Erica Chief executive officer Erica Kaschalk is a senior in The School of Hospitality Business. She is extremely excited and honored to be serving as the Chief Executive Officer of Destination Auction for her second consecutive year. Her passion for Destination Auction began when she served as the Director of Silent Auction two years ago, and it continued as she headed the team as CEO last year. She is from Warren, MI and spent this past summer at Detroit Sports Commission. Before that, she interned with Mission Point Resort as the Conference Service and Events Intern in the summer of 2016, and in the summer of 2015, she had the opportunity to intern with Top That! Event as a production intern. She loves being part of The School and is also involved in PCMA, has volunteered at Les Gourmet every year, and is currently the Director of Special Events for RHA. She has a passion for the event industry and hopes to to find a job as an Event Manager/Coordinator in either Detroit or New York after her graduation in May, 2018. She is extremely excited for this year's Auction and cannot wait to see everyone's hard work come to life the day of. She is very much looking forward to another very successful Auction this year! |
Lauren Chief operating officer Lauren Johnson is a junior in The School of Hospitality, expecting to graduate in May, 2019. Lauren has been involved with Destination Auction for 3 years. She started as a volunteer during her freshman year for Destination Auction Under the Big Top. The following year, she was honored with obtaining the new position of Director of Community Relations, and she has now been given the amazing opportunity to serve as the COO. She is from Rockford, Michigan, and she was fortunate enough to spend the summer of 2016 in Mackinac Island as a server for the Grand Hotel’s restaurant, The Gate House. She is interested in the Gaming and Casino industry, and she hopes to find herself working at the corporate level within the Casino industry; however, she is also open to the idea of learning and specializing in Vineyard management. |
Alis Chief Financial Officer Alis Manoogian is a senior from Birmingham, Michigan. She will be graduating in May of 2018 from The School of Hospitality Business with a minor in Real Estate Investment Management and a minor in Economics. This past summer she interned for CBRE|Martin in East Lansing, Michigan and continues to work for the company today. Also, she currently works for Zeta Tau Alpha as Kitchen Manager. Aside from Alis’ work experience, she holds the position of Director of Philanthropy for MSU’s Hospitality Association and is an active member in the Real Estate Investment Club. Alis volunteered for Destination Auction in 2016 and was on the executive board in 2017 as Director of Silent Auction. She is excited to continue her involvement on the 2018 Auction executive board and contribute to this year’s success. |
Lucy Director, solicitations Lucy Tomer is currently a sophomore at MSU who hopes to graduate in the spring of 2020. Her roots lie in the suburbs of Kalamazoo. She is an Honors College student, majoring in Hospitality Business with a focus on Event Planning, along with a Spanish minor. Her aspirations include being a corporate event planner or working with smaller organizations to plan community programs. Alongside being Co-Director of Solicitations, Lucy is employed at the Breslin Student Events Center. She recently finished her first internship at Gull Lake Country Club. Lucy is very excited to serve on the Destination Auction Executive Board after volunteering this past year! |
Moriah Director, solicitations Moriah Schmidt is a junior from just south of Grand Rapids, in Wayland, Michigan, planning to graduate from The School of Hospitality Business in December of 2018. She completed her first internship this past summer at the JW Marriott Grand Rapids, and she hopes to return for her second internship this coming summer. After graduation, Moriah plans to pursue her career in the industry of Event Design, while also pursuing her passion for the world of wine, coffee, and food. |
Delaney director, sponsorships Delaney Jones is a junior in The School of Hospitality Business and will be graduating in May 2019. She is originally from Temperance, Michigan, and this past summer she interned as a Front Desk Agent at The Sanctuary Hotel at Kiawah Island Golf Resort in South Carolina. Delaney plans to become a hotel or country club General Manager one day, and she has previous experience caddying at a country club for the past six years. Aside from being involved in Destination Auction, she is also a creator for The Odyssey Online and a member of the Evans Scholar Program. She is excited for a fantastic Destination Auction! |
Carly Director, Sponsorships Carly King is currently a sophomore, expecting to graduate in May of 2020. This is her second year working with Destination Auction. Last year, she was a student volunteer, and is excited to take on the role of Co-Director of Sponsorships. She is from Macomb, Michigan, and she completed her first internship at Pine Lake Country Club. She is also involved in CMAA, and she holds the position of BMI Coordinator within their Executive Board. She hopes to further her career in Club Management and get more experience working events. |
Emily Director, catalog Emily Powers is a junior in The School of Hospitality Business, expecting to graduate in the spring of 2019. Outside of Destination Auction, she is also involved in Eta Sigma Delta. She had her first internship in her hometown of Jackson, Michigan at Lakeland Hills Golf Course, and she strives to have a career in meeting and event planning. |
Natalie Director, catalog Natalie Villarreal is a senior in The School of Hospitality Business, with a minor in Spanish as well. She expects to graduate in December of 2018. In previous years, she has volunteered for Destination Auction and is very excited to be on the E-Board this year! Along with Destination Auction, she is also the CEO of Eta Sigma Delta, she is the TA for Dr. Cha for HB 265, she is into fitness, and she figure skates. Her hometown is Grand Ledge, Michigan. Her internships included being an event coordinator at the Wharton Center for Performing Arts, here in East Lansing, and as a Guest Reception Agent at Montage Deer Valley. In the future, she hopes to stay in the hospitality field and possibly be a General Manager. |
Emily director, live auction Emily Deese is a sophomore from Midland, MI. She plans on graduating in May of 2020 from The School of Hospitality Business with a minor in Entrepreneurship. This past summer, Emily had the opportunity to intern as a kitchen supervisor for Levy Restaurants at the Great Lakes Loons minor league baseball stadium. Outside of Destination Auction, Emily is very active in volunteering and has earned her 8th gold Presidential Volunteer Service award as well as the Congressional Award Gold Medal. She looks forward to owning her own hospitality businesses and is excited about providing unique, memorable experiences for her guests. Emily is excited to be part of her first Destination Auction and looks forward to several exciting years on the team. |
Hannah Director, event design Hannah Idoni is a senior, graduating in May of 2018 from The School of Hospitality Business. She has been involved in Destination Auction for a while, starting as a Silent Auction Volunteer, then moving to the Event Design Supervisor, and is excited to hold the position of Director of Event Design this year. She has a background in events, with her internship at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center as a Wedding Specialist Assistant. In the future, she hopes to stay with event planning, specifically weddings. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling and cooking. |
Melissa Director, community relations Melissa Dam is a junior this year, majoring in Hospitality Business and expecting to graduate in May of 2019. She was born and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan, although her parents are from Vietnam. She is bilingual and has been speaking Vietnamese ever since she was little, and she still does! She has worked at a Chinese Restaurant since she was 14 years old, and over the summer, she was fortunate to intern at the Courtyard by Marriott in Downtown Grand Rapids. This internship has pushed her towards wanting to work in a hotel setting, but her career goals are still open. In her free time, she likes to be active and either hit the gym or participate in sports, especially tennis! She also loves to eat sushi and she has an obsession with dogs (Corgis in particular). This is her first year as a part of Destination Auction, and she is very excited! |
Robert Director, Food and beverage Robert De Rey, III is a junior in The School of Hospitality Business, expecting to graduate in May of 2019. He is from the southeast part of Michigan in Macomb. He was able to have his first internship as a Food and Beverage Intern at Marriott International in Detroit, Michigan and his second internship as a Level III Student Cook Supervisor at MSU East Culinary in East Lansing, Michigan. In the future, he hopes to be a Food and Beverage Manager for a well-recognized institution, and later in his life, he hopes to own his own restaurant. |
Mariam Director, human resources Mariam Naser is a Senior in The School of Hospitality Business and is expected to graduate, Summer 2018. This is her third year on the executive board for Destination Auction, previously brought on as Supervisor of Human Resources and Co-Director of Sponsorships. This year, she is Director of Human Resources for both, Destination Auction and The School's premier annual event, Les Gourmets. Mariam completed her Level II Internship at The Henry Ford Museum as the Intern Manager of Food and Beverage in her hometown, Dearborn, MI. Most of her experience is in Food and Beverage but she enjoys different aspects of hospitality business and looks forward to expanding her experience. |
Katie Director, marketing, Social Media, & Technology Katie Brown is a senior from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She is expecting to graduate in May of 2018 with a degree from The School of Hospitality Business. Last year, Katie was the supervisor for silent auction and she is excited to be serving as the Co-Director of Marketing, Social Media, and Technology this year! This past summer she had the opportunity to study abroad in Oslo, Norway. Outside of Destination Auction, Katie is the Co-Director of Reception for Les Gourmets, an active member in Zeta Tau Alpha sorority, and loves to volunteer at Career Expo. She is looking forward to an unforgettable senior year and making the Roaring 20s a night to remember! |
Allie Director, MARKETING, SOCIAL MEDIA, & TECHNOLOGY Allie Chapekis is a senior from Northville, Michigan, expecting to graduate in May 2018 with a double major in Hospitality Business and Economics and a minor in Real Estate Investment Management. Her operational internship was at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Novi, Michigan as a Front Desk and Night Audit Intern, and her second internship was at a real estate private equity firm, ValStone Partners, in Birmingham, Michigan. She has previously volunteered for Destination Auction, and she is very excited to be Co-Director of Marketing, Social Media, and Technology this year! Other than Destination Auction, she is the Chief Financial Officer for the Real Estate Investment Club. She also enjoys traveling around the world and playing with her puppy, Mia. |
