Stacey Vendetta

My career has spanned about 30 years in sales and membership roles. I started working at a very young age, taking on various jobs including at a department store where I kept getting promoted until I was running the whole customer service department for the entire Ames department store chain - I stayed there for 10 years. I always wanted to be in journalism or sales, so I ended up selling radio for about 6-7 years, which was kind of part of my plan. From there, I transitioned into membership sales roles, working at a chamber of commerce in Hartford and a private club in Hartford for a number of years. I also worked in Rhode Island for a graphics solutions company. Currently, I work for CBIA, which is a large membership organization, and I got promoted a couple years ago to Partnership Manager where I run the sponsorships and event program. I reach out to companies and help them with their branding and overall mission through our events at CBIA. My role involves consulting, social media work, and a lot of networking and socialization - really just holding people's hands and getting them engaged in the organization. I've won numerous sales awards over the years including Business Leader of the Year and Salesperson of the Year. I also completed a Dale Carnegie course in public speaking. Most of my training has been in sales training through programs like Dale Carnegie and Sandler, learning to know your audience and be an effective listener. I didn't get a college degree - I didn't have a lot of guidance as a child since my parents traveled a lot and I wasn't really encouraged to go to college. But my work experience and dedication, constantly looking to improve my knowledge base, led me to where I am today.