Nelandra Anselmo is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR). She has served as Director of Human Resources with Station Casinos (Fiesta Casino & Hotel) and Cannery Casino Resorts (Rampart Casino and Cannery Casino & Hotel). With over 15 years of HR experience, she has also held management-level positions within other hospitality organizations, such as Coast Casinos, in the areas of employee relations, health and wellness and organizational learning and development. Nelandra is co-founder of The Life, a coaching and consulting firm that offers human resource consulting services and individual career and transition coaching. In this role, she has had the opportunity to work as a speaker, facilitator, consultant and coach to a variety of individual clients and client organizations. In addition to her coaching practice, Nelandra is a licensed marriage and family therapist intern in the state of Nevada and serves on the board of directors of the Family Institute of Nevada.
Lisa Lynn Backus, CPCE, CMP
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.
Tyra Bell-Holland, CHE Les Clefs d'Or
Alumna of the William F. Harrah Hotel College of Hotel Administration at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Tyra was formerly the Executive Director of Concierge Services at The Venetian and Palazzo Resort Hotel Casinos in Las Vegas as well as Chef Concierge at The Venetian Resort Hotel & Casino. With a staff of more than 130 concierges, Tyra directed the largest five star/five diamond concierge department in the city. Tyra also served most recently as the Chef Concierge of the Cosmopolitan Resort of Las Vegas, the newest mega-resort on the Strip to open in December 2010.. She currently serves as the Director of Marketing for The ONE Group. A restaurant group with STK as one of its premier brands. Cosmopolitan Las Vegas, Tyra is also the President Pro Tempore of the Southern Nevada Hotel Concierge Association (SNHCA) and has held a board position consecutively since 2002. She has also served on the Membership Committee and Fund Raising Committee of Les Clefs d'Or USA, the only national association of professional concierges in the United States representing over 250 Four and Five Star hotels nationwide.
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.
Debbie Brumfield, CHE Les Clefs d'Or
Debbie is the Assistant Chef Concierge of Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas. For 11 years, she was the trainer for Concierges Services at The Venetian & Palazzo Resort Hotel Casinos in Las Vegas. Debbie is currently the President of the Southern Nevada Hotel Concierge Association (SNHCA) and has held a board position for the past ten years. In January 2008, Debbie received the designation of CHE (Certified Hospitality Educator) from the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute. She is a member of the prestigious Les Clefs d'OrUSA, the only national association of professional concierges in the United States.
Paul Carpino, M.A.
Paul Carpino, M.A. is an author, columnist and career counselor. He has served as Director of Career Services at Flagler College in Saint Augustine, FL, the nation's oldest city. He launched his first career in hospitality, after earning a BA from the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Paul has worked in many aspects of the hospitality industry from hotel/casinos to fine dining/catering houses. He earned a Master of Arts Degree in Professional Counseling, with a focus on Career Counseling from Chapman University. Paul has written and presented seminars on internships, resumes, interviewing, job search, salary negotiation, organizational research and professional etiquette. He embarked on a project to gain relevant, grounded insight into career development and share it with students and professionals. This research has been published in his new book, "Now, Launch Your Career".
Barbara Davis
Barbara has broken the glass ceiling for women not only in the gaming industry but businesses everywhere. Recently retired, Barbara was previously with MGM Resorts International as Vice President of Hotel Services, and oversaw the following departments: Housekeeping, Public Area, Hotel Services, PABX/Telecommunications, and Uniform Control. She managed a staff of over 1500 employees, and oversaw an annual payroll exceeding $55 million.
Barbara began her career in 1985 at the Golden Nugget-Las Vegas as Executive Housekeeper. She opened the Mirage in 1989 as Director of Housekeeping. In 1997 Barbara joined the Bellagio staff as Executive Director of Hotel Services and was later promoted to Vice President of Hotel Services.
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.
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.
Joel A. Moore, BS, CRDE
Joel Moore is the Director of Housekeeping for Encore at Wynn Las Vegas. Prior to returning to Las Vegas in 2006, he has held several management positions with such companies as Hyatt, Four Seasons, Inter-Continental, MGM Grand, and Mirage Resorts. His hospitality career in Hotel Operations spans more than 35 years. Joel holds the credentials of CRDE (Certified Rooms Division Executive). He is a member of the Las Vegas Chapter of IEHA (International Executive Housekeepers Association) and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Hospitality Management from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Ellis Norman MBA CHE
Ellis is the co-founder of the International School of Hospitality. For over 25 years, he has taught courses in human resource management, hotel management and introduction to hospitality. He was most recently Assistant Professor at the Harrah Hotel College at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Recently retired, he holds the title of Professor Emeritus at the College. Prior to teaching, he held management positions in food and beverage, human resource management, hospital administration, and hotel management.
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.
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.
