Judy A. Rogers
Judy A. Rogers is a highly respected and influential leader in the events and hospitality industry, currently serving as the Director of Banquets at The Peabody Memphis. With extensive experience managing large-scale events, trade shows, and high-profile gatherings for up to 25,000 attendees, Judy combines operational expertise with a client-first mindset. She is skilled in budget management, resource allocation, and personnel oversight, always prioritizing cost efficiency, revenue growth, and delivering exceptional experiences. Comfortable navigating fast-paced, high-pressure environments, Judy consistently ensures seamless execution while maximizing both client satisfaction and team performance.
For Judy, a day in banquet operations is about providing the best possible service, listening to client needs, and going above and beyond to deliver the “wow” factor. She is equally committed to mentoring her team, ensuring they have the tools, guidance, and support needed to succeed. Judy recalls leading a wedding for 480 guests where her team completed a complex buffet setup in just 10 minutes well ahead of schedule earning praise from the director of catering. She thrives in the high-energy, detail-oriented world of operations, advocating for her staff to receive recognition while preferring to stay in the background, supporting and empowering others rather than seeking the spotlight herself. As one of the few women to maintain a long-standing career in banquet operations, Judy takes pride in mentoring the next generation of hospitality professionals in a traditionally male-dominated field.
A graduate of Manhattanville College with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Management, Judy blends formal education with decades of hands-on expertise. Her colleagues praise her initiative, collaborative problem-solving, and ability to anticipate and meet the needs of both clients and staff. Fluent in English and Spanish, Judy continues to inspire her teams while creating memorable, high-impact events across the country. Known for her dedication, leadership, and commitment to excellence, she has built a career defined by operational mastery, team development, and creating experiences that exceed expectations.
• Local165 Bar Apprenticeship
• Manhattanville College - BBA
• Valencia Community College - AA, Business
• Phi Theta Kappa
• Leader of the Quarter Nominee
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to fearlessness and an ability to problem-solve. I am the go-to person. I think a long time ago someone in my circle had said to me, be the go-to. Don't be the person that runs away when they need help. You see the people who avert their eyes and start to shuffle around and kind of hide behind somebody else when someone asks for volunteers or help. Don't be that person. Step up. I step up all the time, my bosses know it. They all know that they can come to me, and if they ask me for something, it'll get done. My motto is, get it done. That is what has made me successful, is being fearless when they come to me, not being afraid to take on other tasks and other things. Being the go-to person, having that, hey, I've got this, I have this director who will help me with the restaurant, will help me with the bars, will help me with everything else that's going on, even though it's not her area of responsibility. That's how you succeed, and that's what I've been teaching my team. Don't shirk responsibility, jump up and grab responsibility. You'll see the difference in how you are perceived by your colleagues.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I’ve ever received is to learn something new every day and not be afraid to share it with others. I believe this philosophy applies not only in business but in life as a whole. Continuously learning keeps you adaptable and engaged, while sharing knowledge empowers others and builds stronger, more collaborative teams.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
First and foremost, if you love operations, don't get forced into sales just because you're a woman. That's something that irritates me to no end. It's almost like it's a given. Oh, you're a woman, you're in banquet operations, you need to go to sales. No, I don't. Be who you want to be. Be the person that you want to be. Don't let someone else dictate to you who you are. Know yourself. Learn who you are, and learn what you like, and pursue it. That's what I did. I found what it is that I wanted to do, and I pursued it, and I stayed with it. And that's what I tell my girls all the time. I love my ladies. Don't ever be told that you fit into a box, because you don't.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge is pay. The rate of pay has become disgusting for what we do. We get dinged all the time. It's just amazing to me how hospitality, they seem to think that we can survive on the salaries that they're offering us when everything is so expensive. The cost of living goes up, but we don't see it, we don't get it. I've had to see even managers, salaried managers, that are literally talking about the fact that they're going to need to go get a side hustle. That's probably the toughest thing, the pay, it's just disgraceful. On the opportunity side, my industry is moving forward technologically. We see our shows now are so much more involved with how we have to do builds. We have large tech companies coming in that are building out our ballrooms for their shows, and you have video conferencing, remote viewing and all kinds of stuff. That in itself, I see as a positive thing, it's moving things forward.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I think everybody values their personal time, being able to have that balance in your work life where you can decompress from the job. That to me is something that I value. I value my personal time, and I like my team to value their personal time, and I like to make sure that when they're not there or they're off, that they have a day off. I think that's extremely important. It's amazing how often myself and my team are on call 24-7, and I try to explain to my catering team that, hey guys, it's their day off, call me. I value honesty. I think that's extremely important, and I really value communication, open lines of communication. It's extremely important in what we do, and I try to tell my team, the more that you communicate, the better and more seamless we can deliver the services that we provide. I value every member of my team. I value the people who are around me, who support me. I value my bosses. I value the fact that I get treated the way I get treated. I have a hotel general manager who walked into my office right before Thanksgiving and said, hey, I just want to let you know, I'm thankful for you. That is something you can't buy. That was so genuine, and so heartfelt, and you could even see the emotion in him when he came in and said it. That's what this is all about, that type of recognition.