USITT has put Jody Harris in charge of all sales and sponsorship activities for the Institute. Executive Director David Grindle made the announcement last week. This is an expansion of her duties in conference and meeting planning. She has already transitioned to this expanded role.

Harris, who had been charged with logistics, food and beverage, and operational details for the Annual Conference & Stage Expo and an extensive catalog of in-person meetings and events throughout the year, quickly transitioned to “virtual mode” as she developed and managed logistics and operations for our successful online version, USITT21 – Virtually Anywhere.

“Jody has been with USITT since 2019 and knows our membership well. She is customer service-focused and excited to help our members connect and make the most out of their USITT experience,” said Grindle. “Her previous sales experience combined with a knowledge of the Institute and industry make her an exciting person to step into this role.”

Prior to joining the Institute, Harris was the Director of Events and Food and Beverage at the Oncenter in Syracuse, where she was awarded both a leadership award for “developing talented leaders of tomorrow” as well as the national Silver Spoon Award for “innovative menu items.” She brings more than two decades of experience in sales, event planning, logistics, and facilities and vendor management to her expanded role.

“I look forward to getting to know our organizational members and partners and, of course, our Stage Expo exhibitors even better as I begin this exciting challenge,” she said.

Born in East Africa and of Indian descent, Jody has experienced a life of travel and multicultural living. “My dad worked for the United Nations,” she explained. “I lived in East Africa for 10 years and then moved to Boston, where my dad completed his master’s degree.” From there, Jody and her family moved to Calgary, Alberta. When she left Canada, she first landed in Columbus before she and her husband and their three daughters settled in Cazenovia, N.Y.

Harris will be working with exhibitors for Stage Expo, but also with advertisers for TD&T and the Institute’s multiple digital platforms, and developing sponsorship opportunities across the Institute.