Jodi is the Director of Event & Conference Planning for Augsburg College, a private liberal-arts college in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In her role at Augsburg, Jodi and her team plan and manage over 400 events that happen on campus including Homecoming, Commencement, fundraising galas, student events and speaking engagements/performances by visiting dignitaries and celebrities such as His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, United States President Jimmy Carter, Senator Hillary Clinton, F.W. DeKlerk, Their Majesties the King & Queen of Norway, and hip hop artist Macklemore.
Below is a little teaser interview from Jodi Collen, CSEP:
1. What does your company do and what makes is different than others like it?
I run the Event & Conference Planning department for a private, liberal arts college in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Along with two other full-time planners and about 15 students, we plan and execute roughly 400-500 events annually for the college ranging from small dinners at the President's home to large, public events. My role within the department is to work on large, signature events such as Commencement, Homecoming, Dignitary Visits, etc.
Our department is different than what you might find in some other colleges or universities because we act as a centralized resource for all of campus. If there is a public facing component of the event, then someone from my team is usually involved in the execution of the event. We function a little bit like the general contractor on a home build. We project manage all of the details, we coordinate with all of the various resources on campus that need to be involved (i.e. catering, facilities, public safety, custodial, etc.) and ensure that all of the various pieces are working together seamlessly. This allows for us to build in solid, consistent processes that allow for us to work efficiently and to ensure that the College's brand identity remains strong across all of our experiential marketing opportunities.
2. What lead you to your current career and how long have you been in the field?
I've been working in the Events industry for just over 15 years, and much like the majority of other people that I know, I accidentally ended up here. I graduated from college with a degree in Marketing with an emphasis in Advertising and was planning to explore careers working in a marketing or advertising agency. Out of college, I took a job as a marketing coordinator for a Fortune 500 brand and had responsibility for marketing across the 5 stage region. And, while I learned a lot in the job, I found that the days that I was most excited about going to work were the days that I was planning events that had been built into our overall marketing strategy.
As I was beginning to explore next career steps, I stumbled across a meeting invitation to an ISES meeting and decided to attend. I knew then that I had found what I would do next. Within 6 months, I had left my marketing job in pursuit of a position in the events market. Truth be told, I had about a year of stumbling through a lot of missteps before I finally landed in a position at Augsburg. But, once I landed here, I knew that I had made the right decision.
3. What is your most memorable event/project? Why?
In 2013, we had the great honor of hosting His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama for two consecutive events including a celebration of the Tibetan New Year (a very significant Tibetan holiday). While also being the most logistically challenging and difficult projects I've ever worked on, it was, without question, a truly life changing, transformative experience. It's hard to explain what working with the Tibetan community was like, but I can say with certainty that I will likely never work on an event that feels more significant to a group of people. I'll never forget the hundreds of community members that approached me with hugs and tears to express how meaningful it was for them to have the opportunity to hear His Holiness speak. Most Tibetans wait their entire life and never get the opportunity to hear His Holiness speak---this was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity for them. And, after getting to know members of the community through the planning team, to hear their stories and to get to know their families and customs, I can say with certainty that I will never forget a moment of that entire experience.
4. What is one thing people do not know about you?
Well, the one thing that I think surprises people the most is that I grew up on a farm outside of a very small town in Iowa. My family grew field corn and soybeans, raised hogs and cattle, had dogs, cats and a wide variety of other farm pets. My graduating class had 38 people in it and my entire high school had about 120--which meant that everyone participated in pretty much everything. I was a four sport athlete, member of the band, the choir, the yearbook staff, the theatre and speech team, and pretty much every other club that was available. Because I grew up on a farm, I have a bit of a tomboy side---I love four-wheelers, go-carts, dirt-bikes, shooting targets, skeet shooting, and even fishing from time to time. Oh, and because I grew up in a very small farming community, I was legally allowed to get what was called a "school permit" and was able to begin driving myself to school and other activities starting at the age of 14.
5. If you were not in your current career, what would be your dream job?
An FBI agent and work in the Behavioral Analysis Unit. Lots of people have secret dreams of being a famous actress, singer or athlete. I want to be an FBI agent.
6. Anything else you would like us readers to know about you?
I owe a big thank you and shout out to Kelly Early of Thomas Caterers and this seems like a great place to start. I joined ISES 15 years ago, and quickly became involved at the chapter level. When I eventually went to my first Regional Leadership meeting, I met Kelly and I will admit to being a little intimidated when I first met her. She was there representing the Indiana Chapter and seemed to know everything about ISES. I remember asking a lot of questions and knowing that she's someone that would be able to provide a lot of feedback and guidance. Over the next several years, Kelly took on the role of the Midwest RVP and she was an amazing leader and mentor to me and I know that she is one of the big reasons that I was able to keep moving forward in my own leadership career with ISES. She was the one who advocated for me to be given the opportunity to be RVP and she was the one who continued to say "Yes, she can do it. She's the right choice."
Now, a number of years later, I have continued my path to ISES President, and I know that there are a lot of people that helped me get here and that shaped the kind of leader I am today. Kelly is one of those people and I can't say thank you enough to her. So, THANK YOU, Kelly. I appreciate all of your support over the years more than I've ever properly said. I hope that all of the members of the Indiana chapter know how lucky they are to have both you and Vince in their community!
Hear more from Jodi Collen, CSEP at the November ISES Education Intensive - Wednesday, November 18th at The Meeting House @ West Clay from 8:30 am - 1:30 pm!
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