As coordinator of special events at Illinois Central College, Michael Garcia is in charge of planning, executing and evaluating the logistics of more than 1,000 campus events each year. He creates themes, designs and staging concepts for student recruitment and retention initiatives, manages all non-academic space scheduling, and serves as resource coordinator for the internal scheduling system. He manages event budgets, coordinates with campus departments to make events run smoothly from setup to tear-down, and builds relationships and coordinates services among ICC, area vendors and off-campus venues.
As a pioneer in the emerging field of event planning and coordination, Garcia has professionalized the planning process at ICC and helped to bring structure and accountability to this new discipline. He has applied his creativity and business sense both through his employment and in his volunteer work, managing a variety of events, including fundraising, athletic, governmental, academic and performance events. He has a strong ability to effectively link an event with an organization’s goals.
Garcia has increased awareness and fiscal accountability for event expenses and has strategically linked event planning and execution to college-wide marketing and retention efforts. He has taken a lead role in the introduction, implementation and staff training for college-wide scheduling and event management software.
Among other awards, Garcia has earned the Six Sigma Green Belt Certification from ICC. He has served on the marketing account management team, strategic management team and the ICC 40th Anniversary team, providing leadership and creative conception for events and celebrations. He also served on the steering committee of the National Junior College Athletic Association’s Women’s Basketball Division II National Tournament, which will be hosted by the College from 2008 through 2010.
Garcia has lent his expertise to the Peoria Area Civic Chorale’s 25th Anniversary Gala Committee and is a member of the Chorale, serving on many committees and teams within the group. He has served in various roles with the March of Dimes. Garcia is also a committed member of Stage 212, a community theatre group in LaSalle, serving in numerous productions as cast member, director, assistant director, production assistant and set construction crew. When he found an opportunity to improve the high school theatre program where he got his start in the arts, community leaders took his vision and flair for event planning and execution and enlisted his expertise to raise the necessary funds to enhance lights, sounds and curtains for the drama department. iBi
