Greetings SHFM Members,

I can’t believe it has already been two months since becoming your SHFM president, and what a great, busy and productive two months it has been! Since leaving so many of you in Tucson Arizona from our last National Conference, so many wonderful events, kick-off calls and planning sessions have already been taking place. In fact, just last week, I was at the incredible and beneficial 2nd annual SHFM Foundation Gala hosted at the beautiful Inside Park at St. Bart’s in New York City. The SOLD-OUT Gala raised funds so the Foundation can continue to be the philanthropic arm of SHFM, as well as continue the mission to develop the next generation of diverse hospitality professionals by connecting with students and supporting and engaging with the Military. An all female – Asian chef line up was a first for SHFM and I am so proud of that! Thank you to ALL involved and to ALL who supported and continue to support this mission.

As I mentioned in my acceptance speech, I am not trying to do a complete 180 within SHFM. Rather, my focus is to continue to grow, enhance and innovate the already incredible work that has taken place year after year by so many incredibly passionate people. As the youngest female president of SHFM, it is important for me to learn and be mentored by those who paved the way before me, but to also learn from those in my age range too. I have been blessed to have experienced “both worlds” if you will – which is why it is a huge goal of mine to bridge the age gap of our members. Age inequality is a real issue on both sides of the spectrum, reverse mentorship is crucial, and I already am excited to see the gap closing across our leadership, committees and conference planning committees. Also, the continuation of promoting our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) throughout SHFM is imperative for the success of our organization – and the energy of the team leading this initiative is absolutely contagious!

Now for an exciting announcement! I’d like to introduce to you my passion project – the WISE Experience, Women, Inspiration, Support, Excellence. Taking place on February 28th and 29th at Mattel Global HQ in El Segundo, California. This two-day experience is to focus on the incredible forces that rule the world – WOMEN! I invite you to join us on a journey focusing on our authentic selves, celebrating our accomplishments and challenging our futures. Registration will open in early December, and I do anticipate it will sell out fast. 🙂

We have so many other incredible events being planned (please see the SHFM website for an at glance view of all events, dates & locations). Just this past week I walked the space of where our Critical Issues Conference will take place at Deutsche Bank, and I can assure you – you will not be disappointed! We are excited to announce that the Young Professionals Summit and the Critical Issues Conference will be held back-to-back in NYC. Our annual, highly attended Young Professionals Summit will be on April 30th, followed by our popular CIC on May 1st. Located right at the heart of Columbus Circle and Central Park, I anticipate this will be a beautiful time in New York City!

Your SHFM Committees have been busy working on various initiatives for 2024. I am proud to announce that we have over 500 volunteers across all of our committees. The local committee is filling up the annual event calendar with locals popping up all over the country! The Industry Advisory Board (IAB) has already met twice – focusing on creating a strategic plan, generating new ideas about our extremely popular philanthropic Hunger Games and looking to create some new events!

Let’s not forget my presidency will conclude at our National Conference in Baltimore… celebrating the organization’s 45th anniversary! I look forward for all of you to experience the sessions and surprises we have in store for you – planning is already underway!

So, there you have it, in two months we have tackled lots – but we still have so much more to go. Thank you to everyone for your continued support for this truly special organization.

I hope to see you December 7th, at our annual Holiday Party in New York City!

Until then, a very happy and healthy Thanksgiving!

Raquel Weiss Fusco
SHFM President