Rachel Rodean, director of education and events for the Exhibition Services & Contractors Association (ESCA), has joined the 2026 Trade Show Executive Women to Watch class.
The annual program honors rising leaders in the tradeshow industry. This year, Rodean joins nine other honorees.
Rodean grows ESCA education programs
Rodean joined ESCA in November 2023. Since then, she has expanded the group’s education and leadership programs.
Her work includes founding ESCA’s Rising Leaders program. She also helped turn it into a national conference.
The first Rising Leaders Summit took place in Dallas in 2025. A second event followed in Houston in 2026. Now, Rodean is developing content for the 2027 summit.
In addition, she created the Leadership Lab and Executive Exchange mentoring programs.
As part of her role, Rodean leads ESCA’s Summer Educational Conference. Her duties include session planning, speaker selection, sponsorships, contracts, registration data, and attendee programs.
Beyond ESCA’s own events, she manages the group’s presence at ExhibitorLIVE, Expo! Expo!, and other industry gatherings. Meanwhile, Rodean serves on education committees for the International Association of Exhibitions and Events and ExhibitorLIVE.
She also developed Trade Show 101, an entry-level program for people joining the exhibitions industry.
“Rachel has an incredible ability to turn big ideas into meaningful experiences that help people grow,” said Julie Kagy, executive director of ESCA. “This recognition is incredibly well deserved, and all of us at ESCA are proud to celebrate her.”
Ten leaders join 2026 class
The other honorees are Monique Abed of Ai4; Lisha Baer of the National Association of Music Merchants; Whitney Bell of NTP Events; Amber Curtis of RXUS/ReedPop; Linette Dao of Emerald; Nataly Laro of Clarion Events North America; Alexandra Lombardo of Questex; Natasha Miles of Informa Markets; and Brianne Somers of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers.
Trade Show Executive will honor the group Sept. 23 during the Women to Watch program. The event runs Sept. 22 through Sept. 24 at Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.
The Exhibition Services & Contractors Association represents contractors, suppliers, and partners that support tradeshows and events across North America. For more information, visit www.esca.org.
Compiled from information provided in an ESCA press release. Edited by Exhibit City News for clarity, length, and style.
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