At Miller Tanner Associates’ (MTA) 2023 Annual Global Workshop we recognize the distinguished associates who have gone above and beyond for our customers and for each other during 2022. We celebrate the team with these five awards that are presented at our Annual Workshop Awards Dinner:
- MTA Gift of Service Award
- MTA Saver Award
- MTA Theme of the Year Award
- MTA Story of the Year Award
- MTA Marnie Award
MTA GIFT OF SERVICE AWARD: Natalia Bukatova, Senior Global Experience Specialist
The Gift of Service award recognizes associates who exemplify MTA’s core values by providing exceptional service to both customers and to their fellow team members. This year’s recipient is Senior Global Experience Specialist Natalia Bukatova, a spirited member of the MTA global team.
Natalia’s success in providing service to MTA’s customers and the MTA global internal team makes her deserving of this award. Fluent in several languages and experienced in global event management, Natalia started her career at MTA as an extended team member before joining the MTA full-time. Customers often request to work with Natalia because of her exemplary service and the MTA team knows they can always count on her to greet a meeting attendee in their native language or process registration forms through MTA’s proprietary registration system, EPIC.
Natalia’s natural gift of service, and her joy in delivering it, makes her an outstanding recipient of the 2022 Gift of Service Award. Her colleagues recognize her as a shining example of an MTA bright light! Congratulations, Natalia!
MTA SAVER AWARD: Emily Hise, Accounting Manager
The MTA 2022 “Saver” award recognizes the MTA team member for their exceptional ability to save time, save effort and save resources for our customers and/or the MTA team.
Congratulations to Accounting Manager Emily Hise, as the 2022 MTA Saver Award recipient, recognized by our team, vendors, and customers for her exceptional superpower in implementing processes that save the MTA team time, and effort not to mention their sanity, in navigating through financial processes. Emily is the warm epicenter of the MTA Finance Team overseeing the full MTA financial lifecycle. She brings her unique style and fun personality to each encounter, making us all grateful to have her be recognized as an MTA bright light! Congratulations, Emily!
MTA THEME OF THE YEAR AWARD: Ingrid Easter, Director-Special Projects
Each year MTA creates a theme for the year. We believe that a theme sets the tone, provides the direction, and allows the team to focus on a central theme for one calendar year.
Given MTA’s 2022 theme was synonymous with our 25th Work Anniversary Celebration, we are pleased to announce the recipient of the 2022 Theme of the Year Award is Director – Special Projects Ingrid Easter who, for 25 years, has been an integral part of the MTA team since 1998. Ingrid has worked tirelessly behind the scenes to develop processes, products, and events that have positively impacted MTA’s success. Her dedication and commitment to her MTA colleagues and MTA directly make her the perfect candidate to embody the spirit of MTA’s 2022 theme of our “25th Celebration”. Congratulations Ingrid on being an MTA bright light!
MTA STORY OF THE YEAR AWARD: Kristin Puryear, Senior Global Experience Manager
The Miller Tanner Associates are storytellers. We tell stories through our events, through our products, and through the various acts of kindness the MTA global team performs each day. Every year we ask the MTA team to share with the Strategic Leadership Team (SLT) the stories we may not have heard that happened at MTA. We ask them to brag about themselves, about another MT Associate, or about something that happened that needs to be shared. Then we tell the stories at our annual workshop with entries recited by the person who submitted the story.
We are pleased to present the 2022 Story of the Year award to Senior Global Experience Manager Kristin Puryear, recognized as a team member who embodies our “Experience Excellence” motto – whether it’s in interactions with customers, vendors or colleagues.
Kristin’s colleague, Logan White, nominated Kristin for the 2022 Story of the Year, highlighting Kristin’s mentorship of her colleagues, her skillful ability to communicate effectively with the customers’ best interests in mind, and her partnership with our vendors during a challenging time in the hospitality industry, post-pandemic. Logan focused on how Kristin consistently reached out to Logan offering kind mentorship consistently and selflessly. Of all the stories shared, Kristin’s exceptional work ethic, team spirit, and compassionate nature stood out as the clear winner of the Story of the Year. Congratulations on being a MTA Bright Light, Kristin!
MTA MARNIE AWARD: Jenny Decker, CMP, Global Experience Manager
MTA’s Marnie Award is given by MTA’s CEO, Marnie Miller Battistini, to the person that she believes has impacted MTA the most during the year. The Marnie Award recipient/s embody the best of what MTA values and exemplifies. It’s a personal award seen from the CEO’s vantage point each year.
We are pleased to announce Global Experience Manager Jenny Decker, CMP as the recipient of the 2022 Marnie Award!
Over the past year, Jenny has significantly contributed to MTA utilizing her unique congress management skills to lead the MTA experience team in producing a number of successful congresses. She has the ability to create customized management plans for each MTA customer with an unwavering commitment to listening, engaging, and designing solutions that exceed the customers’ expectations. She has an outstanding ability to do this work with humor, and grace while always making sure that customer satisfaction is at the forefront of her team’s efforts.
Jenny has elevated MTA’s Congress Management brand which has had a significant impact on MTA’s success this year. Her dedicated and selfless good work has made her a valued MTA Brand Ambassador and a MTA bright light. Thank you for all the effort, time, and talent you have put into your work for our Congress customers, Jenny. Congratulations on receiving MTA’s “Marnie” award!
