Tyra W. Hilliard, Esq., CMP is an attorney, speaker, and consultant who provides legal counsel and services to meeting and event professionals in corporate, non-profit, and association settings. Tyra is one of very few practicing attorneys who also holds the Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) designation.

Tyra is currently the Chair of the Convention Industry Council's APEX Contracts Panel. She was named "One of the 25 Most Influential People in the Meetings Industry" by MeetingNews magazine in 2004. She is an invited participant in the Meeting Professionals International Platinum Speaker Series on risk management, legal, and ethical topics. She also served as the Chair of the Council on Education for the Professional Convention Management Association in 2005.

As a professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and The George Washington University, Tyra has taught graduate and undergraduate courses in meeting and event management in class as well as online. Early in her career, Tyra worked in the meetings industry as a meeting planner, a catering manager, and an association executive. Her industry experience gives her a unique perspective on the legal and business aspects of meeting and event management.

Education

J.D., cum laude, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA

M.A., Education & Human Development, Tourism Administration, The George Washington University, Washington, DC

B.S., Business Administration, Georgetown University, Washington, DC

Graduate certificate in Emergency Management and Organizational Continuity, Boston University, Boston, MA (in progress)

Law & Consulting Experience

Of Counsel, Goldberg & Associates, Washington, DC

Sole practitioner, Law Office of Tyra Hilliard, Washington, DC

Associate, Sumner & Associates, P.C., Atlanta, GA

Associate, Foster, Jensen, & Gulley, L.L.C., Atlanta, GA

Presentations

American Society of Association Executives and The Center for Association Leadership

European Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (EuroCHRIE)

Event Solutions

International Association of Conference Centers (IACC)

International Special Events Society (ISES)

Meeting Professionals International (MPI) (national and individual chapters)

MeetingsQuest

Meeting World

Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA)

Copyright 2008 by Tyra W. Hilliard. All rights reserved.