Our Team

Meeting Services, Inc. (MSI) is founded on the belief that our growth and success is dependent upon a sustained commitment from every member of our organization to provide the highest quality of service available. We approach each task, both for ourselves and for our clients, with this philosophy in mind. Our purpose is to apply wisdom, insight, skills, and experience to assist our clients in achieving their goals and enhancing their bottom line.

Cindy L. Dodson
CMP, CGC, CGMP
CMP, CGC, CGMP President

Cindy Dodson is a Certified Meeting Professional (CMP), Certified Government Meeting Professional (CGMP) and Certified Government Contractor (CGC). She is a member of Meeting Professionals International (MPI) and Society of Government Meeting Professionals (SGMP).

She has been a recognized leader in the meeting industry for over the past twenty years. She was named “One of the Top 100 Meeting Professionals to Watch” by Convention South Magazine. She served on the Board of Directors for the Society of Government Meeting Professionals National Capital Chapter in various capacities. She has received numerous awards throughout her career including twice begin named “Contract Planner of the Year” for the Society of Government Meeting Professionals National Capital Chapter and received the NATCPA President’s Award for Excellence and the SGMP National President’s Award of Excellence. Cindy was also named “Meeting Planner of the Year” for Meeting Professionals International Carolinas Chapter.

During her years in the industry, she has managed conference planning, registration procedures, and special event planning for groups of 5 to 5,000 persons. Her client contacts include Federal Aviation Administration – Office of the Administrator, Aerospace Transportation and Flight Standards, United States Postal Service – Office of the Postmaster General, USDA Leadership Academy, Society of Financial Examiners, International Hunter Education, NC Center for Nonprofits, Department of Defense, and the Comptroller of the Currency.

Cindy has presented at numerous national conferences in the meeting planning industry. Cindy also served as a member of the San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau Advisory Board.

Cindy participated as program developer and instructor for the pilot session offered by Society of Government Meeting Professionals for an industry certification for government meeting planners. Cindy has been involved in the structure of the program, content of the course materials, and instructed in the pilot program in May of 2005. This program offers a Certified Government Meeting Professional to the successful participants and is the highest such designation in the Government meeting planning industry.

Deborah Wilborn
CGMP
Executive Director and Registration Center Manager

Deborah is a Certified Government Meeting Professional (CGMP) with over seventeen years experience in professional meeting planning and association management.  In her role with Meeting Services, she has served as Executive Director for the North Carolina State Troopers Association since 2009.

In her role with NCTA, she manages the association for over 2100 members.  During her term with this association, membership has increased three fold.  Under her leadership, the Association has untaken and successfully operates a corporate store to provide a revenue source for the Association and thus limiting the need for fund raising.  Her role includes membership management and development, financial management, day to day operations, payroll, board member support and quarterly board meetings. Reporting to the board of directors on status of membership, any issues, financials and website.

She also serves as Registration Center Manager for Meeting Services, Inc. In this capacity, she interacts closely with a website development team on the design, layout, and function of the on-line registration services. She is responsible for database management and information flow for numerous federal government agency clients as well as association clientele.

Deborah’s expertise in the areas of database management and information execution is exceptional. In additional, Deborah has served as a Senior Meeting Manager for conferences in a range of 50-200.

Her background includes serving as a Sales Team Administrator for a large Security Firm specializing in commercial alarm systems. This position required the management of sales teams consisting of 10-15 members. Deborah prepared and management contract negotiations, deliverable schedules for million dollar contracts.

Her skill set offers excellent opportunity for project management, database development and implementation, on-site management and post conference review.

Rhenda Davis
Membership Director

Rhenda has over 28 years’ professional experience in the areas of customer service, sales, management and most recently association management. She has taken her practical business knowledge, propensity for detail management and exceptional customer service skills and combined them into an effective and efficient association management career. She values both professional training and real world experience.

Rhenda has been a part of the MSI team for the past 8 years. She serves as Membership Director. In this role she has managed membership for an association of 1800 members. She maintains membership records, invoices for dues, distributes membership packets and serves as back up for the Executive Director. In this role, she functions in every aspect of Association Management.

Rhenda offers a team focused approached to every task and is exceptional in organizational skills.

Her skills set includes effective management of a staff, development and delivery of training and orientation for new team members, hiring and evaluation of staff, and leadership training. Rhenda is well versed in support of senior level management.

As a member of ASAE, Rhenda is actively pursuing a Certified Association Executive designation.

Katie Hess
Assistant Executive Director

Katie has over 14 years’ professional experience in the areas of customer service, operations, management and most recently association management. Katie has transitioned her extensive background and “my pleasure” approach into an effective, efficient, valued team member in the association management division of Meeting Services Inc.

She offers excellent organizational skills, a fresh approach and whatever is needed attitude to our associations. Her attention is detail is unparalleled. Katie is serving as Assistant Executive Director to an 1800-member organization.

Over the past two and half years with Meeting Services Inc., Katie has worked directly with the Board of Directors, coordinated meetings and task assignments for numerous committees including Publications, Education, Examination, and Management Committee. She organizes the board meetings, overseeing publication responsibilities for educational publication and bi-monthly newsletter, updates website, assistants in membership need with Continue Education, dues and has launched a social media campaign to boast outreach to membership.

Katie successfully managed the transition of a hybrid conference for a 500-person group to an entirely virtual event in just over 2 weeks. The event was an overwhelming success and has set the bar for future events for the organizing offering a new revenue stream for the organization and additional access to education opportunities for membership under travel restrictions.

Lynda Lee
National Sales Manager

Lynda Lee retired from Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service October of 2018 after 25 years of service. She was primarily responsible for the coordination of FMCS Institute for Conflict Management, which provides valuable training in navigating the challenges of labor-management relations around the country. She also held the COR “Contracting Office Representative” designation. She also provided support to the FMCS Institute registration and website, New Mediator Training programs, Administrative Assistant support programs; she has served on the Conflict Resolution Week Planning Committee and served as COR for the 2016 & 2018 FMCS National Labor Management Conference and planning Committee.

Over the past twenty-four years, she has been a NW LERA board member and has served as the Registrar and Webmaster and problem solver. She also is a Society of Government Meeting Professionals member since 2002 and has been on the chapter board for over 9 years. She also holds the CGMP “Certified Government Meeting Professional” designation with in SGMP. She has served as 1st Vice President and Planner Director.

Megan Smith
Director of Sales & Events, Meeting Services Inc.

With more than six years of experience in meeting and event management, Megan brings extensive expertise to event planning. She has orchestrated events ranging from small gatherings to large conferences, hosting up to 1500 attendees. Megan holds a CHIA certification (Certification in Hotel Industry Analytics) and earned her bachelor's degree in Sustainable Tourism and Hospitality from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Her proficiency in meeting management spans meticulous preparation, BEO review, timeline development, committee collaboration, registration packet oversight, on-site conference management, budgeting, and menu selection. After each event, Megan conducts thorough reviews, ensuring each gathering leaves a lasting positive impact.

Renee Spivey
CGMP
Program Manager

Renée is a Certified Government Meeting Professional with over sixteen years in successful meeting planning and management. Renée has been a conference planner, presentation specialist, project manager, administrative specialist and technical writer for more than two decades. Her organizational skills and writing ability have been instrumental in securing contracts and sub-contracts with private and government entities for work including: logistical support for conferences and meetings; project management; exhibit supervision and presentation; editing manuscripts and manuals, design and production of printed materials related to training manuals and annual reports; internet research; remote office management, and assistance with proposal and bid preparation. She has provided meeting minute services for private, civic, and government clients.

Renée's specialty for our clients is APP development. She has developed and managed APPs for Federal Mediation Consolidation Agency, NOAA-University of MD Eastern Shore, and Society of Financial Examiners. These APPs have been instrumental in information flow for conferences and offering "green initiatives" for our clients as many conference materials are available through the APP and reduces the printing required. The APP offers a cost saving measure when compared to printing expenditures.

Renée has provided conference planning and administrative support services to Federal Aviation Administration on several projects including Office of the Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation’s Annual Conference; The Administrator’s Annual International Aviation Safety Forum, The Flight Standards Office’s New Technologies Workshop. Also, she served as a virtual office manager for a major consulting service in the Washington DC area.

In 1999 Renée retired after 25 years of service in the federal government arena. Twenty-four of those years she worked for the Clerk of Court for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia (USDC-EDVA). During her last decade with USDC-EDVA she served as executive administrator for a U.S. District Court Judge. Renée held a Top Secret, SCI Clearance assigned by the Department of Justice during her career with the United States District Court.

Paula Dedering
Graphic Desinger

Paula has worked in the field of graphic design for the last 23 years having begun her graphic design career while with Ciba Specialty Chemicals Corp. in Greensboro/High Point, NC.

Her background includes graphic design for Westover Church in Greensboro, NC and owning / operating her own graphic design business. Paula is tremendously creative and customer service driven. Her background affords her the ability to work with a wide variety of clients in achieving the results that are desired. Paula’s work on an association level has received numerous national awards and recognition. Paula currently works out of Fort Mill, SC. She is a valued member of the Meeting Services Inc. team.

Mike Southard
Web Developer

As a developer for websites managed by MSI, Mike has offered a wide variety of options and customized websites to fit the needs of our clients. He has developed sites for organizations such as:

• Federal Mediation Consolidation Service
• QUIGEN
• NASVA
• US Geological Survey
• North Carolina Troopers Association
• SOFE

His experience in programming and his approach to customer service is a hallmark of success in the development of sites and servicing of technical requirements.

In the technological world where so many web designers are using “box solutions” for website development and management, Mike is a true programmer. He utilizes his years of experience to write the code and develop the websites to fit the needs instead of fitting the client to the product at hand.