Diane Morgan, TCIA's Director of Meetings and Events for the past 16 years, has announced her retirement, planned for June 2021. For more than 16 years, Diane has been a driving force behind TCIA's events, from TCI EXPO and our Winter Management Conference (WMC) to the inception of Executive Arborist Workshops (EAW) and countless other workshops large and small. Most recently Diane spearheaded our Virtual Summit, taking her skills to cyberspace!
It's easy to forget what Winter Management Conference and EXPO were like 16 years ago when Diane began her TCIA career. WMC was not living up to its potential. EXPO was sorely in need of a refresh. Diane stepped in and from the very beginning brought a new level of professionalism to TCIA's events.
Since then, we added many workshops and enhanced our existing meetings repeatedly. Diane always made sure we were successful. We hear from so many attendees of her ever-helpful attitude, unflappable and positive attitude no matter what is happening and admiration for her commitment and planning excellence.
She has made many friends in our industry, watched careers and companies soar and become safer, watched children grow up at WMC and the EXPO exhibit hall and educational rooms become THE place to be. Diane noted that these are some of the reasons retiring is bittersweet.
To say that her knowledge and sense of humor will be missed by TCIA members and staff would be a great understatement. TCIA's president and CEO Dave White noted that, "We all know how much Diane loves to travel, golf and generally be active. After the last year, I don't think any of us would begrudge her retiring in order to take advantage when the world opens back up again. I hope you will join me in the coming weeks in thanking Diane for her outstanding contributions to TCIA!"
Diane is leaving on a high note. Our WMC attendees have never been happier after the amazing conference held in Puerto Vallarta in 2020. EXPO is in record breaking territory for attendees, exhibitors and the amount of education and networking provided. Congratulations Diane! Well deserved!