Spotlight On: Meredith Wilson, National Events Manager at NephCure February 3, 2019 by Kylie Karley Meet Meredith Wilson, the woman behind the elaborate NephCure Kidney International events taking place across the entire country. Her meticulous planning and detail-oriented eye has made for many successful galas, walks, conferences, and more. This Disney-obsessed National Events Manager is celebrating her 5th anniversary with NephCure this year. We sit down with Meredith to learn more about her crucial role at NephCure and find out what she’s planning in the near future. NephCure: Can you believe you’ve been at NephCure Kidney International for 5 years? Meredith Wilson: My first day at NephCure was May 27, 2014, I started as an intern and never thought I’d still be working here almost 5 years later. NC: How did you originally get involved with NephCure? MW: I was unsure what direction I wanted to take after graduating college and thought it’d be interesting to try out something completely new. A friend of mine was working for NephCure at the time and mentioned to me they were looking for a summer intern. The experience was great, and I was curious to see how a nonprofit is run. NC: What different roles have you held during your time at the organization? MW: I’ve had many different roles during my time here at NephCure. Like I mentioned earlier, I started as a Special Events Intern assisting with our golf outings and galas. I then became a Regional Walks Manager on both the East and West coasts. After that, I stepped into the Regional Events Manager role, planning all of our East Coast events. And finally, I was promoted to the National Events Manager—which is my current title. That role has shifted a lot over the past few years as we continue to add more and more new NephCure events across the country. I’ve taken on roles from other departments when needed, like Operations and Conference Management, in addition to coordinating all of the administrative and logistical tasks for every fundraising event. NC: Which one has been your favorite? MW: My favorite role has been planning the annual NephCure Leadership Summit where all our top volunteer leaders come together to discuss their journeys, share their tips, and learn about NephCure’s new initiatives. It’s a great event, and I love planning it because it involves input from every department—the organization works as a whole to put together a fun and educational weekend for our volunteers. NC: What do you like most about working for NephCure? MW: There’s always something new to plan. I love starting a new project and then watching it come to life from beginning to end. It’s very rewarding. We have a great staff and it’s been a pleasure working alongside my colleagues, especially the ones who have been here as long as I have and have watched the organization grow and adapt to changes in the industry as well as the work space. NC: What is it like to plan such big events like a Countdown to a Cure gala? How much work really goes into it all? MW: Endless amounts of work! Every year I always say I wish I had more time! Countdown to a Cure, in particular, is a massive event that requires so many moving parts behind the scenes to ensure a successful experience for each of the attendees. NC: What things are you most excited for in NephCure’s future? MW: I think I’m most excited about the magnitude of new events we have coming up this year. In total, NephCure will have 4 brand new events in 2019! This is most new events we’ve ever had at this level. And none of it would be possible without the dedicated, hard working volunteers that have a passion for helping NephCure. They always bring new ideas to the table and it’s so fascinating to see their hard work come to life! NC: When you’re not at work, what are you most likely doing? MW: I might be at Disney World! I’ve been four times in the past year. I love all things Disney, especially Tinkerbell! Outside of that, I’ve recently joined the Young Professional’s Board for Uplift Center for Grieving Children. We are volunteers who promote the Center’s mission, run fundraising events, and assist the center in any way to ease their workload. It’s a wonderful opportunity to give back through another organization and network with local professionals.