School of Integrative Studies/Bachelor of Individualized Study - Ott-Barnett

Annette Ott-Barnett

BIS '18

Annette Ott-Barnett, CMP Emeritus, CMM, CAE, SEPC, graduated summa cum laude from George Mason University in 2018 with a minor in both tourism and events management and nonprofit studies (through George Mason’s Fellows program). George Mason accepted Ott-Barnett's Northern Virginia Community College credits earned in 2016 and recognized her U.S. Army service as military police.  

Ott-Barnett, a certified event planner, could have pursued her bachelor's in event management at George Mason, but as a certified association executive with an interest in sustainability, she chose to design her own degree, combining all three interests, resulting in a BIS degree in sustainable business events management.  

With this newfound joy for learning, she moved to Australia, where she earned a master of event management with distinction in 2020 from the University of Technology Sydney Business School. In April 2026, she achieved a high distinction in her professional doctorate (applied research) in event food waste management at Torrens University Australia. 

Ott-Barnett's impact is clear in her efforts to educate event industry stakeholders on food waste and their role in reducing it. She has authored many event industry articles, blog posts, and web posts and is writing a chapter for a book coming out in 2027. She also helped rewrite the Events Industry Council’s Sustainable Event Standards.