Women In Hospitality Conference

Sara Belhouri

Sara Belhouri, Financial Trainer, The Financial Gym – After a series of financial mistakes in her late teens and early 20’s, Sara began her personal finance journey to take back her own power and to have the freedom and flexibility to pursue her goals. As a Certified Life Coach, she began realizing that the thing that holds people back the most from pursuing their dreams is not having financial security, or having a traumatic money story. She became a Financial Trainer to help others find clarity and confidence with their financial situation, so they can go deeper than the money to accomplish whatever they want in life.

 

 

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Sharon Eliatamby

Sharon Eliatamby is a seasoned professional with over 25 years of well-developed knowledge and experience in the hospitality industry.  Sharon is a graduate of Johnson and Wales University and is currently working at the World Bank Group (WBG) as the Senior Project Manager overseeing the Food and Catering services as well as the conference center at the World Bank office in Paris.

Before joining WBG, Sharon was the Director of Food and Beverage at the Ronald Reagan International Trade Center. As a dynamic motivator and proven role model, Sharon currently is the President of Society for Hospitality and Foodservice Management (SHFM).  She served as Chair on the advisory council for the International Food Manufacturers Association (IFMA) and more specifically on their Business and Industry (B&I) for Food Services. Sharon is also on the SHFM board and a committee member for Diversity & Inclusion Council as well as the local chapter planning committee in Washington, D.C..

 

 

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Gabby Fisher

Gabby Fisher is a serial entrepreneur, brand strategist, real estate investor, & hypewoman from Albany, New York. She is the Co-Founder of Micropolitan Matchmakers , Get Together , and Founder of GabbyFisher.Biz , a marketing strategy company. After quitting an unfulfilling job in 2017, she traveled the world for about six months and in Brussels, Belgium, her first business concept was born. Now almost five years later, she is dedicated to helping women build and grow impactful brands & communities that reach across the nation.

hello@gabbyfisher.biz  | https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabby-fisher-337392b0/

 

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Amanda M. Fugazy

Amanda M. Fugazy, a member of Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP, is head of the firm’s Labor & Employment Law Group and co-head of the firm’s Hospitality Practice Group. As such, Ms. Fugazy represents businesses (both for-profit and not-for-profit) and executives in litigation, arbitration and mediation, and provides counseling and preventative education with regard to wage-hour compliance, discrimination, harassment, labor relations, leave laws, internal investigations, contracts, manuals, and severance agreements.

Ms. Fugazy is one of the most experienced practitioners in New York in the highly litigated area of wage and hour law, having litigated dozens of federal and state court cases involving claims under the Fair Labor Standards Act and the New York Labor Law. Because of her experience in this area, Ms. Fugazy was invited by the mediation office of the Federal Court for the Southern District of New York to teach on wage and hour laws, and has been named one of the “Top Women in Metro NY Foodservice & Hospitality” by Total Food Service magazine every year since 2017.

Ms. Fugazy is proud to serve on Executive Council of The Alumni Association for The George Washington University (B.A.) and on the Board of Trustees for Usdan Summer Camp for the Arts.

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Lori K. Govar, MSW, MBA

Ms. Govar has over 25 years of experience in workplace mental health, including employee assistance and wellness programs, DOT Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) assessments, substance abuse monitoring, drug testing and licensed health professional monitoring. Her wealth of experience includes program management, operations, sales, quality improvement, data management and hands-on direct service work.

Ms. Govar was previously the Director of Uprise Health Monitoring, overseeing staff, operations, program management, sales, and data management. Through her leadership, both the Oregon Health Professionals’ Services Program (HPSP) and the Delaware Professionals Health Monitoring Program (DPHMP) experienced a revitalization. This included the successful navigation of an extensive program audit and laying the ground work to change partners for both the information system and drug testing program. Initially, Ms. Govar was the Report & Data Manager for Uprise Health Monitoring, in which she managed the development and use of the monitoring information system. This included identifying needs through partnerships with stakeholders, planning solutions,and implementing these projects. Pricing, reporting, and stakeholder surveys fell under her purview.

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Stephanie Herrmann

After graduating from Boston University, Stephanie began her HR career in retail, later moving into the fitness industry where she spent about 7 years supporting employees across the US, Canada, and the UK. During that time, she played a key role in launching Equinox’s Employee Resource Groups and was elected the founding Head of the Women’s Alliance in Leadership.

Stephanie joined the hospitality industry in May 2022 as Boqueria’s VP of People & Culture and is driven by a passion and commitment to supporting the employee lifecycle and helping to advance women in the workplace.

 

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Oneika Mays

Oneika Mays (LMT, E-RYT, CMT) transitioned to yoga and meditation from a 20 year career in corporate retail leadership. Oneika used that experience to support social justice non-profits and teach meditation/yoga inside jails. Most recently she was the first Mindfulness Coach at Rikers Island Correctional Facility. She believes that our justice system needs to focus on
transformation and restoration rather than punishment. This idea of liberation and compassion is woven into her work whether it’s in a jail, speaking to audiences or teaching meditation. She believes that joy is available to all beings when they can embrace the wholeness of their experience. Oneika believes that contemplative practices are the path to liberation and can heal the world.

 

 

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Taniedra McFadden

As Executive Chief of Staff with Sylvia Woods, Inc. and Sylvia’s Restaurant, Taniedra McFadden exemplifies the companies’ passion for hospitality, commitment to quality, and dedication to excellence. The broad business knowledge that Taniedra brings to every project provides the foundation for innovative solutions for projects in diverse industries. Taniedra’s experience includes 10 years in finance and litigation as well as 10 years in restaurant operations and foodservice consulting.

Taniedra’s career experience began at Berdon LLP, where over 10 years, she progressed from administrative assistant to event coordinator to senior financial analyst. She later used those tools to assist a range of clients through consulting projects providing business organization services, marketing services, human resources assistance, implementation of workflows, contract negotiations, and creation of procedures and business manuals. Taniedra has been able to use that experience to successfully oversee day-to-day operations of numerous Sylvia Woods, Inc. corporate entities as well as Sylvia’s Restaurant and effectively deliver a consistent and authentic customer experience.

Taniedra holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from Providence College and has studied Law at Suffolk University Law School and Public Administration at Walden University. Taniedra resides in Jamaica Estates, NY and is currently a Board Member of the New York State Restaurant Association and serves as Secretary on the Board of Directors of Sylvia Woods, Inc.

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Kelly Metras

Kelly Metras, co-owner of Salena’s Mexican Restaurant and Salena’s Taqueria, and co-founder of BOSSY, is someone that is pessimistically optimistic, believing that it is our job as local business owners to make our communities better. She believes that community engagement should be the primary focus of businesses, as we are only as strong as the community that we do business in; if our communities are failing to thrive, it is a direct reflection of the businesses surrounding them.

In 2014, Kelly created BOSSY with fellow entrepreneur Kelly Bush, in response to dealing with the complexities of working in a male dominated industry. The goal of BOSSY is to support and lift women business owners in their community, helping to make sure all voices are at the table.
In 2015, Kelly founded RYCE (Rochester Youth Culinary Experience) which developed and opened a full-service restaurant with a group of 12 high school students from a culinary program in the City of Rochester.

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Sally Saltzbart Minier

Sally is currently the Global Head of Office Administration and Workplace Strategies at Jane Street Capital, a proprietary trading firm based in New York City. She oversees all food service, travel and hospitality for the company and manages a group of 50 people located in five countries. Prior to Jane Street, she owned and operated Sweet Sally’s Bakeshop, an on-line and wholesale baking company that specialized in Jewish pastries and nostalgic baked goods. Sally and her sweet treats were featured on the front page of the Wall Street Journal in 2009 and she also made television appearances on NBC, WABC, Fox Business News and Better TV.

 

 

 

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Liz Neumark

Liz Neumark founded Great Performances as a waitress-staffing agency for women in the arts in 1980. Over the decades, Great Performances has transformed into one of the country’s foremost catering companies. With deep relationships with cultural and historic institutions across NYC, Great Performances can be found at BAM, Brooklyn Museum, Apollo Theater, Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Plaza Hotel, Wave Hill, and dozens of other locations.

As a leader in the industry, Liz is dedicated to tackling food-related issues and engages in a number of initiatives including food rescue, anti-hunger initiatives, healthy food access, and local agriculture. In 2006, she established Katchkie Farm in Kinderhook, NY and founded The Sylvia Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to addressing issues in children’s health. Liz sits on the boards of GrowNYC, The Fund for Public Housing, The Sylvia Center, and Open House NY, and is Board Vice President of the Bronx Chamber of Commerce. She’s been named one of New York’s Most Powerful Women by Crain’s New York and was featured on Her Big Idea. In 2020, she served on the NYC Fair Recovery Task Force.

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Shelby Poole

Shelby Poole is a masterful collaborator and community builder. Her areas of expertise lie in hospitality, earned media and communications. Her marketing style is future-forward, with an emphasis on post-Covid consumer behaviors, brand self-awareness and authenticity. 

Shelby previously operated her two gastropub concepts, Morrison’s and Jackson’s. While at the helm, she was instrumental in building Long Island’s thriving craft beer movement through her innovative and hyper-local beer programs. She remains Consulting Partner at Jackson’s, working alongside her chef/husband Harry. Throughout her career, Shelby has applied her endless creativity to her work. These endeavors have included a series of movie- and television-themed beer dinners, a Bar Mitzvah for her restaurant, and most recently, Long Island’s largest annual 4/20 festival. 

Shelby lives on Long Island with her husband and two children, where they hike frequently and watch outdoor movies whenever possible. She sits on the Board of Directors for the New York State Restaurant Association and is a Girl Scout Leader for her daughter’s 7th grade troop. She is an idealist, a dot connector and holds firm the belief that mindful attention to mental health is the path towards a brighter tomorrow.

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Patti Simpson

Patti Simpson is the Chief Administrative Officer of Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG), in which capacity she oversees the human resources, legal, marketing teams and spearheads Hospitality Quotient, the company’s leadership, learning and development consultancy. Patti is an accomplished leader with a deeply rooted background in human resources, operations, organizational design, and learning development. A trained educator passionate about leadership and team development, Patti leverages her experience to further USHG’s culture of Enlightened Hospitality, the belief that putting employees first is the key to running a meaningful and sustainable business.

Previously, Patti served as the Chief People Officer of USHG, in which capacity she led the transformation and modernization of the HR function, and built a diverse, industry-leading C-suite. Patti also spearheaded the formation of USHG’s HUGS Employee Relief Fund, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) created to support USHG team members facing unexpected financial hardship

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Courtney Stanley

Courtney Stanley is recognized globally as an award-winning keynote speaker, event emcee, and host of the podcast for women in business, Dare to Interrupt. Courtney has spent more than a decade empowering professionals, entrepreneurs and organizations to engage in game-changing, impactful conversations that encourage individuals to tap into their true potential, improve team and culture dynamics, and drive meaningful change.

IG/TW/FB: @courtneyonstage | Website: www.courtney-stanley.com |  linkedin.com/in/courtneystanley

 

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Roslyn Stone

Roslyn Stone, MPH, is the Chief Executive Officer of Zero Hour Health, the industry leader in managing health incidents for many of the nation’s largest restaurant and food service chains, and the founder of Zedic, a solution for independents and smaller groups. Stone’s experience includes more than thirty years in the field of workplace health. At Zero Hour Health, Stone oversees medical crisis prevention and response services for more than 50,000 restaurant and food service locations and major events like the Super Bowl. In 2020, Stone and the ZHH team launched Zedic, a new service to support emerging chains and smaller food service and hospitality businesses.

 

 

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Naama Tamir

Naama Tamir was born and raised in Rehovot, Israel, home of the Wiseman Institute and the Faculty of Agriculture. She moved to NYC in 2000 after her mandatory IDF service at the age of 20. Naama studied Philosophy and Psychology at Hunter college while moonlighting in the hospitality industry. A few places to note; Employees Only, Macao Trading Co., Craft Steak, Mainland, Smith and Mills.

Upon graduation it became clear that her passion lies in restaurants, sustainability and education. In 2011 along with her brother-partner Assaf Tamir, they opened Lighthouse in South Williamsburg, a sustainable, socially responsible and forward thinking restaurant. In August 2016 they opened a second location named Lighthouse Outpost in Soho.