Her Story
About Katherine
Katherine Stanley serves as Director of Communications and Special Events at the Charlotte City Club, a private members club located on the 32nd floor of a downtown building in Charlotte, North Carolina. With seven years of experience in hospitality that began during college with internships in 2019, she oversees all club communications including social media on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook, weekly newsletters, quarterly magazines, websites, a member app, and texting services. She also plans and executes member events ranging from intimate chef-curated dinners and around-the-world dinners to pickleball tournaments and larger celebrations such as a pre-Pride parade kickoff and July 4th events. Katherine previously worked as a restaurant events manager with Tavistock and holds an undergraduate degree in entertainment management along with a master's degree in hospitality and tourism management from the Rosen College of Hospitality at the University of Central Florida. She attributes her success to believing in herself, knowing she can do hard things, and the support of her parents, which led her to pursue her master's degree to build confidence in areas where she sought more knowledge.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Katherine
01What do you attribute your success to?
Just knowing you can do hard things and believing in myself. I have always felt confident that I could do anything that I wanted to do, and I grew up with very supportive parents, so I just never thought anything was out of reach. Just believing in myself and trusting that I have the knowledge and the skill set and the confidence to achieve what I want, and if I feel like I don't, then doing something to better myself like getting my master's.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Everything happens for a reason and every day is a new day. My mom would help me get through hard days by saying every day is a new day, and I live by that. Some days nothing goes right, but I tell myself I'm gonna go to sleep, wake up, tomorrow's gonna be a brand new day, and we can start all over, just taking it one day at a time.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Be authentic to yourself. When I started maturing and going into interviews and putting on a little bit less of a front and just being my authentic self, still professional but more of the authentic version of myself, I found that that worked out better for me. Also trust your gut. If you're interviewing for a role and you have a gut feeling that something's off, trust your gut because I have entered roles where they felt maybe like they weren't the right fit but I did it anyways and it cost me down the road.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
It was difficult after COVID to get events back into gear. We've seen weddings getting smaller which poses a challenge for private events. In day-to-day with members, figuring out the best way to communicate because everybody has their own personal communication preferences. Making sure we have as many resources and platforms available. Learning more about the members, getting to know them and facilitating the programming to their wants and needs.
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