12 Jan Meet The New Team Member: Rene Boudreaux

Describe your new role with BEMA:

My role with BEMA is a newly created position as Project Manager.  I’m excited about the opportunity to be a “jack of all trades” and an asset in many different aspects of the organization. My responsibilities at Convention and IBIE will be focused on managing the AV onsite team, coordinating with speakers and volunteers, development and maintenance of the mobile app, and assisting with all additional needs for a flawless event.

In a more day-to-day capacity, I will be collaborating with Kelly and Emily on the planning and delivery of several different member programs.

What are your goals for where you want to take this role?

My goals for this position are to grow from assisting with member programs to eventually managing several on my own. I would like to develop relationships with our members and have an open communication line with them to assist in providing the highest level of member service.

Overall, I would like to be an asset to the team here at BEMA. In my previous event-based work with BEMA, my flexibility, ingenuity, hard work, and persistence have paid off in the form of some spectacular events that I was proud to be a part of.  I would like to continue and improve on that.

What do you love the most about the industry?

The thing I love about the food/baking industry is the togetherness it inspires. I have worked in the restaurant industry in almost every capacity from dishwasher to manager, even culinary school for a spell.

In general, I have always been drawn to food. It really isn’t the food itself that has always drawn me in. It’s the act of sharing a meal with others, the conversation and unity that it provides. It has always invoked memories of eating dinners with my family and the love and comradery developed there.

What was serving in the Air Force like, and how has it been like to transition into a civilian career?

My time in the Air Force was uneventful, I did one tour of duty and was stationed at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City.  I was a Communication and Navigation Specialist on the E-3 sentry, better known as the AWACS.

Overall, my experience was humbling being a cog in such a large operation. I learned a lot of valuable skills, chief among them being the importance of structure as far as leading and following and how important they both are in different circumstances.

What’s your favorite baked good?

My favorite baked good has to be the biscuit. Buttery, flaky, delicious, fattening morsel. Honestly, what’s not to love about that? Biscuits and gravy sit somewhere high on my all-time favorite foods list, possibly making an appearance on my last meal list.