Our Staff

Peter Easter, CAE
Chairman and Director of Government Affairs. He has been a Charlottesville resident for 50 years and has a B. A. in Economics from Dartmouth College. He is a U.S Army Veteran (1 st Lt.). He had business experience in banking, printing, and sales management prior to entering association management. He is a Certified Association Executive by the American Society of Association Executives. He was a former chairman of Albemarle County Planning Commission and former board member and member, since 1977, of the AMC Institute. He is a member, since 1976, of the American Society of Association Executives and Virginia Society of Association Executives and member, since 1977, of the Virginia State Chamber of Commerce.

Douglas Easter
President, CEO and Lobbyist. He has a B. A. in Political Science from the University of Colorado. Upon graduation, he spent two years on the staff of Governor Gerald Baliles handling constituent affairs. He has ten years experience in sales, marketing, and management in the broadcast industry and ten years experience with Easter Associates.

Christina Sandridge
Member Services Coordinator/Office Manager. Christina joined Easter Associates in February 2003 with over eight years of hotel management and hospitality industry experience. She currently works closely with all associations and members and assists them with their administrative needs, marketing mailings, database management, and more. In addition, she is the administrative assistant to the chairman and president and supervises and directs all office personnel under the guidance of the President.

Laura Patterson, CPA
Vice President and Comptroller. She has a B. A. in Business from Transylvania University. Upon graduation, she spent five years as an auditor for the state of Kentucky. After moving to Virginia in 1989, she joined a Charlottesville CPA firm and for eight years specialized in auditing and preparing tax returns of 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(6) organizations. She became a full-time staff member of Easter Associates in August 1998 upon the retirement of its former comptroller who had served the company nineteen years. She has served on the board of directors of the Virginia Society of CPAs.

Symia Feggans
Accountant. Symia joined Easter Associates in August 2007. After graduation, Symia supervised a campus retail store at the University of Virginia. She then spent a year and a half in the tax industry with CF Hutter, Inc. preparing individual tax returns and researching and teaching tax law. Symia has a B.A. In Economics from the University of Virginia.

Mary Howell
Assistant Executive Director/Communications Director. Mary's 15-year career includes marketing and public relations work for government, nonprofit and private sector employers. She previously served as communications coordinator for Easter Associates and the Virginia Governmental Employees' Association after several years as a state government public relations specialist. She has an M.S. in Mass Communications from Virginia Commonwealth University and an undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia.

Marci Malinowski
Communications Coordinator. Marci previously worked as Art Director for Key Communications in Stafford, Virginia. She has a B.F.A. in Art from James Madison University.

Christina Fry Meyer
Web Applications Manager. Christina joined Easter Associates in July 2008, and has 8+ years of web development experience. She previously was the Web Design/Animation instructor at Massanutten Technical Center in Harrisonburg, VA. While living in Harrisonburg, Christina also served as the programmer for the Daily News-Record newspaper. Christina has a Master's degree in Music Performance from the University of Nebraska.

Amy Shaw
Director, Meeting and Convention Services. Amy came to Easter in November of 2004 from the hotel industry.  Prior to hotel sales, Amy worked in Campus food service marketing for over five years at the College of William and Mary and at the University of Virginia and in outlet center marketing for over four years. Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Amy graduated from Georgia Southern University with a BS in Communication Arts.

:: Client Associate Staff ::

Christopher Manzella
Vice President, Virginia Broadcast Solutions, Inc. (VBS) Chris has worked closely with Easter Associates since 2002 when he took over leadership of VBS, a unique media service division of the Virginia Association of Broadcasters (VAB). With over 24 years of executive experience, including 17 years in the broadcast industry, Chris builds strong client relationships and delivers powerful results. Originally from Western New York, he is a graduate of the University of Buffalo and holds a B.S. degree in Business Administration (M.I.S.). For more information, visit the VBS website.

Marlaine Hall
Accountant, Virginia Broadcast Solutions, Inc. (VBS) Marlaine has over 20 years of work experience in finance, including accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll and human resources, budgeting, and auditing. Prior to joining Easter Associates, she served for thirteen years in non-profit corporations and held a Director of Finance and Administration position.