Suzanne Hackman

Regional Director of Sales

Suzanne Hackman grew up in Gainesville, Florida. She attended the University of South Florida in St. Petersburg, Florida, where she obtained her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. She began her hospitality journey working part time in room service, at the Renaissance Vinoy Resort while she was in college, and fell in love with both hospitality and the St. Petersburg area, where she currently resides. Suzanne held sales manager positions for Radisson Hotels, and Adams Mark Hotels and Resorts before being hired as a Senior Sales Manager at Tradewinds Island Resorts in 2000. In 2005 she was hired as a Sr. Sales Manager for Visit St. Peter/Clearwater, was promoted to the Director of Meetings and Conventions in 2007, and promoted again in 2018 to Vice President of Business Development. Suzanne is a member of SITE Fl & Caribbean, and served on the board for four years, she is a Certified Destination Management Executive (CDME) and is active in both MPI and PCMA. Contact: Suzanne.Hackman@PRA.com

Heather Brown, CMP, DMCP

Regional Vice President

Heather Brown, CMP, DMCP, began her DMC career with PRA in 2013, but has been serving the Chicago and Midwest event and hospitality market since 1999. Her position as Regional General Manager allows her to share her intense passion for our industry with both her team and her clients. Heather knows that the key to creating unique and one-of-a-kind experiences is true collaboration and partnership. With numerous events under her belt, one of her favorite experiences was the 2012 Chicago Summit. Heather led the team who partnered with the White House to plan and execute a very successful NATO Working Dinner for President Obama and the NATO delegates. Heather has served on the MPI-CAC Board of Directors since 2017 and has had the honor of receiving both the Eleanor H. Woods Supplier of the Year Award and the Chapter Leader of the Year Award. As the current Chapter President Elect, she oversees the Chapter’s Diversity and Equity initiatives and is honored to be elected to this very important leadership role. Heather has been featured on the BizBash Most Influential Event Professionals list and has won the PRA Pillar Award for Serving with Passion. Her love for the industry is only surpassed by her devotion to her big boisterous family and insanely hilarious friends.

Contact: Heather.Brown@PRA.com

Jessica James

Regional Sales Manager

Jessica James joined PRA Southeast in 2022. As a Certified Meeting Planner, she brings significant depth and breadth of experience from more than a decade of specializing in the Hospitality, Tourism and Business events industry. Driven by a passion for building client relationships, Jessica cherishes opportunities to draw from her background in Corporate, Association and Social markets to exceed client expectations. Jessica most recently worked at The Boca Raton, leading the Resort’s luxury lifestyle activities, entertainment, and special events. Prior, Jessica spent 8 years at The Walt Disney Company where she executed events across five convention centers, world-renowned theme parks and waterparks. Out of many spectacular events, an exclusive evening party for 800 people in Magic Kingdom with a custom firework show over Cinderella’s castle remains a standout experience.

Rob Bell

Regional Director of Events

Born and raised in South Miami, Rob immersed himself into the DMC industry in 1999 after a tenured career in the airline industry. Rob’s versatility comes from his diversity of experience over the years such as traveling the world as a Travel Director and managing the functional operations and sales for a large statewide DMC in Miami. He moved to Chicago in 2007 and is excited to be back “home” in the Southeast Region as the Regional Director of Events. Rob spends his off time with family and friends and has become quite the cook after an extensive amount of time at home during the pandemic!

Christy Perez

Regional Director of Experience Design

Christy Perez has been serving the South Florida market since 2006 as an event professional. Born and raised in South Florida, Christy has deep roots within the community. While studying at Florida International University, where she earned a Bachelor of Marketing in Business Administration, she began her own event planning company and later a separate event rental company servicing the state. Years later, as a Catering Sales Manager at a luxury 5-star resort, she learned the true art of customer service and leadership from the hotel perspective. With a strong belief in collaboration and partnerships she hopes to create deep relationships built on trust within the local PRA team as well as with our suppliers. As the Regional Director of Experience Design Christy looks forward to using her passion for events, knowledge of South Florida, and industry connections to inspire her team and clients.

Juliette Berthiaume

Experience Designer

Juliette Berthiaume was born and raised in South Florida. As a Florida native she is very passionate and knowledgeable about the area’s different offerings. She attended the University of Central Florida in Orlando, where she obtained her bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management. She has always loved the Hospitality industry and began her career with luxury resorts working at The Breakers Resort in Palm Beach, and the boutique hotel, The Bicycle Street Inn, in Mackinac Island, Michigan. Juliette loves checking out the new spots in town from restaurants and breweries to activities.

Melanie Torres

Experience Designer

Melanie was born and raised in Orlando, FL and has been surrounded by tourism and hospitality her whole life. A career in the meetings and events industry was just the right fit for her. Melanie graduated from University of Central Florida with a Bachelor’s degree in Event Management in May 2021. She has always had a passion for creating memorable experiences for others and she is so excited she gets to do that every day with PRA. Outside of work, Melanie loves taking her 65 lb “puppy” to the beach to swim or the hiking trails… she is definitely a proud dog-mom!

Nicole Smolen

Experience Designer

Nicole Smolen comes to us with a background in public relations and social and corporate event planning, focusing on delivering quality and top-notch service. She has successfully planned high-end events for Fortune 500 companies, government entities and international embassies. She focuses on executing her client’s goals by listening to their needs and turning their vision into a reality. Her attention to detail, ability to handle multiple projects, and creativity skills all coincide to make her a key team member at PRA.