Meet our Board of Directors

Paul Salinger has over seventeen years of experience in sustainable events, notably leading event sustainability efforts as Vice President of Marketing at Oracle and co-founding the Green Meeting Industry Council's Northern California Chapter. He is a former President of the Green Meeting Industry Council. He is the current President of the Board of the Society for Sustainable Events (formerly GMIC Northern California). As a retired individual, he remains committed to education and advocacy for event sustainability. Paul was inducted into the Event Marketer Hall of Fame in 2023 for his career contributions to the experiential event industry and for his leadership and work on event sustainability.

Donna Rogers is a seasoned hospitality sales professional with deep experience representing luxury hotels, resorts, and destination organizations. Based in Northern California, she currently represents Visit Salt Lake as Director of West Coast Sales, working closely with clients across California, Oregon, and Washington to bring meetings and events to a dynamic, well-connected destination. Born and raised in Central and South America, Donna brings a multicultural perspective that has shaped her global approach to sales, client service, and relationship building throughout her career. Her background includes leadership and global sales roles with some of the industry’s most recognized luxury brands, including Hyatt, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, The Venetian | The Palazzo, and Canyon Ranch. Across these roles, she’s built lasting partnerships, secured high-impact group business, and served as a trusted advisor to corporate, association, and third-party clients. Outside of sales, Donna has led a sustainability-focused hospitality start-up and was recognized as PCMA’s 2020 Sustainability Champion for her ongoing contributions to responsible event practices. She remains actively engaged in the industry through local and national associations, contributing to conversations that shape the future of meetings and events. When she’s not working, you’ll likely find her hiking a Marin trail, on the tennis court, or cooking and baking up holiday cookies.

Christophe Ley is a highly recognized professional in the conference, meeting, event, incentive, and tourism fields worldwide. With more than 20 years of experience, Ley has previously worked with the San Francisco CVB, Fairmont Global Sales, and San Francisco Travel Association. In his current role as Associate Director of Events and Experiences at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, Ley focuses on creating world-class sustainable events and experiences. He joined the board of GMIC in 2017 and currently serves on the board of the Society for Sustainable Events (formerly GMIC.) Ley is also a lecturer at San Francisco State University. He is both passionate about our environment and bringing people together through thoughtful, engaging events and experiences. Loves to mountain bike in the bay area and always ready for an urban hike adventure, and believes that the best way to discover a new destination is by biking through it.

Julie is currently a consultant with experience in strategic event and corporate travel management and a passion for infusing sustainability into all aspects of work and life Formerly Senior Director of Global Events and Travel at Gap Inc. Julie ran teams that delivered exemplary employee experiences for Gap Inc.’s diverse portfolio of brands and corporate functions. Prior to Gap Inc., Julie led a team at Oracle that focused on global sales incentives, SKOs, and internal meetings and events. Outside of work, interests include global travel, cooking resourcefully, appreciating wine from all over the world, scuba diving and scary movies.