Expertise
Katie has decades of experience in luxury resort and condo-hotel management; family operated hotel, restaurant and retail ventures; and alternative dispute resolution and mediation for the hospitality and related industries. She offers multi-faceted guidance to owners, developers, real estate investors and operators.
In mediation and dispute resolution, Katie is known for facilitating peaceful, purposeful and productive dialogue between the disputants. Strong skills in creating a calm environment, ability to establish a relationship of understanding, empathy and trust, building an environment that encourages the parties to participate productively in reaching resolution and without the uncertainty, unpredictability and expense of litigation have served her well in more than 100 settlement conference/mediation sessions. Katie's experience in and knowledge of the unique dynamics of the hospitality industry make her the ideal mediator or advisor in a wide range of complex disputes.
Professional & Other
Katie is a graduate of Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration. She is a Partner and serves as the Executive Director for Cayuga Hospitality Consultants. She has been certified by the Florida Supreme Court as a mediator and serves as a volunteer for the 12th Circuit Court's Citizen's Dispute Resolution Program. Katie serves on boards of a number of Sarasota's human services organizations and economic development groups, is the past chairman of the Florida Lodging Association and the Sarasota Chamber of Commerce. She was awarded the prestigious Independent Hotelier of the World by Hotels magazine, named the Sarasota Tourism Leader of the Year, Sarasota Business Person of the Year, has been a Dean's Distinguished Lecturer at Cornell's School of Hotel Administration, is asked to speak at a variety of conferences and events, and contributes to industry publications and online forums.
