Caitlin Miner, CPCE

For President

As our members have undergone excruciating circumstances this past year, I am dedicated to ensure NACE members continue to receive cutting edge education, opportunities for certifications to advance their career, and stellar beneficial networking opportunities. From a marketing standpoint, we have the opportunity to serve as a promotional resource for our members to promote themselves and their businesses. I would like to further NACE National’s goals to bring diversity to our organization and offer an inclusive community for all New Orleans catering and event professionals.

My vision for New Orleans is very much one of rebuilding. Nationally, as well as locally, we are facing unprecedented times in our industry. Many are looking for new job opportunities amidst the uncertainty, or you are holding onto your business and hoping to weather this very long storm. It is our intention that we continue to be an industry leader for education, networking and certifications for our industry. Our members should feel secure in knowing that we are all in this together, and we will be here to support you during these difficult times.

Biography

NACE has had a profound impact on my life in many ways. In 2016, I moved to a brand new city to work at my first hotel in a catering and events role. I knew no one in New Orleans except my dad, stepmom, and brother that lived about 45 minutes away. About four weeks after I started my job at the Hyatt Centric French Quarter, I was introduced to NACE New Orleans from my colleague who had formerly been in my catering role. NACE New Orleans opened up my eyes to the city of New Orleans, and also the catering and events community nationally.

Four months after I started my new role, I was on my way to NACE Experience in Hollywood, Florida with some chapter members I had only met once or twice previously. That NACE Experience will always hold a special place in my heart as I learned so much about the organization, members across the country, and members in our own chapter. I knew I wanted to be involved in more than a bigger way than just a member.

That fall, I became involved with the New Orleans chapter fundraiser and was later nominated to be on the board in January 2017. I was shocked at the quick succession of events, but I accepted the nomination humbly and ran unopposed as director of programs and education. The director of programs and education role was successful for the chapter as I had the ability to travel to different industry conferences around the country for work and “scout” speakers for our 2017-2018 programming. I found myself so inundated with education, that I was booking speakers over a year out! As important as it was to hold the honor of delivering education to our chapter, more important was mentoring my successor. Isabella Finnell, from the Intercontinental Hotel, had just become a member in the Spring of 2017 and was new to the catering role. We had so much in common: both from New England, both worked for Hyatt, she was now working for my old director of sales who championed NACE, and we had similar passions and goals for expanding our knowledge of the catering and events industry.

Later that year, I had the courage to run for chapter 1st vice-president (something I wouldn’t have done if I did not feel secure in my relationship with our board and members) and ran against a long-time board member. In my election speech given at a chapter meeting, I spoke about mentoring the generation coming into this industry: the college student, the entry-level worker, the new attendee at a meeting who knows no one... That’s what NACE is all about. Continuing to grow and expand your knowledge, your network, leadership skills, and lifting up those around you. Whether it’s writing a recommendation letter for a scholarship, or referring a vendor for a wedding, or volunteering for an event for a fellow board member, NACE has blurred many of the lines between my professional and personal relationships. For that, I’m thankful.