Wendy Kurtz, MBA, APR, CPRC

President and Founder

Professional

Wendy Kurtz is an award-winning business expert with over 20 years of experience. As an accredited professional, she has spent much of her career effectively promoting people, products, services and organizations in a variety of markets.  Her unique mix of business skill and marketing savvy have enabled her to transcend the traditional boundaries between industry sectors.  

Just prior to founding Elizabeth Charles & Associates, LLC in 1997, Wendy served as Manager of Special Events for Sprint, a Fortune 100 company and telecommunications industry leader. Wendy has served as an Executive Director for a United Way agency that provided substance- and violence-free activities for over 14,000 high school students.  Her experience also includes public affairs, government relations, and fundraising.

Wendy is a skilled negotiator frequently applauded for her ability to develop win-win situations that result in substantial cost savings for her clients.  From hotel rates and facility concessions to vendor pricing, speaker's fees, and more, her talent for creating strategic partnerships has been recognized by her clients, colleagues and industry peers, many of whom credit Wendy with taking their company or organization "to the next level."

A graduate of Leadership Orlando, Wendy has been an active member of the Central Florida community for over two decades, serving in many leadership positions, including City and County appointments.

Highlights of just some of Wendy's extensive professional and community leadership and involvement include:

• Co-chair, 2008 Small Business Summit
• Member, Advisory Council for the Entrepreneurship Project
• Member, Board of Governors Executive Committee, Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce
• Vice President, Small Business, Orlando Regional Chamber
• Past Chair, Orlando Regional Chamber's Small Business Chamber
• Member, Orlando Regional Chamber's Governance Task Force
• Past President, Public Relations Society of America's (PRSA) Sunshine District
• Past Chairman, PRSA Sunshine District QuickStart Leadership Training program
• Member, PRSA 2007 National Nominating Committee
• Member, Apopka Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors
• Member, Mayor Richard T. Crotty's Women's Leadership Summit Event Committee, 2006 and 2007
• Member, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
• Member, Tiger Bay of Orlando
• Founding Member, eWomenNetwork
• Member, UCF Alumni Association

Wendy is a past president of the Florida Public Relations Association's (FPRA) Capital chapter. Under her leadership, the chapter was awarded the Association's prestigious President's Awards for Most Improved Chapter, Financial Management, and Furthering the Profession.  

She is a former board member of the Leadership Orlando and UCF Alumni Associations and past president of the Greater Orlando Panhellenic Alumnae and Alpha Delta Pi Alumnae Associations.

Academic

Master of Business Administration (MBA), Florida State University

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA), Marketing, University of Central Florida

Accreditations and Certifications

Accredited in Public Relations (APR), North American Public Relations Council

Certified Public Relations Counselor (CPRC), Florida Public Relations Association

Personal

An avid reader since childhood, Wendy is currently co-authoring Chicken Soup for the UCF Knight Soul with Mark Victor Hansen, Jack Canfield and the UCF Alumni Association.  

Wendy has shadowed local law enforcement, going to crime scenes and sitting in on suspect interviews, and even spent time with the medical examiner at a county morgue as part of her research for a homicide novel she is writing in her spare time. She loves rollerblading, traveling (anything involving the islands and a beach), and spending time with family and friends.

After more than 10 years, Wendy and her husband Dean will no longer split their time between homes in Orlando and Tallahassee, Florida.  They've sold the house in Tallahassee.  Orlando will now be "home base" full time.  During the past decade, they've logged thousands of miles on I-75 and I-10, so if you want to find the cheapest gas stations, the cleanest bathrooms, the coldest Diet Coke or the hottest French fries on that route, they can tell you!

Wendy is stepmother to Matthew, Caitlin, Megan and Amanda. All four were full-time students at the University of Florida last year (yes, it's a house divided since Wendy is an avid Florida State fan). Matthew graduated with a Master's degree in Engineering last year and Cait with her undergraduate degree in engineering.  Megan and Amanda are still full time students but being the younger of the four, they have a few more classes to go before they graduate.

The family shares their home with their two beloved shelties: Rusty, whom they adopted from a sheltie rescue after she was abused then abandoned by her previous owner; and Faith, a puppy who truly knows the meaning of life - play hard, take frequent power naps, bark until you get attention and when you really want something, place your head on someone's lap and "look cute" so they easily succumb to your charm!