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.
James Filtz, CPCE
James, alumni of the Culinary Institute of America, is Convention
Services Manager at the Sheraton New York Hotel. Formerly, he served as
Manager of Weddings and Catering & Convention Manager for the
Venetian and Palazzo Resorts in Las Vegas. Prior to that, he specialized
in weddings and social events as Catering Manager at Loews Lake Las
Vegas. Serving on the Executive Board of Directors of the Las Vegas
Chapter of the National Association of Catering Executives, James has
been involved with developing innovative program ideas for the chapter
as well as overseeing the chapter's involvement with the Catersource
conference. James has a CPCE (Certified Professional Catering Executive)
designation from NACE. He also holds the first-level certification from
the Court of Master Sommeliers and is working on certification to
become a Certified Sommelier.
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.
Michael Testagrossa, CHE
Michael is the Senior Catering Sales Manager at the JW Marriott Resort, specializing in Weddings and Social events. His role with the JW Marriott includes meeting with potential brides to discuss venue selection and menu planning. Michael's background includes 15 years of experience in fine-dining restaurants, hotel and offsite catering, and university dining as well as a Bachelor of Science in Hotel and Restaurant Manager from Kansas State University. During his tenure working in Dining Services at Kansas State, he produced award-winning events with involvement in menu planning, theme development, and service coordination and training. In addition, he has assisted in teaching courses in etiquette and service styles at Kansas State as a part of the curriculum. He is also Co-Founder and Event Director of JMTEventology. Michael is an active member in the NACE (National Association of Catering Executives) and WPLV (Wedding Professionals of Las Vegas). Michael is a Certified Hospitality Educator.
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.
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.
