With our team of expert planners by your side,

You’re in great hands.

Greater Good Events is run by Justine Broughal (she/her) and Maryam Shariat Mudrick (she/her). This bi-coastal duo brings a depth of experience in social justice spaces to their detailed-oriented event planning work.

Justine Broughal

CO-OWNER + MANAGING PARTNER

Justine (she/her) is a passionate community builder, event planner, and event designer. The founder of Together Events, she helps clients achieve meaningful impact through thoughtful celebrations and ensures that every event she designs is unique, inclusive, and memorable.

Justine began her career in local political spaces and honed her event design skills in nonprofit spaces, planning national and international events for a large foundation. She is passionate about incorporating socially conscious practice into her work through ethical vendor sourcing, minimizing waste during events, and providing an inclusive service for clients of all shapes and sizes.

Justine lives in Portland, OR with her husband and daughter. She is also a regular, weekly volunteer with The Family Room.

Email Justine

Maryam
Shariat Mudrick

CO-OWNER + MANAGING PARTNER

Maryam (she/her) is Managing Partner at Together Events and Co-Owner at Greater Good Events. She brings over 20 years of creative consulting, social impact, and event planning experience to the team. She has worked across state and continental lines to design and deliver unique and thoughtful weddings, galas, conferences, and experiences. With an eye for sustainable design and the handmade, Maryam is always striving to incorporate meaningful and personalized elements to experiences without increasing costs or complexity. After all, it's the thoughtful touches that really leave guests talking about your event long after the last glass of champagne has been poured.

Maryam lives in Astoria, New York, with her husband and stepdaughter. When not working on events, she's organizing in her community to advance individual dignity and collective equity by serving on the Board of Astoria Food Pantry and The Connected Chef or advancing access to creative communities in Queens through QNS Collaborative.

Email maryam

Our team gets stuff done

All photos on this page provided courtesy of Kelly Prizel Photography

We couldn't do what we do without our amazing team of freelancers and collaborators who generously share their talents with our clients and partners. Here are a few of them you might meet along the way...

Trasonia Abbott

PLANNING TEAM | ASTORIA, NY
Trasonia (they/them) is a multi-disciplinary, non-binary artist and organizer from Richmond, Virginia living and working in Queens, NY. They graduated from Pratt Institute in 2020 with a Bachelor's of Fine Arts in Writing and a minor in Film. They are passionate about community building through arts and education. Their artistic work centers poetic exploration of words and color on page, canvas, and space. Aside from visual works They organize events: mutual aid resource drives/giveaways, panel discussions, open mics, artist talks and create audio experiences, through music and podcasting.
Sam Arpino

PLANNING TEAM | BROOKLYN, NY
Sam (she/her) is a Queer native New Yorker and human-first planner. She brings over a decade of event management, people development, and nonprofit leadership experience to the team, alongside a portfolio of full-service planning and production for weddings, professional events, and live entertainment. Sam earned an M.S. in Event Management from NYU’s Tisch Center of Hospitality, where she produced original research for event professionals to leverage DEI strategies in their work. Her passion for, and commitment to, incorporating the full human experience into her events has made her a trusted partner to clients from coast to coast.
Laura Bacigalupo

PLANNING TEAM | NEW YORK, NY
Laura (she/her) is a passionate event planner with over a decade of event planning and event management experience. Living and working in New York since 2010, she brings a wealth of knowledge to each event. With a background in operations, and a high EQ, you can be sure your event and your day will feel special, and most importantly, stress-free. Creating a day to remember, while ensuring everyone enjoys themselves, is part of her DNA. When she has personal time, Laura loves to get lost in a good book, snuggling her two dogs, and doing the NYT Spelling Bee with her partner.
Margaret Efthim

PLANNING TEAM | BROOKLYN, NY
Margaret (she/they) brings years of hands-on creative experience to the table, bridging her background in television production with her passion for event producing. She is dedicated to making high-impact, low-hassle events accessible for all. Margaret believes that the most memorable celebrations are created by caring communities, and that's why she loves working with Together Events and Greater Good Events. Margaret resides in Brooklyn, New York. When she's not organizing events in her community as Founder of Leslie, she enjoys supporting local musicians and drag performers. She also loves to venture throughout upstate New York and discover vintage treasures (and vintage cars).
Mackenzie Galloway-Cole

PLANNING TEAM | ASTORIA, NY
Mackenzie (she/her) is an experienced events professional with over a decade of expertise in planning and managing live events. With a performing arts management background encompassing Broadway, Off-Broadway, regional theater, and opera, Mackenzie has transitioned her love for timelines and to-do lists into orchestrating weddings and events. Her passion lies in crafting authentic and personalized celebrations that reflect the unique individuals with whom she collaborates. Proudly residing in Astoria with her wife and cat, Jackpot, Mackenzie can be found spending her downtime attending concerts, Broadway shows, and WNBA games.
Anita Pandian

PLANNING TEAM | NEW YORK, NY
Anita (she/her) is a freelance event producer working throughout the tristate area specializing in weddings, fashion events, and creative services. With a background in fashion public relations, Anita has experience in events both large and small, working in New York and her home state of Texas for many years. Anita has a passion for event planning and loves knowing that clients can look back on their weddings and remember it as an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime experience—instead of remembering how stressful it was. Anita has worked with Together Events since 2018.
Katie Riley

PLANNING & OPERATIONS TEAM | ASTORIA, NY
Katie (she/her) is a freelance event producer and operations specialist for impact-driven organizations. She has produced events to raise funds, cultivate community, and train thousands of activists from New York to Nairobi. Katie is also the go-to hostess in her personal life, trusted with coordinating everything from weddings to book launch parties for her loved ones. Prior to this role, Katie spent the last decade deep in advocacy for gender equality at She’s the First, an award-winning girls’ education nonprofit organization. She is a proud dog mom, University of Tennessee alumni, and an optimistic fan of the NY Mets.
Charlotte Seto

PLANNING TEAM | BROOKLYN, NY
Charlotte (she/her) is a Taurus who grew up in the middle of nowhere WA, a few hours south of Canada. Out of necessity, she learned to start a campfire, change the oil in a Jeep, and bake irresistible vegan chocolate chip cookies - and those are just a few of her countless skills!
If she's not at a farmer’s market or thrift shopping, you’ll likely find Charlotte capering around Central Park. She draws life-affirming inspiration from the natural world. She currently works in NYC planning and coordinating celebrations and specializes in producing weddings and funerals.