Meeting Planning Company Washington, DC | The Fain Group

Our Team

The Fain Group encourages a collaborative environment, allowing us to optimize the planning and execution process for our clients. By building cooperative relationships and striving to meet our clients’ expectations as a team, the Fain Group has an established and proven track record of service and partnership.

Our team members include:

Leslie Fain, founder and principal of The Fain Group, is a hands-on leader committed to excellence in every facet of her business. A respected meeting professional and entrepreneur, Ms. Fain has a deep understanding of meeting and event management, and is a proven leader in applying new technologies to the meetings enterprise. In addition to her background in meetings and events, Ms. Fain has 20 years of experience facilitating alliances between diverse entities, offering insightful assistance to grassroots and established organizations seeking to expand their reach through dynamic partnerships.

Kerry Carmichael is senior conference planner with The Fain Group, a position he has held for more than 11 years, managing all aspects of government and professional conferences, including budgeting, transportation, on-site logistics and programming. An experienced and proven manager, Mr. Carmichael has extensive expertise in training and project design and management, working with Americorps and the Peace Corps, here in the United States and in Latin America. Fluent in English and Spanish, Mr. Carmichael holds Bachelor’s and Masters degrees in environmental biology and natural resources planning, respectively.

Cindy Fain is an accomplished Administrative Specialist and Events Planner with over 10 years of experience, notably as the Manager of Conferences, Events, and Meetings for The Fain Group from June 2009 to December 2024. In this role, she expertly managed all aspects of conference, event, and meeting planning and execution; including developing compelling marketing content that significantly boosted registration rates for the University of California at Irvine’s Digital Media Learning Conference. She also played a key role in the successful organization and execution of large-scale events like the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management’s Annual Washington, DC Conference, which hosted 1,000 attendees, and efficiently managed registration for the University of California’s Digital Media Learning Chicago Conference, with over 1,000 global attendees. Her responsibilities further extended to client representation at industry trade shows, meticulous venue sourcing and negotiation, and comprehensive logistics and travel management.

John Gammon is vice president of information technology for The Fain Group, with more than 15 years of distinguished service. Mr. Gammon designs and manages strategic IT solutions for Fain Group clients, developing websites, registration systems, databases and customized IT reporting mechanisms. With more than 25 years experience in designing and developing network solutions, Mr. Gammon works effectively at the intersection of information technology and meetings management. A talented collaborator, Mr. Gammon serves as a trusted interface for clients with other vendors and technology consultants and provides vital IT training for clients and their teams.