Creating connections that bring people back to campus

For Phylander Pannell, event management serves a deeper purpose. Her goal? To create meaningful connections here on campus.

Written by Rohini Kudva (SFS, ’27) | September 23, 2026

For Phylander Pannell Witherspoon, Director of Georgetown Event Management Services, creating meaningful experiences at Georgetown is rooted a key value: connection. That same focus is at the heart of the partnership between Georgetown Event Management Services (GEMS) and Conference Services team, two teams that collaborate to create welcoming, memorable experiences for the students, guests, and conference groups who call Georgetown home throughout the summer.

With more than 25 years of experience in organizational operations, program management, academic administration, and employee engagement, Phylander has been part of the Georgetown community since 2000. 

While GEMS and Conference Services each support their own teams and work functions, both come together to serve the summer guest community. From preparing campus spaces and coordinating events to welcoming guests and supporting their residential experience, both teams contribute to how students and visitors experience Georgetown.

Behind the operations, logistics, and countless details that go into preparing campus for guests, Phylander sees something bigger: an opportunity to create experiences that people carry with them after they leave Georgetown.

We sat down with Phylander to learn more about what makes her work meaningful, how she thinks about the impact of Georgetown’s summer experience, and the partnerships across campus that help create experiences people remember long after their stay.

A Conversation with Phylander

What makes connecting people to Georgetown so meaningful?

For Phylander, one of the most rewarding parts of her role is seeing students and first-time guests experience Georgetown for themselves.

“I think seeing those middle school and high school students so excited and running around campus when the conference groups finally get here is my biggest reward.”

After weeks of planning and coordinating, seeing students engaging with Georgetown’s campus provides a tangible reminder of why the work matters. 

These experiences, from Phylander’s perspective, are about more than simply providing a space. They allow students to learn outside of a traditional classroom setting, explore Georgetown, and begin forming their own relationship with the university.

How do you know when that work has made an impact?

A successful summer experience does not necessarily end when a conference group checks out. The real measure of success is whether the experience leaves people wanting to return.

That desire to return can take many forms. It might mean a student eventually becoming a Georgetown student themselves, a guest reconnecting with someone they met on campus, or a conference participant simply leaving with a positive memory of their time at Georgetown.

“For me, it’s about those connections and people wanting to come back more than anything. I want people to want to come back to Georgetown… So, hearing them say that we had an impact … and that they want to come back, that’s what I want to hear.”

What are you most passionate about when bringing events to life?

While the success of an event is important, Phylander is especially passionate about making sure her team gets to see the results of the work they put in behind the scenes.

“I often try to encourage my staff to go out and see what they helped plan. Seeing my staff appreciate the work that they’ve put into something—planning those events and preparing for the conference to get here—is priceless.”

She also sees summer work as an opportunity for student employees to develop skills that extend far beyond their time at Georgetown. Whether it is communicating with clients, coordinating events, solving problems, or working as part of a team, Phylander sees the summer as a chance for students to build skills they can carry into whatever comes next.

“They’re not majoring in event management at Georgetown. However, the things that you’re doing this summer can be a foundation for skill sets for whatever you might decide to do post-graduation.”

What do you hope guests say when they leave Georgetown?

“I had an excellent time at Georgetown. I met some good people in my group. I met some people that work at Georgetown that I would love to reconnect with in the future.

And, perhaps most importantly, she would want them to leave wanting to return.

“I want people to want to come back to Georgetown.”

Photographed above: Phylander and her team receiving the Conference Services “Key Campus Partner Award” August 2026.

A Summer of Shared Purpose

That simple goal captures what Phylander values most about her work and what makes the partnership between GEMS and Conference Services so important. Creating a positive Georgetown experience does not happen through one office or one team. It is the result of many people working together across campus, each contributing to the experience guests have from the moment they arrive to the moment they leave.

For Conference Services, that partnership is an important part of creating a summer community that feels connected to the broader Georgetown experience. Together, these teams help make Georgetown University more than a place to stay or an event destination. They help create an experience that leaves people with meaningful connections, lasting memories, and, as Phylander hopes, a reason to keep coming back again and again.