MPI-THCC
Volunteer Leader of the Month

Missy Floyd-Seward, CMP
Meeting and Conference Planner Associate Director
Texas Middle School Association

By Contributing Writer Josh Henry, Sales Account Manager, Attendee Management, Inc.

Our current Spotlight Shines brightly on a former MPI-THCC President who promises she wasn’t in her PJ’s for this interview. Missy Floyd-Seward, CMP is the Meeting and Conference Planner Associate Director for the Texas Middle School Association. Missy has been at TMSA for 13 years, and she has been a member of MPI since 2001.

What jobs have you held previously?
I have a degree in Social Work from Baylor University, and worked for a very short time as a Life Skills Coach for the Waco ARC and then as a Recreation Director at a Waco area nursing home. A breakup with a college boyfriend sent me in tears (ah! to be 22 again!) back to Dallas, where I worked for five years at a local school district teaching Life Skills in a Special Education department. I moved to Austin to work for TMSA "on a part time basis." That was 13 years ago, and I have never even looked for work elsewhere.

What would you say is the best thing about your job?
Selfishly, I enjoy working from home. There's something to be said about spending the work day in your warm flannel jammies. From a work perspective, I like the various aspects of my job. With such a small staff, I get to work in all areas of the association's management. I have such a wide variety of job duties, there's always something new and exciting to do. My favorite part of the job is probably getting to wine and dine our speakers. But, that probably has much more to do with the wining and the dining than anything else.

How has your MPI membership helped you in your career?
The friendships forged through my membership has been beyond valuable. MPI membership makes is so much easier to network effectively. It's much easier to call up someone whom you consider "a friend" and negotiate planning details.

What advice would you give to someone starting out in world of meeting professionals?
Don't be too proud to ask for help! There is so much wisdom and expertise in our chapter... you can always get a fresh perspective or viewpoint. Above all, be honest in all you do. Honesty will lead to success.

What is your proudest accomplishment?
I survived a year as president of the chapter. During that year, I learned a lot about myself and was able to challenge myself to grow professionally. I was privileged to work with a wonderful board of directors. Together, we were able to (in my humblest opinion) really unite the chapter. I felt that it was a complete team effort, and I was extremely proud of "the team" for all they accomplished that year. I can see the fruits of our labor working on in the subsequent boards, and it is humbling to know that I had just the smallest hand in helping to shape our chapter.

If you could sum up yourself in one word, what would it be?
Other people would probably use the word "sarcastic", but I'll stick with "short."