Thank you subscribers for voting. Congratulations to the 2014 Women of Influence!
Venues Today magazine will be honoring these women in our seventh annual Venues Today Women of Influence Awards! The chosen five women are mentors and leaders and have made a difference in the sports, entertainment, fair and meetings industries. We'll be highlighting their accomplishments in our upcoming July issue.
Jan Addison
Deputy General Manager
Orange County Convention Center (OCCC), Orlando
Addison’s leadership in the past 22 years was instrumental in OCCC's becoming known as a World Class Facility and the “Center of Hospitality.” She currently serves on IAVM’s Board of Directors, representing the Convention Center/Exhibit Hall sector, is an instructor at IAVM’s Venue Management School and is chairing a joint IAVM/IAEE Task Force for best practices in lease agreements. She was a primary contributor to IAVM’s White Paper on Exclusive Service.
Lynn Carlotto
General Manager
Rogers K-Rock Centre/SMG Canada, Kingston, Ontario
Carlotto has 20 years of experience in venue management, holding key management positions in all three public sports and entertainment venues in Connecticut. She currently serves as GM for SMG Canada’s Rogers K-Rock Centre. She has also served as GM of New England’s largest theatre, Toyota Oakdale Theatre in Wallingford, Conn., for Live Nation Entertainment. Before Live Nation, Carlotto was promoted from director of Marketing to General Manager of the Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Conn., for Centerplate, becoming the first and only woman to run a Connecticut arena.
Wesley Cullen
GM
SMG, Coliseo de Puerto Rico, San Juan
Cullen joined SMG and Coliseo de Puerto Rico in 2006 as director of Events and has been GM since 2009. She was recently recognized by Caribbean Business as one of the Puerto Rico's "40 under 40" and is very active in the community. She founded and heads the nonprofit organization Super Positivo, dedicated to keeping the beaches clean in Puerto Rico. During the fall of 2011, she became an Adjunct Professor at the Universidad del Este and enjoyed her first teaching experience with the course "Advanced Special Events Planning.”
Susan Rosenbluth
Senior Vice-President of AEG Live/Goldenvoice
Rosenbluth started her career at The Greek Theatre, Los Angeles, in 1978. She spent her first three years learning about facility management, starting in the parking lot, at the world-renowned amphitheater, and was named general manager of The Greek Theatre at the age of 24 in 1982. Over the next 13 years she managed concert presentations at the Greek Theatre, Pantages Theatre, Pacific Amphitheatre, and Honda Center for the Nederlander Organization. In 2003, Rosenbluth moved to Goldenvoice as its General Manager. Though now she is a talent buyer, her roots are firmly planted in venues. She formed the Latin music promotion division of Goldenvoice in 2005.
Cheryl Swanson
Executive Director
Alerus Center Grand Forks, N.D.
Swanson has been an active member of IAVM for many years, serving on numerous committees She is a current member of IAVM Board of Regents, past chair of the Senior Executive Symposium, and instructor at the Venue Management School at Oglebay among other things. She led the City of Grand Forks through transitioning Alerus Center from private management to self-management. Through her efforts and industry experience, Swanson has overseen the fiscal turnaround of Alerus Center, recording operating surpluses the two years it has been city managed.