Michelle Brown was named Senior Vice President of Operations & Customer Excellence for Encore in April 2023. She is responsible for aligning the company’s Workforce Excellence team, operational best practices, cross-functional project management initiatives, and the collective scope of scaling service excellence across the business.
Prior to joining Encore, Brown most recently served as Vice President of Digital Products and Analytics at United Airlines. She also served as CFO of commercial business units, Managing Director of Airport Operations, and Managing Director of the Mileage Plus loyalty program. Brown previously served as a Consultant and Team Leader for Bain & Company and held various leadership roles at American Airlines.
Brown earned her bachelor’s degree in economics from Duke University and her master’s degree in business from the University of Michigan. She is a member of Women in Travel Tech (WiTT) and board Treasurer for Communities In Schools of Chicago.
Outside of work, her hobbies include bike riding along the Chicago lakefront and rooting for the Duke Blue Devils. She lives in Chicago and is a doting mom to her son.
Amanda Armstrong was named in the top five Women of Influence by Meetings Net Magazine and one of the 50 Most Influential Meeting Professionals by Meeting Professionals International.
She is the Senior Vice President of Communications and Industry Relations, and she supports the stellar team members of Industry Engagement, Communications and Social Media. Armstrong is responsible for the strategic development and management of Encore’s communication strategy and increasing its presence and impact in the events industry.
Staying active in the industry is a top priority. She currently serves on the Event Industry Council’s APEX Critical Response Task Force and the Event Leaders 100 think tank. Armstrong served as the 2018 Chair of the International Board of Directors for Meeting Professionals International (MPI) and was an advisory board member for Hyatt Hotels, the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission, and Elite Meetings.
Prior to joining Encore, Armstrong led the global meetings and travel team at Enterprise Holdings, Inc, the parent company for Enterprise rent-A-Car, National Car Rental and Alamo for 14 years. She led all procurement, planning and execution of the companies’ meetings globally and led the transient travel program.
She graduated from the University of Colorado with a bachelor’s degree in International Relations, received her Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) designation in 2007, Corporate Travel Expert (CTE) certification in 2011, and became a Certified Event Designer (CED) in 2015.
Outside the office, she heads off into nature to ski, hike, camp, or surf. She enjoys traveling and sailing with her husband, Jon, who loves to plan travel and culinary adventures.
If you ask her where she cut her teeth in our industry, it was at the tech table calling the show on comms with audio visual professionals who make it all happen.
Poonam Mohan joined Encore as its Chief Information Officer in September 2023. She leads the IT function in delivering innovative solutions that assist teams in performing their jobs while also deepening customers’ relationships with Encore, both aimed at elevating the team member and customer experience through technology.
Prior to joining Encore, Mohan spent more than 21 years at American Airlines, most recently serving as VP, Corporate and Enterprise Technology. She led a team of 800 and was responsible for the entire development life cycle and operations for technologies in the areas of commercial and
corporate, enterprise, regional airlines, cargo, and IT infrastructure. Before joining American Airlines, she spent three years as a consultant with PriceWaterhouseCoopers.
Mohan earned her bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Electronics) from the National Institute of Technology in India, and her MBA from the Indian Institute of Management. She has been recognized by several organizations and media outlets, including 2018 Women Worth Watching (Diversity Journal), 2019 Women Who Steam (Links, Inc.), 2022 Data Team Visionary (Databricks), and 2022 Women in Technology (Dallas Business Journal).
She lives in Coppell, Texas with her husband, son, and daughter. In her free time, she enjoys reading historical fiction, detective stories, Booker prize winners, and of course, business books. She also enjoys Zumba dancing to help her keep fit.
Tara Higgins is a global business leader and branding legend. She has taken on massive projects for some of the world’s most innovative businesses throughout the course of her extensive career as a business, marketing and production advisor, driving tangible results using experience marketing to drive audiences to action. As President, she is leading Hargrove as it continues to evolve into the most engaged, responsive and effective experience marketing company relevant to what clients are asking for today in how to meet their corporate vision.
Her focus and expertise has been and continues to be driving services to customers that offer ultimate value and return on their objectives as we continue to support so many leading organizations around the world. Higgins has managed and led multiple successful businesses that offered results-driven event marketing experiences and campaigns across all mediums for many of the world’s most recognizable brands. The focus is to create innovative services and solutions for tech startups and others in hypergrowth state such as Alibaba, Salesforce, Rodan+Fields and Tesla to name just a few.
Mike Stengel was named Encore’s Senior Vice President, Strategic Accounts and Venue Relations in September 2020. He leads Encore’s focus on developing relationships with hotel chains, hospitality ownership groups and management companies. This team also concentrates on business development with individual event venues, such as hotels, conference and convention centers, and stadiums.
Stengel joined Swank Audio Visuals in 1995 as Manager of Hotel Services in St. Louis, and served as its Regional Manager, Divisional Manager and Vice President of Operations before the integration of Swank and Encore. He was appointed Senior Vice President at Encore in 2013 and led Encore’s revenue management and process improvement groups, which included enhancement of the brand through the development of the Encore Customer Experience (CX) and Service Excellence (SX) departments.
Beginning in 2015, Stengel led the global Specialty Services group, which is comprised of specialized technical solution departments supported by industry expert groups inside Encore. These include rigging solutions, power distribution, digital services, internet services, creative services and simultaneous interpretation teams. He also began leading Encore’s businesses in Canada, Mexico and South America in 2017. Since 2018, Stengel has also led the venue services team in the Central United States. Throughout his tenure, he has led and participated in the post-acquisition integration efforts of the organization to ensure adoption and development of best practices through the enterprise.
Stengel has served on the Live Events Council Steering Team and has chaired the Membership Committee of InfoComm (now AVIXA). He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Management Companies Institute (AMCI).
Stengel earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism with an emphasis in advertising and a minor in business management.
Outside of work, he serves on various local boards, including Marygrove to help with their mission of providing residence, hope and health to children in need. In his free time, Stengel enjoys scuba diving, snow skiing, traveling and attending his kids’ sporting events. He lives in St. Louis with his wife, daughter and son.
Whit Markowitz joined PSAV in July 2000 as its Chief Legal Officer. He is responsible for the legal, compliance and risk management departments. His areas of emphasis include corporate governance, commercial transactions, corporate finance, labor and employment law.
Markowitz has worked in the hospitality and audiovisual industries since the mid-1990s, including serving as Assistant General Counsel for KSL Resorts before joining PSAV. Prior to KSL Resorts, he worked in both the public and private sectors where he practiced general corporate law, real estate, and land use planning.
Markowitz earned his bachelor’s degree in business and finance from the University of Southern California and his J.D. from the University of Denver. He is a member of the California and Colorado State Bar Associations.
In his personal time, he is a commercial pilot, avid downhill skier and scuba diver.
Charlie Young joined Encore in June 2016 as its Chief Human Resources Officer. He is responsible for all areas of Human Resources, including recruiting, compensation, benefits, payroll, learning, talent, organizational development, and HR operations.
Young brings a wealth of operational and HR experience to the Encore family. He has more than 20 years of progressive human resources experience, and for the eight years prior to joining Encore, served as CHRO for hhgregg. Prior to hhgregg, he held various operational and leadership roles in his 21 years at Sears, working as a District Manager and Store General Manager before entering the HR discipline as a Senior Labor Relations Manager. He served as Vice President of HR for Sears Retail, and ultimately became the number two HR leader serving in the capacity of Vice President of HR Retail Store Operations and Supply Chain.
Young was born in Philadelphia and earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration with a specialty in accounting from Gettysburg College.
Outside the office, he has volunteered time with the Salvation Army, the United Way, and supported a team outing to benefit Feed My Starving Children. In his spare time, he enjoys exercising, traveling, renovating his home, and attending the athletic events of his kids, Charlie and Gracie. A car enthusiast, he also enjoys reading about the latest automotive innovations and has attended the Indianapolis 500 more than 15 times.
Becky Sheehan joined Encore as Chief Financial Officer in January 2020. Sheehan is responsible for all global financial aspects of Encore. She oversees all aspects of financial operations, including planning, investor relations, accounting and controls, treasury and tax strategy.
Before joining Encore, Sheehan spent the last three years as Chief Financial Officer at Cars.com. Prior to that, she spent 10 years with FTD Companies, Inc., as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. FTD grew from $400M to $1.2B in her time with the company. She also spent four years with Deloitte & Touche and five years with Arthur Andersen as an Audit Partner.
Sheehan earned her bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Illinois State University and is a Certified Public Accountant. In her personal time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, particularly in Hilton Head, S.C.
Georgina Flores was named Chief Marketing Officer of Encore in November 2023. She is responsible for driving the marketing and communications strategy that supports business growth and enhances brand awareness. She will support revenue generation in partnership with our Commercial teams by leveraging our brand, customer insights, development of innovative products, and telling the story of Encore’s team members.
A seasoned and accomplished marketing leader in both B2B and consumer marketing, Georgina joins Encore from Aetna, where she was VP of Marketing for commercial and specialty markets. She led a team responsible for the commercial value proposition and implementing marketing strategies to drive growth, customer retention, new product launches, and digital lead generation campaigns. Prior to Aetna, Georgina spent most of her career championing marketing campaigns and developing teams at Allstate. She led enterprise brand strategy, award-winning advertising campaigns such as Mayhem, and product marketing initiatives across all lines of business. During her tenure, she built the company’s multicultural marketing function, executing integrated marketing and business initiatives to attract and retain Hispanic, African American, Asian, and LGBTQ customers.
Not only has her work been recognized with industry awards, but Georgina was named to the Advertising Age 40 under 40 list in 2013. She also was inducted into the American Advertising Federation’s Hall of Achievement. From a civic perspective, she is a Fellow of Leadership Greater Chicago, an organization that cultivates Chicago’s business, public and civic leaders. She serves on the board of Instituto del Progreso Latino, a nonprofit that focuses on the advancement of Hispanic immigrant families through education and career training.
Georgina earned a Bachelor of Journalism and Bachelor of Arts from the University of Missouri, and a Master of Science in Integrated Marketing Communications from Northwestern University.
A Chicagoland native, Georgina lives in the same community where she was raised, with her husband, two teenage children, and Cockapoo, Rocky. When she is not busy with kids’ activities, you can find her taking an OrangeTheory Fitness class or trekking up north to Wisconsin for hiking, kayaking, and boating.
Ben Erwin was named CEO of Encore in August 2020. This leadership role follows him becoming President in October 2018. He is responsible for driving the strategic direction of the Company and overseeing the execution of its business plan.
Erwin was hired as Encore’s Chief Financial Officer in February 2015 and was responsible for global accounting, treasury, financial planning and analysis, tax and product management. He has a proven track record of developing global corporate strategies, leading finance organizations, and building high-performance teams.
Prior to joining Encore, Erwin served as Chief Financial Officer for TestAmerica Laboratories, where he led all accounting, finance, treasury, information technology and legal functions. Prior to 2011, he served as SVP Corporate Development for Cornell Companies, where he managed corporate strategy, financial planning and analysis, public market capital transactions, and investor relations. He has also held various positions at Enron Corporation and Trilogy Software.
Erwin earned his bachelor’s degrees in economics and political science from Wake Forest University. He is an active member of MPI and is a board member for both PCMA and the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA).
Outside of work, he dedicates his energy to charter schools in underserved parts of the United States. He enjoys running, traveling, and following the Boston Red Sox. He lives in Chicago’s North Shore area with his wife and two daughters.