A Destinations employee has joined an elite group of professionals in the meeting and travel industry.

Meeting Planner Brittany Daniel, 31, an employee of Alfa’s in-house meeting and event management company, recently passed the Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) program. The certification requires five courses of study, 25 hours of continuing education and three years experience in the meeting industry.

Destinations Director David Smart said CMP designation defines the level of professional education in the meeting industry and is achieved by less than 20 percent of people engaged in meeting management.

“Brittany’s dedication to her career and special personal effort to complete this course of study will enhance the efforts of Destinations to better service our clients, members and employees in providing professional event management,” Smart said. “Passing this CMP examination identifies her as a professional who brings a higher level of skill and judgment to the arena of meeting management.”

Daniel graduated from the University of Alabama with a bachelor’s degree in public relations. She began work at Alfa in 2005 in the company’s Real Estate Accounting Department and moved to Destinations in 2007. She said she appreciates working for a company willing to invest in her career.

“The hardest part of the process for me was making time to study for the test,” said Daniel, who along with her husband, Beau, has two sons, ages 5 and 4. “The tests were demanding, but I love a challenge.”

Daniel says the variety her job provides keeps things interesting.

“I get to work with the best people anywhere,” Daniel said. “My job allows me to meet people from all over the state. I enjoy working with employees of the Alfa companies, but I also enjoy getting to know the members of the Alabama Farmers Federation. Getting to know our farmers and their families has been a real blessing to me. Attending different farm tours and meeting farmers who grow our food has given me an entirely new appreciation for what they do.”