, Christensen has managed programs, events and/or PR accounts for over 100 firms. She has developed comprehensive marketing and promotional programs for a wide variety of companies, which have implemented her strategies. Christensen's public relations program has been honored with a Gold Award from the American Resort Development Association, Maricopa Association of Governments and she has received praise from many business owners for her affordable, well-focused plans.
Christensen has over twenty years of experience in the fields of public relations, meeting and association management, media relations, internal and external communications, special events, promotions, publishing, working with large and small corporations, associations, and community and philanthropic programs. Her expertise spans from crisis management, evaluation, and execution of communication strategies to actual contract negotiation and detailed, creative program development. She has developed vacation get-away packages and has marketed them internationally. Christensen was the Editor of ACCA’s publication Collision Reporter from 2003-2007, ARRA’s publication Locator from 2005-2007 and the Employee newsletter for America West Airlines as well as acting as the internal liaison to the in-flight magazine publishers for six years. Christensen is also a Certified Meeting Planner, a past-president of Meeting Professionals International - Arizona Sunbelt Chapter and has served on the Board of Directors for ITS Arizona, WTS-Arizona and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Tempe. She is currently the Board Chair of the local Chamber of Commerce (2008).
Leslie has over twenty five years experience in creating and executing special events, meeting planning, and conferences of all size and scope. She's joined the KCA team twice in the last fifteen years. Beginning with KCA in 1991 and returning in September 2007, she combines her strengths in business and strategic development with her experience in marketing, advertising, public relations, collateral development and sales promotion. Leslie graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Science in Tourism and Commercial Recreation with an emphasis in Business. She was one of the first employees hired by America West Airlines where she gained ten years experience in the Marketing and Advertising department developing skills in contract negotiation, international and national advertising, sports and consumer promotion and media relations. She directed the activities to start-up, manage, and grow America West's frequent flyer program, sales promotion and account relations departments. After leaving KCA in 1995, she focused her creative and managerial efforts to co-found Garden Territory, an organic lifestyle retail store and education center. In addition to her work at KCA, she writes weekly for the East Valley Tribune and remains active in the community as an organic lifestyle educator and volunteer. Her creative energy, entrepreneurial experience and organizational skills give her the unique ability to work with our clients to deliver a wide range of individually designed services with focus, success and attention to detail.
Serving
KCA for many consistent years, Sandy performs CPA and Accounting duties for
the company. A QuickBooks Pro expert and trainer, she is responsible for
payroll, accounts receivable, accounts payable, taxes and all project
reconciliation including on-line registrations. To maintain our checks and
balances, KCA works with an outside CPA firm for assistance in 1040 and
client 990 filings.
James
is an Arizona State University graduate from the W.P. Carey School of
Business with a bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management and a minor in
International Business. James brings over three years of intense logistical
transportation planning and execution experience for a large national
retailer to the KCA team. James primary focus is business development,
vendor relations, and client support. His “whatever it takes to get the job
done well” attitude is a great contribution to our clients and the team.
Megan provides administrative support to the team working on various
projects for clients. Her effervescent attitude and willingness to jump
in and manage to a success has brought her many accolades. She is a
recent graduate of Arizona State University,
majoring in Business Management with minors in Psychology and Communications.
Katie
Elsberry’s primary responsibilities relate to meeting and event
planning, as well as association management. She coordinates, executes
and assists on multiple conferences throughout the year. She has handled
all aspects of event planning such as registration, site selection,
contract negotiation, preparation of collateral material, and coordination
of speakers, sponsors and exhibitors. She also assists with various
association management responsibilities in regards to administrative
support and membership management. Katie’s previous work enterprise
has been in the Hospitality/Tourism Industry, relating to customer service.
She holds a degree in Recreation Management & Tourism and a minor
in business from Arizona State University.
DeAnn
Fedyski brings 21 years of meeting planning, association management, and
special event coordination experience to KCA. Her expertise is in
leading associations and total meeting and event management, from site
selection and contract negotiation to speaker coordination and on-site
logistics. She has managed international associations and coordinated
projects around the world for groups of all sizes and backgrounds.
Before joining KCA, she organized corporate and community events for
America West Airlines, coordinated special projects for a large
Northwest hospital and while at IBM in Los Angeles, she was the
Operations Manager for their Southern California training centers where
she coordinated 20-25 events per day. Fedyski holds a degree in
Organizational Communications from Arizona State University, and has
been with KCA for 13 years.
Kate is an
administrator who provides support on multiple programs here at KCA. Her
hard work and dedication have been valuable not only to our team but to
our clients. From registration to reporting, her depth of knowledge,
skills and talent are used to handle multiple tasks at once touching
almost all of our programs and events. She is
currently attending
Arizona State University pursuing a degree in Liberal Arts.
Nancy's responsibilities include
serving as membership registrar for one of KCA's largest associations, as
well as handling conference registration. Nancy brings over 30 years of
administrative support experience to KCA, most recently as an Executive
Assistant with America West Airlines for more than 20 years.
Becca supports various KCA clients with her detailed administrative skills.
Working on association membership, conference registration to specific
programs and supporting tasks, her accuracy has been commended by colleagues
and clients alike. Commencing her full-time career with KCA following her
graduation from Arizona State University with a Bachelors of Science in
Communication, Becca is positioned for continued involvement and growth in
the association management and meeting planning field.
Brandy's
primary focus is serving as Operations Manager for a global education
program for one of KCA's largest associations. In her role, she coordinates
many education events throughout the year around the world, as well as
oversees and implements the accreditation requirements for Continuing
Education Units. In the past, she has executed events ranging in size from 20 to 600 people. She has handled all
aspects of event logistics from registration and site selection to speaker
coordination and silent auction setup. She also specializes in technical support
and website management. Richardson has been with the KCA team for nine
years. She earned her degree in Marketing from Broome Community College in
Binghamton, New York.
Rebecca Trussel ~ Office Manager
Rebecca
Trussel has over 30 years of meeting planning, special events and administrative
experience with large corporations. Utilizing her organizational skills
she has planned and executed meetings for 20 to 650 people. Trussel
is responsible for administrative duties and assisting with various
association projects at KCA. She holds a degree in Business Administration
from Indiana University.
