Universal Events Team
Universal Events, Inc.
Maya Johnson walked into a Universal Events office in October 2024 with no direct field experience, no clear sense of what she wanted to do next, and a willingness to learn. Eighteen months later, she is the newly promoted Regional Director for three markets across the Southwest — managing 40+ team members and overseeing operations for two of our largest nonprofit partners.
Her path is not unusual here. Every director on our leadership team started on the ground, in the field, having the same conversations our newest hires have on their first day.
“I remember my first week — I was terrified. I thought I wasn't going to make it. What saved me was the people around me who'd been through it. Now I get to be that for someone else.”
The First 90 Days
Maya's first quarter was a study in iteration. She struggled with the opening conversation, as most new reps do. But she kept a notebook of every interaction, writing down what worked and what didn't. By month three, she was consistently in the top quartile of her market — not because she was a natural talker, but because she was a relentless learner.
Her first promotion to team lead came at month six. From there, she ran point on a new-market launch, helped open two offices, and was eventually offered the Regional Director role — a seat at the leadership table overseeing the region she used to represent in.
Why Promote From Within
Universal Events has a firm principle: no one manages a field team who hasn't worked one. Our directors, trainers, and regional leaders have stood at the doorstep, had the hard conversations, and learned the business from the ground up. It is slower than hiring outside leadership — and it is, by every metric we track, why our teams stay.
Maya is the 14th Regional Director we've promoted from inside the organization in the last three years. She will not be the last.
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