CEO Blocks Michael Jackson’s Ceiling Descent, Prefers Navy SEAL Rescue
KEY POINTS
- •Joyce Leveston started in the late 1980s at San Diego’s convention center as employee number 92, working the switchboard.
- •By March 2025, she became the first woman CEO of New York City's Javits Center, overseeing 3,000 employees and 145 events annually.
- •Early in her career, she vetoed a stunt to lower Michael Jackson from a ballroom ceiling, preferring a safer Navy SEAL rescue scenario.
Joyce Leveston, who started as the 92nd employee at San Diego’s convention center switchboard in the late '80s, rose through exactly eight job promotions to become the first female CEO of New York City's 3.4 million-square-foot Javits Center in March 2025. At 61, she manages 3,000 staff over 145 yearly events that have hosted superheroes, dog lovers, and car launches, doubling as an emergency hospital as recently as COVID. Her career highlight? Killing a plan to lower Michael Jackson from a ballroom ceiling with Navy SEALs—settling instead for a SEAL-scaling-the-building rescue. She’s all about cooking perfect french fries—and politely refusing absurd risks.
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(1 of 3)If you're waiting for someone to lower a celebrity from a ceiling, don't call Joyce; she says 'No.' Stay calm, stay safe, and maybe take that Navy SEAL route—because after decades in the biz, she’s the reason Javits hasn’t burned down. You’re welcome, New York.
Starting as a telephone operator doesn’t stop you from telling a pop icon to 'take a hike'—Joyce just upgraded from 'You don’t know nothing' salesroom snubs to CEO veto power.
Picture this: a music event wants MJ mid-ceiling antics, Javits CEO says 'No thanks,' and instead arranges a SEAL rescue. Sorry, Hollywood stunt coordinators, safety first always wins.
Source: Businessinsider | Published: 8/15/2026 | Author: Sarah E. Needleman
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