Our Team

Sure you can plan an event yourself, but is that the best use of your time when so much is on the line? Qualified professionals make the difference between an event that is remembered because of the slip-ups and an event that is simply memorable. Meet the people who put the “amazing” in A-mazing Events.

Joey Reader – President & Founder

Joey began her career in human resources management and discovered her skills at teambuilding, planning, and record-keeping were ideally suited to a career in creative professional event planning. Joey is a graduate of UW-Oshkosh and the Fox Valley Technical College (FVTC) Venture Center entrepreneur program. She is highly skilled at planning and managing complex events down to the minute details. Her clients benefit from her expertise in identifying event goals, listening to their vision, tracking details, and managing changes. She has a clairvoyant knowledge of resources and vendors, which makes A-mazing Events a true leader in the event planning industry. In addition to managing several key accounts for over 10 years, Joey enjoys coaching each member of her team to new levels of success and professional satisfaction.

Kara Lendved – Project Manager

As the first employee of A-mazing Events, Kara has moved up the ladder to her current role as Project Manager for our Organizational Management division. In addition to managing this division Kara will put her Event Manager hat on and oversee the execution of several events throughout the year. Every day, she demonstrates her gratitude for being part of our team, and that upbeat attitude flows through all her work. A treasured team-player, Kara is known for her intuitive thinking and can often get things managed before her co-workers or clients even think to ask!

Megan Vande Hey – Project Manager

Megan is the queen of the planning spreadsheet. If there is an important detail, Megan deals with it. If something appears forgotten, she follows up well before it falls by the wayside. Megan manages data for complete trade shows of two hundred exhibitors to intimate events where the smallest touches make the biggest impact. Her enthusiasm with event planning is not a surprise, as she completed her degree in the Meeting and Event Planning program through Fox Valley Technical College. Megan has been with the A-mazing Events team for over 5 years.

Kelsey McElrath – Project Manager

With a passion for getting involved in the Fox Valley community, Kelsey enjoys collaborating with corporations and non-profits to support and strengthen their operations. With experience in marketing and daily operations management, Kelsey can provide valuable organizational management skills to benefit her clients. In addition, Kelsey has over a decade of dedicated event planning experience.  Her extensive background spans both the corporate world and the non-profit sector, including employee engagement events, international and domestic incentive trips, meeting management, trade shows, and community engagement activities. Above all, Kelsey possesses an unwavering passion for branding and will ensure that your events and meetings reflect the essence of your brand.

Nicole Hartjes – Project Manager

Nicole loves meeting new people, creating fun experiences, and perfecting the intricate details! She has an extensive background in meeting and event management as she has earned a business bachelor’s degree in marketing and sales from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, an associate degree in meeting and event management from Madison Area Technical College and has over five years of professional experience in corporate event planning. Nicole has a diverse portfolio of clients to whom she is helping bring their visionary events to life. Nicole’s personable approach and positive, can-do attitude are huge assets when collaborating with any team.

Jenny Schipper – Project Manager

Jenny started her career at A-mazing Events in 2019 as an intern before she assumed her role of Event Coordinator. Just three short years later, Jenny is looking forward to continuing growing in her journey within A-mazing Events as our newest Project Manager. She is excited for the opportunity to be more hands-on with clients in the event planning process. As a well-organized person, she loves the confidence of going into an event with the details covered—and that is why our clients love her, too.

Erica Schall – Event Coordinator

As an event coordinator, Erica supports our project managers with logistics, registration, supplier coordination, as well as sponsors and speaker coordination.  She enjoys utilizing her creativity and collaborating with her co-workers to ensure the vision of the event is well-executed and exceeds expectations on event day! Amongst other responsibilities, Erica is also the go-to for all equipment and specialty linen rentals.

Sam Kobussen – Event Coordinator/Graphic Designer

As an event coordinator, Sam supports our project managers with logistics, registration, supplier coordination, as well as sponsors and speaker coordination.  Through her graphic design degree from the University of Minnesota Duluth, she manages social media and marketing for many clients (and our company!).

Robin Ward – Event Coordinator

As an event coordinator, Robin supports our project managers with logistics, registration, supplier coordination, as well as sponsors and speaker coordination.  She enjoys utilizing her creativity to ensure the vision of the event is well-executed and exceeds expectations on event day. Her enthusiasm for assembly also always results in exceptional gift baskets!

Emerson Kedrowciz – Event Coordinator

As an event coordinator, Emerson supports our project managers with logistics, registration, supplier coordination, as well as sponsors and speaker coordination.  She enjoys getting all details organized going into event day – and the clients she works for enjoy that too!

Laurie Schmidt – Administrative Coordinator

Laurie supports our Organizational Management division working with a variety of clients to carry out day-to-day tasks. Laurie acts as an extension of our client’s team, communicating daily, staying organized, all while keeping processes moving forward. If she isn’t busy with clients, she is helping A-mazing Events internal team with special projects, drafting proposals and setting up new jobs.

Jody Giordana – Bookkeeper

As our bookkeeper, Jody is an organized and efficient individual that keeps the financials of our company tracked and recorded. Along with crunching numbers, she sees that our talented event partners and employees are taken care of and paid on time.

Kelly Garrett – Office Coordinator

Kelly will be the first smiling, friendly face you see when visiting A-mazing Events. As our Office Coordinator, Kelly supports our team by keeping our office operations running smoothly and tidy with her awesome organizational skills.  Amongst other responsibilities, Kelly also supports our Event Managers and Coordinators with all things event related.