Innovative, Experienced, Ethical Meet our innovative and enthusiastic team of professionals who will transform your ideas and goals into a successful event. Laura Kesselman, President, founded Kesselman-Jones, Inc. in 1990, after moving to Albuquerque from Los Angeles, CA. Kesselman-Jones, Inc. initially provided public relations and marketing services. This work was recognized with awards by the Public Relations Society of America and the New Mexico Advertising Federation, including the Federation’s coveted “Marketer of the Year” award for a campaign to reduce stigma for children with mental health problems. As the firm began to grow, so did the demand for their event coordination services, and in 2000, Kesselman-Jones, Inc. modified its mission to specialize in conference and event management. In Los Angeles, Laura held numerous communications positions including those of Special Events Coordinator and Entertainment Publicist. Laura graduated from Syracuse University, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communication in 1986 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Advertising. She studied for a year in London, England with Syracuse University and for two years in Munich, Germany at the University of Maryland. In 2000 and 2006, the Albuquerque Convention & Visitors Bureau named Laura an Ambassador for her “outstanding service in bringing conventions to the city of Albuquerque.” As indicated by the continued growth and success of Kesselman-Jones, Inc., Laura is a driving force in New Mexico’s event planning industry. Tisha Aldredge, Coordinator, Exhibits and Events, joined Kesselman-Jones, Inc. in February 2006, after moving back to New Mexico from Arizona where she lived for eight years. During that time she worked as an Activities Director for the SunBird Golf Resort HOA, an active adult community of 2,900+ residents in Chandler. She was responsible for planning the daily activities for the residents, designing and producing a monthly newsletter and planning/assisting in all other special events. Tisha developed an Annual Community Day for the residents that involved over 100 community businesses exhibiting their services and products. Other annual events planned were the Ladies Candlelight Dinner and the New Year’s Eve Bash, both attended by more than 250 people. Tisha graduated from Eastern New Mexico University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music with an emphasis on Vocal Performance and Pedagogy. Sally Kolf, Registration Manager and the newest addition to the Kesselman-Jones, Inc. staff, has eighteen years of experience as a meeting planner with Executive Director, Inc., an association management company based in Milwaukee, WI.  Sally’s extensive meeting planning experience runs the gamut from event scheduling, registration processing and exhibit management, to committee interface and brochure development.  She has organized successful conferences for medical specialty societies and trade organizations throughout the United States and around the globe, with attendance ranging from 50 to 6,000 registrants.  Sally moved to New Mexico in 2002, and worked as a craft artisan before resuming her conference management career.  A graduate of the University of Wisconsin—Whitewater, Sally holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History. Corrine Hurtado, Administrative Assistant/Office Coordinator, the newest addition to the Kesselman-Jones, Inc. staff, has extensive experience as an administrative assistant and has worked with many of the large law firms in Albuquerque including The Jaffe Law Firm, Modrall Sperling, and Bohannan-Huston, Inc. She is currently working to obtain an Associate of Applied Science degree in Office Administration with a concentration in legal and office technology. Jenny Kouri, Event Manager, is a native New Mexican who recently relocated back to Albuquerque after an eight year hiatus. During her time away from New Mexico, Jenny traveled the United States as a restaurant manager for Brinker International and Lettuce Entertain You Restaurant Group. While with Brinker International, Jenny was apart of a six restaurant manager team sent to struggling locations to enhance overall business. Most recently Jenny was the Director of Training for Wild Noodles Franchise Corporation. At Wild Noodles, Jenny was responsible for 20 franchised restaurants; overseeing day-to-day operations, menu expansion, staff training, P&L adherence and company wide procurement. Jenny is a Certified Serv-Safe Trainer and has written several Food & Beverage, Service, Safety and Financial Manuals for Wild Noodles Restaurants. A graduate of the University of North Texas, Jenny holds a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree in Entrepreneurship and Strategic Planning. Misti Smyth, is a full charge bookkeeper. Before joining Kesselman-Jones, Inc., she was a tax compliance manager and accounts payable manager for Special Constructors, Inc. where she processed multi-state payroll taxes and accounts payable for 30 regional offices. She also served as an accounts payable supervisor for Sun Healthcare Group, Inc. in Albuquerque where she supervised a staff of seven.

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