A native of Rochester, New York, Melissa graduated from James Madison University with a BBA in Hotel and Restaurant Management. She held front office and sales management positions with Marriott Hotels and Resorts before founding MSI in the Fall of 1997. As the Director of Logistics and Client Services, Melissa oversees programs as project manager, working closely with the customer and the MSI team. Under Melissa’s leadership, the MSI team has been known to simultaneously manage large-scale engagements on multiple continents, working across dozens of time zones, on more than one occasion!
Melissa is married to Richard Deller, who serves as Vice President and CFO for Meeting Solutions. Together, they have three children and an adorable dog named Waffle (5). More than anything, she enjoys spending time with her family, supporting her children’s school, and is an avid runner, boater and want to be chef. She also really loves to be included in selfies.
Rick started his career in commercial banking before heading off to graduate school. Upon graduation he spent a year working as an import/export consultant before he and Melissa Greenhouse founded Meeting Solutions Inc. Currently, Rick oversees all the business operations for MSI and works on the sponsorship side of several large programs. In his free time, he enjoys watching his kids compete on the lacrosse, soccer and field hockey fields as well as on the basketball and squash courts. He is an avid boater and fisherman as well as diehard Orioles and Ravens fan.
Jennifer is originally from Chicago, Illinois and has a BS degree from University of Wisconsin-Stout. She joined the MSI team in May 2000 with almost 10 years of operations and Sales experience in the industry. Jennifer is known for her excellent customer service skills and her ability to understand clients’ needs. Jennifer’s hotel background experience was formulated from Renaissance, Marriott and Hyatt sales and hospitality training programs. She brings this experience to each negotiation, pre-convention meeting, or vendor relationship. Jennifer served on the Executive Board of the Chesapeake Chapter Professional Convention Management Association chapter. Outside of work she enjoys biking, reading, cheering on her children on the sidelines of a sporting activity. She is proud of her family. She has the most amazing, supporting husband and two fantastic children who mean the world to her. “You will find in life that the lucky ones are normally the hardest working ones!”
Kelly adds 18 years of hospitality experience to our ensemble with event planning of corporate meetings and weddings. Prior to shifting roles to our new Chief of Staff, Kelly worked for 15 years at MSI as our Manager of Logistics and Client Services by contracting meeting space, managing event registration and housing blocks, coordinating food and beverage, and many other meeting functions. She has great attention to detail providing her keen eye for all proofreading and copyediting of websites and event collateral. In that role, Kelly enjoyed seeing all aspects of the planning process executed onsite for so many clients in such wonderful locations around the globe. As Chief of Staff, she will oversee MSI’s meeting calendar, staffing schedules, office management, and new meeting opportunities. She is a team player and her work ethic for anything she is tasked with is unquestionable. Wearing her heart on her sleeve, what you see is what you get with Kelly and you always know where you stand. Kelly holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration for Marketing from the University of Baltimore. Outside of the office, she enjoys Latin dancing, annual vacations with family, a night of photo ops with friends, and queso and margaritas with her colleagues.
With over 17 years as a Microsoft FTE, in the Field and at Corporate, Annee has been involved in a variety of projects and programs targeting Microsoft’s Field, customers and partners. After leaving Microsoft, Annee has leveraged her experience and expertise in designing, managing and executing hundreds of seminars, product launches and multi-day conferences. She is unique in that she has the ability to create the strategy for Microsoft Business and Customer Groups participation in the company’s largest events. She has served as the BG lead for some of Microsoft’s biggest events including WPC/Inspire, Convergence, Envision and Ignite, managing all aspects of the event including: workback schedule, executive and stakeholder planning meetings, speaker management, internal and external communiques, and side events.
Kristin joined MSI in 2013 has 12 years of experience with event coordination that includes concept to completion events and the end to end planning of client participation in 3rd party events. Her experience includes but is not limited to venue sourcing, catering management, event material fulfillment, budgeting and post event reporting. She is known for her ability to manage projects independently, time management, organization, attention to detail and proactive thinking. Kristin most enjoys the collaboration of ideas that begin to take shape into a successful event as well as the opportunity to work with diverse clients to make sure the experience of her events is flawless. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communications with a minor in Marketing from St. Louis University. Currently Kristin’s life outside of MSI is a five-month-old who is the smiliest, happiest baby. But she also enjoys yoga, cooking and all things HGTV.
Linda is a Logistics Manager and has been with MSI since November 2015. From her Towson University bachelor’s degree in Business Administration-Marketing, her previous work experience includes Event Planning, Marketing, Fundraising, and Communications with four different nonprofit organizations – to include Special Olympics and Johns Hopkins. During her time at MSI, Linda has worked with a variety of clients: Amazon, Andreessen Horowitz, Google, & Microsoft. Depending on the client or event, she sometimes wears two hats – Communications & Logistics. Her main areas of work include Attendee Communications, Hotel Liaison, Production Coordination, Registration, Side Meetings (including executive), and Budget Management. In her free time, Linda enjoys getting outside – whether it’s going on a hike/bike ride, driving to the beach, visiting the next vineyard, or lawn tickets at a concert.
Ashley developed a love of planning events at a young age thanks to her grandmother Ruth and after volunteering in the events department at various non-profits, she decided to pursue her dream to become a professional event planner. Joining MSI in March 2017 as Marketing and Logistics Manager, she develops and oversees event and venue logistics, budgets, registration, as well as reporting. Prior to joining the team, Ashley worked in the real estate development industry as an Accounting Associate for 4+ years. Her favorite part of the job is having a direct means of creating an experience for attendees and working with a great team and clients who share a passion for what they do. Ashley holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Marketing from Frostburg State University and is a native of Baltimore. When she’s not working- you’ll find Ashley exploring her favorite haunts in Charm City, spending time with her large and very eccentric family, reading mystery novels, fostering animals for the Maryland SPCA, and cuddling up with her adorable dog, Hunter.
Kris is an experienced Event manager who has been working with MSI since November 2017. With 25 years of event management experience, Kris has worked on a every facet of event planning, from being logistics lead of events from 50 – 5,000 attendees, managing million dollar+ event budgets, managing sponsorships, managing exhibitors and exhibit halls with up to 125 exhibitors, content management, speaker management, to managing registration at events from 1,000 to 20,000 attendees. Kris’s attention to detail and strong focus on budget management, along with her strategic approach, with experience both as an event program manager at Microsoft and as an independent Consultant, allows her to focus on client needs and manage the dynamics of planning cycles and teams. Kris holds a BA degree in Political Science from Washington State University, with minors in German and Business Administration. Kris lives in Gig Harbor, Washington and enjoys spending time with her two college-aged daughters. Having lived abroad twice while being a student, Kris enjoys multi-cultural activities and travel.
Amanda has been working as a marketing and logistics coordinator at MSI since July 2018. As a student of James Madison University before graduating in May 2018, she majored in organizational communication studies and minored in music industry, discovering her passion for logistics and event planning through class projects and positions within her sorority. Before becoming a full-time member of the MSI team, Amanda interned for MSI during the summers of 2016 and 2017 both on and offsite, learning to appreciate how much time and care goes into each event and how she can use her energy and can-do attitude to help both then and now. As MSI’s newest team member, Amanda can’t wait to see how she’ll grow within MSI and when not in the office, she enjoys playing guitar and going on adventures outdoors
Born and raised in Bremerhaven, Germany, she grew up living on the edge of the North Sea and still has the urge to have a big body of water close by. Bodil moved to the US in 1992 and has worked in some of the top hotels and conference centers in Seattle. She was part of the opening team for Bell Harbor Conference Center and W Seattle.
In 2004 Bodil joined Silver Fox Productions and stayed for 15 years supporting corporate events and has helped clients manage their presentation needs for more than 1000 different conferences.
Bodil holds a BA in hotel and restaurant management and studied European business. She has been the president of the Eastside German Language School since 2016 and is part of the Seattle Children’s hospital parent advisory board since 2010. In her free time, Bodil is spending time with her family and enjoys all outdoor activities the NW offers. When time permits, she loves to travel and heads to warmer waters going scuba diving.
Kelly joined the MSI team in May 2019 as Meetings Manager with over seven years of experience in nonprofit development, primarily focused on donor relations, fundraising event coordination, and logistics management. Her prior assignments include positions with the American Red Cross, KLRU-TV (home of the Austin City Limits music show), and The Baltimore Museum of Art where she served individual and corporate partners alike. These varied experiences led her to MSI where she supports our clients and team with her thoughtful approach and focused execution. Kelly is a graduate of The University of Virginia and is married to her high school sweetheart, Zach. They are enamored with their cherished pup Smokey and can often be found searching for the best restaurants, breweries and concert venues around town.
Amari joined the MSI team in October 2021 and has been a fantastic part of the team. She found her passion for event planning while serving on the Temple University Young Alumni Association Board as a Director-at-Large for events. Amari was raised on the island of Bermuda and moved to Philadelphia in 2014. She is a two-time graduate of Temple University, receiving her Bachelor’s in Human Resource Management with a Marketing minor in 2018, and her Master’s in Adult and Organizational Development in 2020. She has previously worked for the Philadelphia 76ers/New Jersey Devils, as well as The City of Philadelphia. In her personal life, she is a dog mom to Sugar, enjoys watching true crime shows, and loves volunteering at her alma mater and in the local community.
Diana has been in the hospitality industry with a focus on catering and conventions services for 25+ years, working in iconic venues such as the Ritz-Carlton, Boca Raton Resort and Club, MGM Grand, Grand Garden Arena, Vdara, and Stouffer/Renaissance Resorts. She has managed groups from 25 – 15,000 guests and brings a wealth of knowledge, attention to detail, and leadership skills to MSI; she has created experiences for corporate, social, celebrities, nonprofit, and weddings.
She loves her fur kid Nala and all animals in general. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling and some of her adventures include trips to Machu Pichu where she held a baby lama, in Banf where she was able to nuzzle with the horses after a carriage ride through the snow, in Kaui on a helicopter ride overlooking the amazing volcanoes, or even dog sledding in Jackson Hole.
She is fluent in Spanish and learned German while living in Austria, and resides in Las Vegas, where her family gathered some 20 years ago and made it home. She is very close to her family and is extremely blessed to have a 101-year-old grandmother.
Devyn is a born and raised California girl who loves animals, the outdoors and everything social. She graduated from UC Berkeley in 2020 with a B.A in Media Studies. She joined MSI in 2022 after transitioning out of the social media world. Prior to MSI she ran and managed many different social media platforms for businesses out of her hometown, Truckee, California, where she resided for 2 years. Devyn relocated to San Francisco in June of 2021 and has loved getting to know her new city and work with MSI’s west coast clients. Devyn has been an amazing addition to the MSI team and has enjoyed learning the ins and outs of the industry from her amazing colleagues. When she is not working, she can be found playing with her 2 cats, spending time with family and finding the best places to eat in San Francisco.
Madeline joined MSI in 2022 after leaving her position as Director of Special Events at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. During her time at the Kennedy Center, Madeline produced numerous yearly events including the nationally televised Kennedy Center Honors and The Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. She is known for turning events into experiences and thrives in the creative process. Several of her events have been awarded the #1 rank of the BizBash Washington’s Top 100 Events list, with almost all her major events listed in the top ten. She has extensive experience collaborating with corporate clients, individuals, vendors, and brands and we love having her on the MSI Team.
Madeline is a native of Tucson, Arizona and graduated from the George Washington University with a B.B.A in International Business. She enjoys long road trips, reality television, and listening to Taylor Swift on repeat.
Waffle, weighing it at 6++ pounds in a 5 pound body, Waffle, our chorkie is a whole lot of heart with a side of gangster. Waffle, soon to be 10, is lovingly known as 5 as he is the 5%. His favorite hobbies include chasing chipmunks, boat rides, riding in a bike basket, swimming, and terrorizing any big dog to cross his path (gangster). Waffle is the love of the office when he visits and terrorizes anyone who may be eating lunch (more gangster).