Ken Jarka, General Manager, Washington Hilton

Enhancing Safety and Reducing Risk for Attendees and Executives at Events

Kenneth Jarka brings over three decades of distinguished hospitality experience, with leadership roles at some of the nation’s most prominent hotels and resorts. He began his career at the Sherry Netherland Hotel in New York City and went on to hold senior positions at The Grand Hyatt New York, Park Hyatt Philadelphia, Sheraton New Orleans and as Vice President of Operations at Mohegan Sun, where the property earned a #2 national ranking for customer service among luxury casino hotels.

Since joining Hilton in 2011, Jarka has led major properties including the New York Hilton Midtown and Hilton Minneapolis—where he was named General Manager of the Year in 2018. Today, he serves as General Manager of the iconic Washington Hilton, a 1,107-room landmark and trusted host to U.S. presidents, foreign dignitaries and high-security events such as political summits global conferences, and the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. With 118,000 square feet of meeting space, the hotel demands meticulous coordination, discretion and risk management—areas where Jarka has built a reputation for operational excellence and trusted leadership.

Christopher Keane, Director of Sales, Bermuda Tourism Authority

International Insights: A Collaborative Approach to Planning Global Events

Christopher Keane is a hospitality sales professional with 30 years of experience driving revenue and building authentic relationships. He has held leadership roles with Hilton, Hyatt and Omni Hotels, sold the city of Baltimore and now serves as Director of Sales for the Bermuda Tourism Authority.

Known for turning challenges into opportunities, delivering innovative solutions and championing his customers, Christopher is also passionate about mentoring and motivating others. Outside of work he enjoys running, traveling, spending time with his wife and dogs and sharing good food with family and friends.

Joyce Layman, Visibility Strategist and Coach

Step Aside, Imposter Syndrome: Change Your Filters, Build Your Confidence, Take Action

Joyce Layman is a TEDx presenter, two-time author and business coach who helps professionals rethink how they show up, grow visibility and seize opportunities. Once a self-described wallflower, she rewired her own mindset to build an authority brand, earning the nickname “a walking LinkedIn” and praise from Bob Burg as “the greatest networker in the world.”

Blending performance mindset, strategic relationship-building and real-world tactics, Joyce has worked with organizations across industries since 2008. Her books Just Another Leap and Your Connecting Advantage guide readers to turn overthinking into action and connections into opportunities.
 

Katherine LaMacchia, Managing Director, Director of Corporate Events, Baird

Strategic Leaders Exchange: Performance Reviews, Succession Planning, and Resource Management

Katherine LaMacchia is Managing Director, Director of Corporate Events for Baird, a privately held, international financial services firm with offices in the United States, Europe, and Asia, and more than $300 billion in client assets.  Katherine joined Baird in 2008 and has had the great honor of serving the firm’s events needs throughout her tenure.  Her current responsibilities include leadership of a high-performing event management team that produces 300+ impactful events annually for the Private Wealth Management, Fixed Income and Firm business units.  

Katherine is an active member of Financial and Insurance Conference Planners (FICP) since 2019 having served on several committees, including Chairing the 2024 Education Forum and currently serves as a board member.  She is passionate about wellness, having held ACE certifications in Personal Training, Group Fitness and Schwinn Cycle Instructor.  She enjoys giving back to her community and serves on the Discovery World Board. Katherine resides in the Chicago suburbs with her husband Mario and two children, Annabelle and Leo. 

Romy Linde, General Manager, Hello! Southern California

Innovation in Action: FICP Stories of Unreasonable Hospitality

Born and raised in San Diego, Romy Linde brought her deep knowledge of the local scene and 15 years of experience to Hello! in 2017. She is now General Manager of Hello! Southern California, where she has grown the local team to more than 20 people. With eight years at Hello! under her belt, her wide-ranging experience gives her invaluable insight into the hospitality industry. 

Romy is driven by a passion for creating unforgettable events while ensuring her clients, partners and team feel valued every step of the way. When she’s not leading her team, she can be found working out, running or exploring new places with her husband, son and two daughters. With her upbeat personality and sense of humor, it’s no surprise her playlist is just as dynamic, featuring everything from Jelly Roll to Coldplay and, of course, some Kendrick Lamar.

.

Meg Lorio, Risk Manager for Corporate & International Protective Services at Liberty Mutual Insurance

Enhancing Safety and Reducing Risk for Attendees and Executives at Events

Meg Lorio, CPP is Manager of Protective Risk at Liberty Mutual Insurance, where she has spent more than a decade mitigating risk for high profile meetings, events and sponsorships. She specializes in strategic risk assessment, operational planning, on site security and incident response, leading multidisciplinary teams that deliver executive protection and intelligence led security.

Meg holds the Certified Protection Professional credential from ASIS International. She is EMT trained, a CPR/AED & First Aid Instructor and a Certified Security Driver with advanced training in protective driving, surveillance, behavior detection and explosive device risk mitigation. She earned a Master of Science in Criminal Justice from Boston University and a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology from Louisiana State University.

Linsday Maloni, Global Sales Director, PRA

FICP Chats LIVE! Meetings Professional and Hospitality Partner Collaboration in the Digital Age

Lindsay Maloni is a seasoned event professional with 24 years of experience spanning corporate and destination management sectors. She has served as a senior event manager for two Fortune 100 companies and held leadership roles focused on driving sales growth through strategic event management. Transitioning to the DMC side, Lindsay has applied her expertise to increase brand awareness while delivering high-quality event experiences.

A dedicated advocate for the evolution of the event industry, Lindsay has served on the Board of Directors for the Financial and Insurance Conference Planners Association and has spoken at numerous industry conferences as a subject matter expert on trends shaping the meetings and events landscape. Lindsay lives in Longmeadow, MA, with her three boys. You can find her with family and friends often on the sidelines, cheering at her sons’ sporting events.

Victoria Matey, Event Psychology Advisor and Co-founder, Matey Events

Planning With Intention: Behavioral Event Design That Drives Real Results and Capital Gains

Innovation in Action: FICP Stories of Unreasonable Hospitality (Moderator)

Victoria Matey helps event pros use psychology to design smarter, more human experiences. She’s an Event Psychology Advisor and the author of the first-ever Event Psychology Lab course, the book 10 Principles of Strategic Event Planning and the ‘Event Psychology Strategist’ certification course with MPI. With a background in event management and cognitive linguistics, Victoria turns science into practical strategies for real-world events - whether it’s making events more brain-friendly, driving decisions through research-backed event marketing, designing spaces that guide behavior or helping industry partners apply psychology in ways that stick.

Victoria delivers keynotes and insight-driven sessions worldwide; past appearances include events like SITE ISA, IMEX, Skift Meetings, theEvent. She regularly appears on podcasts, contributes to leading industry publications and shares thought leadership content with the events community. She also runs the Event Psychology community and resource hub and serves as VP of Events & Outreach at Bescy, a behavioral science nonprofit.