Presented By Mark Begovich, ITA President

Our first Award of Honor goes to Megan McCann.

Megan is the Director of Conference Services at Illinois State University, where she leads a team of ten that oversees conferences, events, and camps both at ISU and nationwide.  She has worked at ISU for the past 14 years.  Megan oversees the Illinois High School Theatre Festival when it is at ISU.  Her amazing partnership and the special care she shows the ITA are why we are honoring her today.

But Megan McCann is much more than the person who oversees Theatre Fest.  She is a consummate professional.  As a leader, Megan serves on the Board of Directors for the Association of Collegiate Conference and Event Directors-International.  She advocates for all groups who come to the ISU campus and wants everyone to make great memories at ISU.  In her free time, she loves playing pickleball, reading, and traveling. Her family is especially important to her, and she enjoys precious time with her nieces and nephew. She loves her husband, Tyler, and is a dog mom to Boomer.  Megan McCann does it all.

In many ways, ITA is here today because of Megan McCann.  Most people do not know this, but Megan has been our champion behind the scenes.  She does not care for the spotlight, although she deserves it.  So, it is time to reveal what Megan has done for the ITA.  During COVID, the ITA had to cancel two festivals.  Megan worked with our partners and vendors to cancel contracts and ensure the organization did not take a financial hit.  This aspect took additional hours of work, and some of the negotiations were quite stressful.  Yet, Megan did that.  Because of her, ITA survived and is ready now to thrive.

I think the world of Megan and believe everyone else should, too.  However, I’d be remiss if I did not share a quote from Ryan Lambert.  Ryan states, “My first year on the Festival Committee in 2016, she walked in the room with the binder...the thickest binder I have ever seen. I didn't know who she was or the magic that she held. She can answer any and every question you can think of, and if she can't, she gets back to you in no time with the answer. Since that time, she has graced our meetings with generosity and a charisma that rubs off on everyone. I am ecstatic that she and I have become fast friends, and I even call her my boo. I love her ability to make people feel welcome, her excitement dancing in the rain, and her humor, especially when putting up with me, especially texting her about tiny buckets at Lowes. I applaud her recognition from the ITA and appreciate the joy she brings to the table every day. She works behind the scenes for countless hours to make sure our Festival runs as smoothly as possible.”

Megan, thank you for being a true friend to the ITA.  We are so happy to present you with the 2026 Award of Honor.