Linda Nelson
Founder and CEO of To PLAN Ahead LLC
Linda Nelson, CMP has over 20 years of experience in planning conferences and special events.  She began her career in the meetings industry in England with the Plymouth Visitor and Convention Bureau where she worked as a Tourist and Conference Destination Manager.  Since moving to the U.S. nineteen years ago, she has continued her career in the meeting planning industry and in 1997 became a Certified Meeting Professional (CMP). 

Linda is the founder of To PLAN Ahead, LLC, a Meeting Management Company, and feels very fortunate to have worked with companies such as Hewlett Packard, Agilent, Intuit, Applied Materials and many more.  Linda worked as a Meeting Planner for the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) from 1991–1995, and since forming her own company; EPRI has continued to be a loyal client to the present day.   Linda travels extensively both nationally and internationally and has excellent knowledge of the benefits that each region can provide to her clients.

She proudly served on the Founding Board for the Northeastern Chapter of MPI (Meeting Planners International), as the VP of Communications, which was a very challenging and rewarding position.  In 2008 she received the “Professional Excellence in the Meeting Industry” award from her chapter.

Fun Tidbit:  Did you know that Linda won 1st prize for her stamp collection at the age of 10?

lnelson@toplanahead.com


Mary Hogue
Meeting Planner
Mary Hogue has been in the training and meetings industry since 1978 when she began her 27 year career at Sonitrol/Advantor Corporation, a company involved in the highly technical field of electronic security and surveillance.

She was the Vice President of Operations, managing programs and departments relating to the effective operation of 178 franchises along with government and international divisions.  These departments included corporate training, franchise quality assurance, inside sales and a department devoted to large scale on-site installation and service of computer based monitoring systems.

Mary created and managed incentive programs to improve technical performance and reward franchise employees for their service.  She was responsible for the planning and development of several national conventions each year and twenty training/certification programs annually.  These programs are still in use worldwide.  This is where she learned to love the meetings industry.

Upon retirement from Sonitrol, Mary became an independent contractor, working at planning and on-site management of meetings.  She travels extensively for companies and began working with the team at To PLAN Ahead in 2006.

Fun tidbit: She was the youngest female police officer in the State of Florida when she graduated from the academy at 19.

E-mail:  mhogue@toplanahead.com


Jerry Schmidt
Meeting Planner
Jerry Schmidt, CMP has worked in the meeting planning and hospitality industry for over 35 years.  During that time period Jerry has been a food and beverage director and general manager at several hotels and conference centers, a conference and meeting planner, and an administrator.  Most recently, Jerry was Director of Organizational Services at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, MI.  In that capacity he provided vision and leadership for the organization’s centralized meeting planning team, travel services, facilities, mail, copy and archives, food services, and guest services.  Jerry has served on the Boards of a number of non-profit organizations including the United Way of Greater Battle Creek; the Battle Creek/Calhoun County Convention and Visitors Bureau; and the Kellogg Arena. 

Fun Tidbit:  Jerry has two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels who are named Winston (after Winston Churchill) and Maggie (after Margaret Thatcher).

E-Mail: jschmidt@toplanahead.com




Lisamarie Lambert
Client Relations Manager
At To PLAN Ahead, Lisamarie is responsible for assisting Linda Nelson in tasks that lead up to the event and following up on attendance and reporting.  She communicates with program managers, attendees, hotel sales and service staff, and others involved in the meeting planning process daily.  She enjoys this work as she is using the customer service skills that she believes makes every part of a job and the customer's experience so much better.

Prior to joining To PLAN Ahead, Lisamarie was an Assistant Manager at Christopher and Banks women's clothing store. She was a supervisor of store responsibilities including sales and accounting of daily figures, but what she loved most and was given praise for most was customer service.  She received an award from the corporate office in her first two months of service for excellent customer feedback.

While working full-time, Lisamarie continued to work as a part-time small business owner in art and music.   She is responsible for sales, marketing, customer contacts, follow-up calls, database, expenditure and sales records, cashiering, and banking.  Her areas of art are painting on fabric, song-writing, and poetry.

Lisamarie has had much excitement in life with children and parties as she was a leader at Tumbling Tykes, a fun motor skills play group and venue for birthday parties.  Other planning experiences include organizing the Harvest Festival in her hometown, which kept her busy with vendors, floor and grounds plans as well as rain plans, entertainment, invoices from vendors and tight communication with the committee.  She is currently in the beginning stages of organizing an upcoming craft venue which will include crafters, other vendors and, hopefully, sponsors. 

Prior to starting her own business, Lisamarie worked as a Caseworker in the education/social service field.   She has a degree in Sociology from the University at Albany (1989) along with a degree in Social Sciences and Business from Western Carolina University (1985).

Fun tidbit:  Lisamarie was on a televised bowling show as a young teen and won a trophy for Queen of the Hill, a position that was challenged and televised weekly, and undefeated for six weeks!

E-Mail: llambert@toplanahead.com


Norma Baker
Executive Assistant
Norma has extensive experience in event planning, insurance, education, manufacturing, legal, and human resources environments.  Norma has worked as a secretary for Eaton Corporation, International Harvester, MCI, Consolidated Packaging, and as a legal secretary for a Chicago law firm.  She also was a New York State Certified Teaching Assistant and worked with children with learning disabilities in Upstate New York.

Norma was an Event Planning Assistant with State Farm Insurance’s Regional Office in Upstate New York where she assisted two Event Planners with over 80 meetings and events a year.  After taking early retirement from State Farm and not yet ready to be completely retired, Norma came to work for To PLAN Ahead in 2005.  Norma brings over 10 years event/meeting planning experience.   As a part-time Executive Assistant with To PLAN Ahead, she assists with a full range of meeting planning duties.

Norma has served as a mentor to an elementary and high school student.  She also has been a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity, the Special Olympics, Make a Difference Day, and received special recognition from State Farm for her work with the March of Dimes WalkAmerica Committee in Saratoga Springs, New York.

Most memorable meeting:  Assisting with a meeting in New York City during the 2003 East Coast Blackout and having to evacuate the Hotel on orders from the fire department.  All her meeting attendees had to sleep on the sidewalk outside the hotel because there were no back-up generators--so no sprinkler system in the hotel.

E-mail:  nbaker@toplanahead.com


Allie Strong
Student Assistant
Allie is a sophomore at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she is studying hospitality and tourism.  She plans on concentrating in meeting and event management.  The meeting planning industry interests her because of its emphasis on customer service, organization, and attention to detail.

Allie found her passion for planning and organization in high school as the co-President of the school community service club.  She kept busy planning service events, as well as social gatherings and club meetings.  She is currently involved in the Isenberg School of Management Honors Council at the University of Massachusetts Amherst as part of the community service event coordination and planning committee.

As an intern at To Plan Ahead, she has gotten lots of hands on experience, which is a great supplement to her education.  She helps with pre-event administrative work and is very interested in learning how to best help the customer.  Working with the To Plan Ahead team provides great insight into the meeting planning industry, and is helping to formulate her future goals.

Fun Tidbit:  At five weeks old, Allie found her passion for traveling, and has never lost it since.

E-Mail: astrong@toplanahead.com