2019 Board Installation
- Marisa Haney
- Feb 4, 2019
- 4 min read
Scoglio Green Tree hosted the SKAL Board Installation Dinner Tuesday, January 15th. Those in attendance enjoyed an evening of good conversation with an authentic family-style Italian dinner.
With their unique twist on classic Italian dishes, there are plenty of dishes you'll love. Scoglio Green Tree brings Northern Italian Cuisine to Pittsburgh. They use fresh and colorful ingredients to serve delicious melodies of tastes that delight the senses.
Welcome the 2019 Board
Long-time member, Bill Caraway tallied the votes and unveiled the election results, which included:
President
Marisa Haney
Hospitality and Business Management Faculty
Curriculum and Assessment Coordinator
Vice President
Gene Lucente
Retired
Past President
Executive Treasurer/Secretary
Derek Pintado
Director of Sales
SIUSA Representative
Director of Finance
John J. Cruz
General Manager
Board Members
Michael Dougherty
Director of Revenue Management
Amy Gabbard
Direct of Sales
Bob Page
Director Sales & Marketing
Ashley Steckel
Advertising Sales Director
Chapter President, Derek Pintado passed the regalia onto Marisa Haney who led us all in her first SKAL toast. Marisa went on to express her appreciation of the club, its members and its support throughout the years. She attributes much of her career success to the club and remains proud to be a Skal Scholarship recipient. As a board member, Marisa has helped to develop the club's digital presence, and for 2019, she'd like to continue a few initiatives:
- have a club directory section for members only on the website
- automate the invoicing process
- develop our Young Skal program
- increase membership & awareness
- introduce more socials with community service and other partnerships
Although the club is getting increasingly more efficient, she remains focused on not losing the connectivity the Skalleagues are accustomed to. Staying true to the doing business among friends motto. She ended her remarks with one of her favorite quotes by Edmund Lee:
"Surround yourself with the dreamers, doers, believers and thinkers, but most of all, surround yourself with those who see greatness within you, even when you don’t see it yourself."
New Member Spotlight
James Dombrosky inducted our newest Young Skal member - Samson Cassel Nucci.
Samson didn’t always know he wanted to forge a career in the hospitality industry. In fact, right up through middle school he wanted to be a ringmaster for a circus, a now mostly defunct job. But nevertheless, the spirit of that desire remains in his longing to entertain, delight, and take care of guests of all ages.
After graduating from high school in Lancaster County, Samson enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh in their business school with the plan to major in Supply Chain Management and minor in Economics. From the onset of his college career, he sought to grow and improve his customer service skills, joining the school’s tour guide organization and the business school’s elite Certificate Program in Leadership and Ethics.
Where Samson found his passion for hotels, however, was on a study abroad semester to London, England, where he secured an internship with the prestigious Grosvenor House, a JW Marriott Hotel as a Sales and Marketing Intern. This would be a turning point for Samson, as he fell in love with hospitality, his hotel, and his associates for making him a part of the team and giving him a lot of responsibility for the 4 short months he was there, including assisting with the relaunch of Grosvenor House’s afternoon tea destination, The Park Room.
Upon returning to the U.S., Samson sought out other ways to cultivate experience and skills working in the hospitality industry. He networked his way into another internship, this time as a sales, marketing, and operations intern with North Star Lodging and Development. In this role, Samson helped open the newest property in Oakland, the Residence Inn Pittsburgh Oakland/ University Place, and afterwards assisted all departments in both day-to-day operations and special projects.
In tandem with this experience, Samson worked with the Dean of his school and the career development department to construct a framework for how other students at Pitt Business could pursue careers in hospitality. Samson benchmarked other hospitality organizations and schools and conducted interviews with various professionals in the industry to identify what type of program would work for a business school like Pitt’s. In the end, a framework with accompanying background research was submitted to the Dean with the hope that a program for students with a passion for hospitality like Samson will emerge in the coming years.
After graduating from Pitt in 2018, Samson rejoined North Star as a project coordinator, working on a variety of projects for the company’s hotels, including a renovation of a Fairfield Inn and Suites in New Stanton, PA and a new build Spring Hill Suites in Bradenton, Fl. Samson hopes to continue to work in corporate hospitality roles, hopefully utilizing his background in Supply Chain Management and Project Management to work in hospitality development, while still staying true to his customer service roots and his “ringmaster” style of delighting guests.
New Members Are Always Welcomed!
SKAL Pittsburgh meets once a month for dinner. It is a unique association that encompasses the many professions of the tourism industry. These meetings give members the chance to make contacts, on both a business and personal level, and to forge new and lasting friendships.
Interested in getting to know more about SKAL Pittsburgh? Or perhaps you're interested in attending one of our upcoming events? Visit us at www.skalpittsburgh.com.
