Alliance Event Managers Featured in Meetings & Conventions' Rising Stars in the Meetings Industry
Culbert and Martin among M&C's 15 talented professionals making their mark on the industry
KATIE CULBERT Events and operations manager / Green Sports Alliance / Portland, Ore.
KELLEY MARTIN Director of operations / Green Sports Alliance / Portland, Ore.
Twin passions for sports and the environment are a winning combination for the careers of Katie Culbert and Kelley Martin. The duo works for the Green Sports Alliance, which promotes sustainable practices among some 500 member sports organizations and venues around the world. They coordinate all of GSA's events, including its jewel, the Green Sports Alliance Summit.Martin (pictured), 35, a former collegiate tennis player, spent 10 years as an environmental scientist until she decided to channel both her loves of sustainability and sports into a profession. Culbert, 39, landed at the GSA after working as an event manager for the Rose Quarter (a complex that includes the Moda Center, home of the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers).
"Being sustainable is how I do things personally, and I try to incorporate that into the events," she says.The eighth annual GSA Summit will be held in the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta this June. The event has welcomed up to 800 people from member sports teams, stadiums, athletic conferences and leagues, along with a mix of eco-friendly vendors. "Sports is nonpartisan, and climate change should be nonpartisan as well," notes Martin.The two also help members arrange individual events, such as a vegan night hosted by the Pittsburgh Pirates to focus on food recovery and donation. "I definitely see us on this path forever," says Martin, "making sure our events are green, and getting that message out."