As a scheduling manager for University Events, Samantha Price, receiving her award from Mason President Ángel Cabrera, coordinates multiple event calendars. Photo by Evan Cantwell.
What she does: As scheduling manager for University Events, Price oversees the scheduling of all events in most venues on campus. More than 20,000 events are held at Mason each year, said Price, who works with the university scheduling database, 25live, to manage the timetable, maintain venue and resource information and coordinate multiple calendars. Price deals specifically with faculty and staff clients. She supervises positions that schedule and manage student-led events on campus.
How she got there: Price graduated from Mason in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in communication. During her senior year, she took classes in event management and enjoyed it so much she decided to pursue it as a career. While in school, Price worked part-time in what was then known as Mason’s Events Management Office and took a full-time position after graduation. Price has gradually grown into her role during her more than 11 years as a Mason employee, working as a receptionist and scheduling events for the administrative offices at Mason Hall.
Best day on the job: Price says it is extremely difficult to pick one best day. Some of her highlights include visits from Michelle Obama, Joe Biden and Tim Kaine, and three visits from then-President Barack Obama. Price said she especially appreciated Biden’s “It’s on Us” event to stop campus sexual violence, held in April 2017 at the Hub Ballroom. “That event was a real team effort, and the outcome was truly amazing,” Price said. “The message and the excitement was truly wonderful, and I am so proud that Mason was a part of it.”
Favorite memory: Obama’s town hall meeting on gun violence in January 2016 in the Johnson Center. The event was hosted by CNN, and Price met one of her favorite people, CNN reporter Anderson Cooper.
What she likes to do when she is not working: With the birth of her son, Ezra, on Dec. 22, Price admits her life “has been a little too crazy for hobbies.” Price said she enjoys going to the wineries and breweries near her Loudoun County home and considers herself to be “a pretty good home cook.”
What she likes best about working at Mason: Price sees her job as an extension of what she loved about attending the university. “I love the people I work with who are hardworking and inspiring every day,” she said. “Mason has really been like home to me since 2004, and I feel lucky to continue my relationship with this place.”