Staff Members

I have coordinated meeting & events for the University of Michigan for several years and have been a core member of the Palmer staff before the building held its very first event in 2004.  I enjoy my daily puzzle solving for Palmer Commons on events that flow in and out of the event service area.  In addition to my role with Palmer Commons, I am also part of the UM Athletics event staff team.  I like to spend my spare time on Portage Lake kayaking or teaching water aerobics in my community.

I joined the Palmer Commons team in the fall of 2019. I oversee the building operations and work with the Welcome Desk and Building Manager staff. I have many years of experience pertaining to student union operations and events and am a graduate of Grand Valley State University earning a Master of Education degree with an emphasis in College Student Affairs Leadership and Eastern Michigan University earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Administrative Management.

My professional experience includes over 40 years in the hospitality industry, ranging from working in restaurants, to extensive experience in managing events, owning my own business and daily operations in student unions and conference centers within a higher education setting.
 

My background is Audio Engineering, which I have applied to the events industry for the last 7 years. An undergraduate double major in Electronic Media & Film Studies and English Linguistics at Eastern Michigan University prepared me for my career at the University of Michigan, which I began in March 2022. I enjoyed 21 months with University Unions as  a Meetings and Special Events Assistant and transferred to Palmer Commons in January of 2025. My recent passion project has been exploring sounds with a modular synthesizer.

Our student building managers are responsible for managing events and all building operations when professional staff is not present. They are the front line leaders for our building, where safety, security and comfort are of utmost importance.

Conference Service staff are responsible for setting up physical resources, such as tables, linens and AV equipment for events and assist customers with technical needs.  If you need help pulling up your laptop presentation or add an extra table for your event, they’re ready to help.

Our creative staff consists of a student art coordinator, who plans exhibits and maintains Palmer’s art collection, and multi-media coordinators, who are responsible for assisting in our social media, publicity and marketing efforts.

Event Services staff assist in the planning stages by arranging all details of event reservations, quoting our services and meeting with guests for tours.  They are the jugglers of many moving parts in order to plan the perfect event!

The Information Desk is the hub of all things happening in Palmer Commons.  Staff are trained to answer questions, give directions, direct phone calls and basically, help customers in any way possible!