Contact Renita

Renita Fonseca, CAE, CMP | Chief Executive Officer

Renita Fonseca, CAE, CMP joined the WMS team with great enthusiasm in September of 2018. She is passionate about the association industry where she has spent her entire 20-year career. She comes to us from Austin, TX and from the Texas Radiological Society, where she served as Executive Director for close to 16 years working with all aspects of association management from board governance to strategic planning, conference planning to program development, budgeting to operations, membership to marketing and more. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies from Texas Tech University, and is a Certified Meeting Professional (CMP), as well as a Certified Association Executive (CAE) - the highest professional credential in the association industry. Renita was born and raised in India, having permanently moved to the United States when she was 16 years old. She is passionate about travelling and the outdoors, and she and her husband enjoy taking adventurous overseas trips each year. She also enjoys hiking, volleyball, fitness and dancing. Renita is grateful to the WMS for the opportunity to combine her personal passion for the outdoors and travel with her professional passion for associations, and she looks forward to a partnership which will lead the WMS into continued success for the future.

Kelly George, CAE | Director of Membership, Marketing, & Communications

Kelly George, CAE, has spent the last ten years working with non-profit associations in Austin, Texas. After graduating from the University of Texas with a degree in Public Relations, Kelly worked for her alma mater in the McCombs School of Business' alumni relations department. Following seven years at SeminarWeb where she oversaw the online education for more than 100 professional associations, Kelly most recently served as the Associate Director of Events & Professional Development for the Independent Bankers Association of Texas (IBAT). Kelly is an active member of the Texas Society of Association Executives (TSAE) and was the 2013 recipient of their Young Professional Leadership Award. She is active in their Toastmasters club and earned the Distinguished Toastmasters Award (DTM) in 2021. She is very active in her church and is passionate about caring for children in foster care. She and her husband reside in the Texas Hill Country with their three children and enjoy traveling, hiking, sports, and camping.

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Contact Gabi 

Gabi Glass, CMP | Director of Winter Conference & FAWM

Gabi Glass, CMP, joined the WMS staff team as our Director of Conference & Education Director in October, 2019.  Gabi brings 18 years of conference planning and association management experience to the WMS having worked with various non-profit organizations in Austin, Texas. Gabi graduated from the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, Czech Republic with a Bachelors and Masters in film and TV production. Before joining the WMS, Gabi worked as the Meeting Planner for the State Firefighters’ and Fire Marshals’ Association of Texas (SFFMA) where she coordinated the annual conference, including managing a large exhibit hall, logistics, educational program planning, and more. Gabi resides in Austin, TX and enjoys traveling, swimming, and hiking together with her husband and two daughters.

Alicia Wilson | Director of Summer Conference, DiDMM, & Operations; Bookkeeper

Alicia Wilson has over a dozen years of experience as an association professional in the areas of finance, payroll, operations, CME program development, speaker coordination, hotel contract negotiations, meeting logistics and membership. Medical associations she has worked with include the Texas Radiological Society and the Texas Osteopathic Medical Association. Alicia is a long time Austinite and University of Texas alumnus. Her passions include sailing, scuba diving and mountain biking.

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Contact Anna

Anna Russell | Director of Research, Education & DiMM; Magazine Managing Editor

After growing up in New England, Anna spent her college years in Pittsburgh at Carnegie Mellon University, where she completed a B.S. in Ethics, History, and Public Policy and M.S. in Public Policy and Management. She has extensive professional experience in the software technology arena and has also worked in a number of other roles ranging from legislative affairs to professional development. She currently resides in the upstate of South Carolina and is a mom to four daughters, caretaker of too many pets, and in her free time enjoys reading, photography, and exploring the outdoors with her family. Anna developed a special interest in medical education and research while supporting her husband through his MD/PhD program and emergency medicine residency. 

Teri Howell | Director of CME

Teri keeps all of us organized and fits all the pieces together! She joined us from the Granite School District in Salt Lake City where she served as an administrative assistant for over 18 years. Besides keeping everything running smoothly in our main office, Teri coordinates interaction with our members, partners and affiliates, and serves as our conference planner.

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Contact Adam 

Adam Etkin | Director of Publications

Adam is an established leader in the scholarly publishing industry with over twenty years of experience and a proven track record of taking concepts, technology, and businesses from idea to reality. He is highly experienced with all aspects of the publishing environment including journals, books, submission and peer review, ethics, plagiarism, access models, funding mandates, budgeting, publishing and hosting platforms, metrics, XML, print and digital production, and more. Adam founded PRE (Peer Review Evaluation), a suite of technology and data driven services designed to support and strengthen the peer-review process on behalf of researchers, publishers, and libraries. He is a highly regarded speaker at many world-wide industry conferences and events with a true passion for technology and the publishing industry. In his free time Adam enjoys gardening, sci-fi, and spending time with his family, which includes 8 cats and a dog.

Alicia Byrne | Managing Editor, WEM

Alicia Byrne has been the managing editor of Wilderness & Environmental Medicine since 2015. Prior to joining WEM, Alicia worked as an editor, proofreader, and copyeditor for a variety of publishers and publications. She has a BA in Journalism from Humboldt State University and lives near San Diego with her family.

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Contact Michelle

Michelle Lynn | Executive Assistant; Membership, Marketing, & Communications Assistant

Michelle Lynn joined the WMS team in December 2019. As an administrative professional with over a decade of experience, she is passionate about providing quality communication and service. Residing in the Kansas City area, Michelle comes to WMS from another non-profit organization, for which she served as the events & communications specialist. During her time in this role, she oversaw registration and logistics for a number of regional and global events. Outside of work, Michelle learns alongside her three children as a tutor in her local homeschool community. She enjoys taking family camping and backpacking trips to explore new wild places, as well as cooking, sewing, crocheting, and losing spectacularly to her husband at all manner of board and card games.