Tiffany Pendlebury

Tiffany Pendlebury in her new office at the FIU Kovens Conference Center.

Graduate student Tiffany Pendlebury turned an internship at FIU’s Kovens Conference Center into a full-time position as a sales coordinator.

The Miami-born, soon-to-be karate black belt, talented cupcake baker, always thought she would do something related to culinary arts. But she has discovered she has a flair for sales and marketing. “She has the hunger to learn and doesn’t sit and wait for task assignments. She is proactive and understands the sense of urgency in business,” said Dana Baker, assistant director of conferences services.

Tiffany landed the internship at Kovens in January 2014 with assistance from the Chaplin School’s J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation Career Development Program. In just a few short weeks, she was involved in almost every aspect of operations, conference services, client relations, business services, financial management, and assisted with marketing. She managed one of the largest annual conferences held at Kovens and excelled, earning rave reviews from the event organizers. But it was her positive, go-getter attitude and business sense that opened the door to the sales gig.

By April, she was hired as a temporary conference sales specialist, where she focused on booking events and increasing sales. She assisted in different deals and managed to book a weeding, which took place this past weekend, and has multiple contracts pending.

“I had no background in events or conference services and

[Dana] showed me what is required and how to make sure an event is successful,” Tiffany said. “I think most importantly, she saw something in me that demonstrated that I would be a perfect fit for Kovens and gave me the opportunity to continue my career here.”

“We are fortunate to have Tiffany as part of the Kovens team,” Baker said. “Her clear understanding of our industry is a testament to the Chaplin School’s curriculum and the focus on the professional development of its students.”

Before knowing hospitality management was her calling, Tiffany earned an undergraduate degree from FIU’s School of Business Administration and majored in International Business. She will complete her Master of Science in Hospitality Management this summer.

“Being in hospitality gives me the opportunity to meet new people who come from all over the world,” said Tiffany. “I would like to continue growing and learning as much as I can about events and event management. I would also like to build my strength in sales to continue to bring in new business for Kovens. I hope that in the future I can take on a managerial role.”