MELISSA D. MURRAY

2902 Langston Circle • Saint Charles, IL 60175 • 630/740-0289 • mdmurray0925@gmail.com

ObjectiveTransition my extensive experience in sales support, project management and event coordination into a position in direct sales

Sales Skills and Knowledge Summary

Professional Experience

THE AUTO CLUB GROUP Sales and Service Specialist 1/2014 - present Oversee the coordination of 49 “On Stage Alaska” shows, representing $4.2 million in travel sales Oversee the coordination of seven Executive Events for Insight Vacations and African Travel Oversee the coordination of the Travel Expos, resulting in $5.5 million in annual sales Oversee the entire Travel Familiarization program for all 400 travel counselors. Responsibilities include:

o Monitoring the FAM allowanceo Organizing the trips and tracking the necessary paperwork and FAM reportso The Travel Familiarization program is a critical company initiative for growing sales

Manage and track annual planning, execution and marketing of 400 plus regional travel events in conjunction with 12 Regional Travel Sales Consultants across eleven states Consult on new business development opportunities with a focus on growing sales and profitability

THE AUTO CLUB GROUP Sr. Administrative Assistant to the Vice President of Travel 5/2010 - 1/2014 Provided a wide range of functions to the Vice President of Travel responsible for seven states and over $26 million

in revenue Scheduled and organized all aspects of complex training sessions and events, frequently in multiple locations

simultaneously Extensive customer service and problem solving Organized priorities and executed against deadlines. Exceptional ability to perform and achieve results under pressure Timely and accurate completion of all projects and assignments October 2011 – completed Certified Travel Associate (CTA) accreditation

AAA CHICAGO, Aurora, IL Travel Sales Support Specialist 5/2008 - 9/2009 Teamed with Regional Agent Development Travel Team on daily activities, sales tracking, coordination and scheduling of

all field visits, conference calls and meetings Developed job aides to support the Regional Travel ADT Team initiatives: weekly/monthly updates, checklists, sales logs,

daily sales process, time reporting spreadsheet, evaluations, agent assessments and binder for team use with new recruits

Developed and implemented regional travel sales strategies and promotional programs Planned and coordinated regional travel events Coordinated and executed all aspects of meeting planning and training for all regions Provided support to the Vice President Travel Field Sales in all areas, coordinated and organized travel schedule,

meetings and trainings, organized and maintained calendar, time keeping, expense reports and assisted in the preparation of presentations

Developing and maintaining relationships Project management Extensive experience with the entire travel sales process Teambuilding and collaboration

Driving revenue and profitability Consistently exceeding goals Sales process creation and analysis Translating success metrics and reporting into revenue

generating results

AAA CHICAGO, Aurora, ILAdministrative Assistant II to Territory Vice President of Travel 9/2004 - 2/2008 Organized and executed multiple special events and projects company-wide Coordinated and organized training and meeting planning for entire territory Performed administrative functions on a daily basis in a consistent and timely manner Provided administrative support to Territory Vice President, along with four District Managers and all field staff

AAA CHICAGO, Aurora, IL Human Resource Specialist 7/2003 – 3/2004 Consult, recruit, screen and interview candidates for position openings and selections company-wide Develop and implement employee recognition programs Create and update company job descriptions. Work with management on appropriate salary level and offers Develop and coordinate all aspects of the company employee retirement program Ensure corporate compliance with state and federal legislation governing personnel policies Facilitate new hire benefits orientation for employees to ensure proper enrollment in various benefit programs Assist management and employees in the counseling and mediation of employee relation issues

AAA CHICAGO, Aurora, IL 9/2001-7/2003Human Resources Assistant Enhanced, organized and communicated locally administered employee benefits programs Assisted and coordinated in reduction in force processes Developed, coordinated and facilitated a wide variety of employee activities Participated in new employee orientation, by creating and facilitating the benefits information Created, organized and assisted with the facilitation of new manager orientation Acted as backup for other HR Representatives, addressing employee relations issues, recruiting and selections activities,

assisting managers with employee discipline issues and all other employee questions as they arise Assisted Human Resources AVP on day-to-day activities and long-term projects

PAIGE PERSONNEL SERVICES, Saint Charles, IL 1997-2001Personnel Consultant

HOLDEN INTERNATIONAL, Hoffman Estates, IL Scheduling Supervisor

EDUCATIONBachelor of Science, Retail MerchandisingUniversity of Wisconsin - Stout, Menomonie, WI 1988(3.75 years completed)

PROFESSIONAL SKILLSExperience includes intermediate level office suite - Word, Excel, Power Point,

Publisher, Office & Visio-Org Plus, People Soft HRIS

TRAINING/SEMINARSCompleted Certified Travel Associate (CTA) accreditation – October 2011

“Professional in HR Certification Program”“Project Management Seminar”

SHRM Conference“Polish Your Presentation Skills”

“7 Steps to Investigate Allegations of Employee Misconduct”“Employee Law Update”

“The Personnel/HR Assistant”“Time Management”

“Fundamentals of Workers Comp in IL”“Navigating Through Change”