Meet Your New Orleans Conference Team
These volunteers are working hard to spark YOUR conference experience. To get to know THEM a bit better, we asked them a few fun questions.
Q: Second Line Style – If your personality had its own parade, what would be the theme and why? Facilities Co-Director Tresa Wells Group Manager, Instructional Design, Whataburger
Service Event Co-Director Jack Woznick Director of Training & Development, Toro, Toro, Toro, Inc. & Mojofuco A: Full-on "Drumline" theme. The loud thumping bass, the loud snares, the beat, the dancing, the choreography, and the orchestration; it's enough to get even the biggest fuddy-dud to stomp their feet and start dancing.
A: My theme would be “Get This Show on the Road,” because I’m all about preparing/planning, but if there’s no action, it was all for nothun’! Facilities Co-Director Shannon Ciccotelli Director of Training and Development, Jim ‘N Nick’s Community Bar-B-Q A: “Taco Tuesday!” Tacos are resilient; they are messy, imperfect, and unapologetically themselves. They literally fall apart in your hands, and somehow that’s part of their charm. I fall apart all the time, but like to think it’s part of my charm. Tacos have a celebratory spirit; Taco Tuesday isn’t just about tacos – it’s about making ordinary Tuesdays feel special. I bring that same energy and spirit to work and to my personal life. Tacos are inherently social, casual, and inclusive – just like my relationships. And most importantly, tacos aren’t complete without a margarita!
November was a Big Month for CHART’s Industry Event Speakers!
Communications Director/Project Manager Heather Murray Training & Implementation Manager, Sheetz
A: “Beautiful Disaster.” Life never works out quite the way you thought it would, and you have to just roll with the punches. Find the lessons and the beauty in the moments you have, and keep forward momentum. Let go of perfectionism and own the chaos.
Calvin Banks of Pyramid Global Hospitality was the opening keynote at the Workforce Management in Hotels & Hospitality Summit.
Travis Bowman and Christine Andrews of First Hospitality, and Kathryn Harris of PCH Hotels also rocked their breakouts.
Q: Lagniappe – In true New Orleans fashion, what’s a little “something extra” you give your trainees or team – your special touch that makes your training uniquely yours?
First Time Attendee Co-Director Jay Hartwig
Activities Co-Director Kate Stiteler Director of Learning and Engagement, Sonesta Hotels A: I’m somewhat known at Sonesta as someone who remembers names very well. I try and remember (and use!!) my trainees’ names in sessions no matter the size of the session or if I’ll see them again (sometimes we are training multiple sessions over multiple days). I know it’s a small thing, but it has big impact, especially when you’re training them to deliver personalized service. I’ve had many people tell me that they can’t believe I remember so many names, and it sticks out for them. Director of People and Retention, Fox Restaurant Concepts A: Something that I have always known (because I was raised right), but that has been reinforced by CHART, is the power of hand-written cards. Over the years, I have participated in multiple activities where I either write my future self a card, or write a note of appreciation to someone. It is truly impactful, every single time. So, I have made efforts to implement this into my training sessions, and always try to find a way and a reason to send someone a hand-written note.
Dr. Felicia White, Ed.D. of Askar Management Group, Myisha Smith of Pacifica Hotels, and Dr. Jen Belk White, Ed.D. of General Hotels Corporation facilitated a “Workforce Wildcard” lunch-and-learn at the Hotel Tech Forum.
Paul Miramontes and Matthew Steele of Wienerschnitzel presented a “Mastering AI at Work” breakout and Angelina Sabatini of Live Nation Entertainment presented “Elevating L&D as a Strategic Partner” at DevLearn.
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