Get to Know the 2022-2023 MPISTL Board of Directors - Part 1

Hi MPI St. Louis! My name is Christina Eller, I am the Director of Sales at Hollywood Casino St. Louis and River City Casino & Hotel and I am your 2022-2023 President! I have been a member of MPI for 8 years and have served on the board since 2017. My goal this year is to support our MPI St. Louis community by growing our memberships and working with our board to directors to provide exciting educational and networking events that are important to you and our industry.

Ashley Hodges has been a member for 10+ years. This year she will transition to the Immediate Past President where my goal will be to support Christina and the entire Board of Directors navigate the year’s education, networking and fundraising events. Ashley believes that the best part of our industry is the relationships forged through volunteering with the chapter. I have made some long-lasting friendships along the way.

Hi, I’m Kaitlin Jakel, Senior Meeting & Event Planner at NISC and President-Elect of the MPI St. Louis Area Chapter. I’ve been a member of MPI for 8 years and it’s been such a great experience. Being involved in MPISTL has given me a ton of education and really opened up my network. Some of my best friends are because of MPI!  As President-Elect, I hope to be a support to all our Chapter leaders and learn as much as I can to be successful President next year. Additionally, I plan to create a better program for our member scholarships.

Hi, I’m Brittany Nelson, Remote Sales Manager for the French Lick Resort. I’ve been a member of MPI for 5 years and my role on the Board is VP of Education. My Big Goal for the Year: Education with an Experience! Be on the lookout as the Education Team brings new life into our educational events!

Best part of the industry: The relationship building and experiences. I have traveled more than I imagined I would and have made some amazing memories. I would not have been able to meet and connect with certain individuals if it was not for the industry and this chapter. 

Katelyn Ruggeri joins the Board of Directors after serving as a Chapter Volunteer for three years. As the Director of Member Recruitment and Retention, Katelyn is looking forward to growing Chapter Membership and building a stronger network of Meeting and Events Professionals to support industry growth across our community. She joined MPI after attending her first MPI After 5 Networking event nearly four years ago. She currently works at Vizient as a Networks Manager, producing educational and networking programs for Chief Nursing Executives and Leaders across the country. As an events professional, Katelyn takes great pride in creating unique experiences that ultimately become great memories. For Katelyn, time spent on the little things and small details is never time wasted when the end result is a one-of-a-kind event! She is always happy to share her #WhyMPI story with you and cannot wait to network with you at an MPI event soon!

Bridget Bitza is the Chief Revenue Officer at Butler’s Pantry and an MPI Member for 5 years. She is also the Director of Member Care for the MPI St. Louis Chapter. This year she strives to find new and interesting places that make STL great for our members to come see and network with other members.

Best Part of Our Industry: The spirit of teamwork, nothing we do can be done by one person or one company. We always work with an amazing team of vendors and clients to put together memorable events.

Hi, I’m Sarah Pinkowski, Director of Meetings & Travel at Enterprise. I’ve been a member of MPI since 2006 and am returning to the board again this year to be the Director of Communications. My big goal this year is build retention, volunteerism and our membership through effective communications, like our Newsletter and Social Media sites. The best part of our industry is the PEOPLE – I’ve met so many like-minded people that really have a passion for the hospitality industry in MPI. I hope you join us for our fantastic educational and networking events. Education with an Experience as Brittany likes to say!

Hi, I'm Cara McGuire, CMP and I’ve been an MPI member for five years and am excited to be starting my second term on the MPI St. Louis Area Chapter Board as Director of  EduCon. I was a member of the Education Committee prior to joining the board, and value the benefits the chapter provides with professional development and relationship building within our local industry. I’ve worked for Maritz Global Events for 18 years, with most of my time spent in leadership within our Event Management group. In my current role as Director, Business Transformation, I collaborate with many different departments in our organization on strategic initiatives and projects that benefit our internal teams, so they can provide our clients with the best service and experiences possible. I am fulfilled when I’m able to make a difference in people’s lives, and bringing people together to meet, share ideas, and have meaningful experiences is what keeps me going. The relationships built with amazing people are the best part of our industry! My goal for this year is to build upon the successes of our in-person events and provide quality education and networking at EduCon in spring of 2023!

Read Part 2.