The Incentive Research Foundation has a new president. Stephanie Harris, senior director, global event services & marketing, American Express Meetings & Events, will fill the job left open when the IRF’s long-time president Melissa Van Dyke joined Creative Group in July.
Harris’s experience designing and managing the American Express Global Meetings Industry Forecast, an annual research-based publication, should serve her well at the IRF, which funds research studies and educational webinars and white papers for the incentive industry. Harris’s experience also includes eight years as division vice president at Maritz, where she launched Travel Insight, a research methodology designed to optimize incentive travel programs.
“Stephanie brings her industry knowledge, event background, and passion for research at a critical time as the IRF creates its Vision 2025 and develops a strategy to increase our impact on the incentives industry,” said Mike May, current chair of the IRF Trustees and president of Brightspot Incentives & Events.
Kari Vrba, the incoming 2020 IRF chair and senior vice president, business development at MotivAction, commented, “We look forward to Stephanie’s strong leadership as we develop our 2020 research docket, plan for the 2020 Education Invitational in the Dominican Republic, and continue to engage with the incentives community.”
