Lisa Lynn, Catering & Convention Services Manager at Caesars Entertainment, Inc., has more than 20 years of experience in the leisure and corporate travel markets. Prior, Lisa served as Catering & Conventions Services Manager at Trump International Hotel Las Vegas, Director of Event Planning for the Riviera Resort & Spa in Palm Springs CA,and Director of Catering for Lake Las Vegas Resort. She has served as President of the National Association of Catering Executives, Las Vegas Chapter and currently remains on the Executive Board.
Kathy Baldieri, CPCE
Kathy is the Director of Catering for Spanish Trails Golf Club. Prior to coming to Las Vegas, she was the Director of Catering for the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Her event-planning career spans more than 25 years. Kathy holds the credentials of CPCE (Certified Professional Catering Executive). She has served on the Board of Directors for the Las Vegas Chapter of the National Association of Catering Executives for the past three years and holds the position of Past President.
Brit Bertino, CSEP
Brit is a graduate of both the Conference Management & Event Planning and Wedding Coordination & Design Certificate programs at TISOH. She is the Principal of PowerEvents and Simply Weddings by Brit Bertino. Brit currently sits on the Board of the Las Vegas Chapter of the International Special Events Society (ISES). She is a Certified Special Event Professional.
Shirley Fugazzotto, CSEP, CHE
Shirley Fugazzotto is owner and creative designer of the Stellar Experience, a boutique Event Design and Production Company, serving corporate clients for the past 7 years in the Las Vegas market. Before creating the Stellar Experience, Shirley held director and management positions in several prestigious Las Vegas properties, in the areas of Weddings, Catering, Sales, and Convention Center Special Events.
Shirley served for several years on the Board of Directors of the Las Vegas Chapter of the International Special Events Society, and is a Past Present of ISES Las Vegas. She has earned the Certified Special Event Professional (CSEP) designation, and has been an active mentor for those considering advancing in the hospitality industry. In 2010, she received the designation of CHE (Certified Hospitality Educator) from the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute.
Robyn Hadden, MS CSEP CHE
Robyn is the Director of Alumni & College Relations for Harrah Hotel College at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She is also an adjunct professor teaching Special Events Management. Robyn is active in the Las Vegas Chapter of the International Special Events Society (ISES), having served on the board and as a past President. She is also a past Western Regional Vice President of the Las Vegas Chapter. In 2010, she received the designation of CHE (Certified Hospitality Educator) from the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute.
Patricia A. Norman, CMP
For more than 20 years, Patricia has been the Director of Meeting and
Conference Planning for the National Medical Association. She has served
on Convention and Visitor's Bureau advisory boards for Hawaii and
Baltimore. She has also been a member of the Multicultural Advisory
Board for Hilton Hotels Corporation and served on the Board of Directors
for the National Coalition of Black Meeting Planners. Patricia serves
on the Advisory Boards for Washington, DC, San Antonio and New Orleans.
Michele Polci, CPCE, CMP
In her position as director of citywide catering
sales for Caesars Entertainment in Las Vegas, Michele oversees the sales
effort for all catered events across one million square feet of banquet
and event space in eight Las Vegas properties: Bally's Las Vegas,
Caesars Palace, Flamingo Las Vegas, Harrah's Las Vegas, Imperial Palace,
Paris Las Vegas, Planet Hollywood and Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino.
Polci leads a team of 15 sales people who specialize in social and
corporate eventsbusiness.
Committed to the industry, Polci is actively
involved in the Las Vegas Chapter of the National Association of
Catering Executives (NACE). In July 2007 she was honored by NACE as
National Caterer of the Year for her endless enthusiasm, dedication, and
extraordinary commitment to the industry. Polci currently serves as
national chair for the education and accreditation committee.
Cheryl Sgovio, CPCE
Cheryl Sgovio, CPCE is the Director of Catering and Convention Sales for the Thomas & Mack Center, Cox Pavilion and Sam Boyd Stadium. She is responsible for booking all private events in the three venues, with combined space of over 150,000 square feet, as well as overseeing all Catering for public events, averaging over 2,300 individual events per year. Cheryl was the founding Vice President, then President of the Las Vegas Chapter of NACE. She recently completed her second term serving on the National Board as Region 5 Vice President.
Patti Shock, CPCE
Patti is Professor and the Director of Distance Learning in the Harrah Hotel College at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She teaches catering both on-campus and online, and she speaks to industry groups regularly. She has co-authored three books on catering, which are used in colleges and for several industry certifications. Patti has received numerous awards and recognitions, including being named one of the 25 most influential people in the meetings industry by Meeting News.
Rebecca Stebbins CMP CHE
Rebecca brings a wealth of knowledge and thirteen years of catering, event and wedding planning experience to the TISOH faculty. She has held catering and event planning positions at eight different corporate entities, including Catering and Conference Manager at the Venetian/Palazzo Resort Hotel Casino and Corporate Sales Manager at the Goodwin Hotel. She is a CMP (Certified Meeting Planner) and member of the Las Vegas Wedding Network. In 2010, she received the designation of CHE (Certified Hospitality Educator) from the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute.
Gabriella Cote, CHE
Gabriella is Convention Services Manager at Caesars Palace. Previosuly she was a Catering Sales Manager with the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino, where she oversaw social functions that included weddings, birthday celebrations, reunions and anniversaries. Gabriella previously was the Senior Wedding Planner with the Wedding Chapels at the Rio from 2003 to 2005. She has worked as a Special Events Coordinator with the Visiting Nurse Association and Red Cross, organizing fundraising events such as golf tours and black-tie galas.
Shauna Lederman CPCE
Shauna is the Director of Catering at Aliante Station Casino and Hotel. A former fund-raising chairperson, she presently serves on the Executive Board as the 1st Vice President for the Las Vegas Chapter of the National Association of Catering Executives. Shauna is a Certified Professional Catering Executive (CPCE).
The hospitality expert professionals listed on this page all have significant experience in their respective fields. Additionally, all of them give back to the industry by teaching at The International School of Hospitality. The school requires a rigorous interview and training process for all instructors. TISOH is also one of very few schools that require all instructors to become CHE (Certified Hospitality Educator) certified.
