Lee Ann Adams Mikeman
Assistant vice president, conference planning and special events
Science Applications International Corp.
McLean, Va.

PAST Adams Mikeman started out as administrative assistant/conference planner at SAIC 20 years ago, and she now oversees a team of six who coordinate more than 500 meetings, conferences, and special events annually.

CRED She recognized in the mid-1990s that “there was a real void in available internal resources to help professionally coordinate meetings, conferences, and special events for SAIC managers and contracted clients.” Now, with her strategic meetings management program firmly established, she is focused on improving compliance and adoption of the program and updating meeting policies to stay current.

SUCCESS STORY She won't forget assisting the company with Listing Day logistics when it went public on the New York Stock Exchange in October 2006. “I got choked up when they rang the bell and I saw the SAIC logo and our leaders on the podium,” she recalls. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime event and a momentous occasion for our company and me, personally.”

FORWARD-THINKING The next step? To establish a successful preferred-supplier program for groups/meetings to help the company leverage its spending.

ADVICE: Her career path has followed the advice that she offers to newly minted planners: “Mission, Passion, Metrics. Set a mission, be passionate about achieving it, measure your performance, and don't give up!”

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