Katie is the owner of Cotton Rouge and Company, one of the largest makeup and hair special event teams in the country. Together they service over 600 weddings a year which has made her grow to love ALL things tied to special events including organizations like NACE. She is a national speaker and has spoken at such prestigious events as Wedding MBA. She is also a business coach to many brands across the country.
Katie joined NACE because she loved making the connections to others in the event and hospitality industry that she might not connect with otherwise.
Tia McAlister
Chapter Vice President
Owner
Complete Weddings + Events
President
Complete Weddings Carolinas
I love the event world because it gives us the change to see someone’s vision that they cannot see become a reality. We get to be a part of the best moments for our clients and that is a feeling that can’t be described.
I’m excited to be a member of NACE for the education and connections both locally and nationally. I’m honored to serve on the board to be a part of a Nationally recognized organization that provides so many opportunities to develop more professionally while surrounded by people that uplift and support me.
I love events because I love creating beautiful experiences and seeing my clients face light up. I have been blessed to have been a member of the event community since 2006 and have seen Greenville expand and grow with beautiful venues and talented professionals. The best feeling in the world is when your client realizes that everything you have planned for them has come to fruition.
I believe in NACE because it is extremely important to have continuing education for event professionals and have a national association.
Carly Chapman
Secretary
Assistant Coordinator
rsvp wedding coordination
Corporate Events &
Marketing Associate
RealOp Investments
Carly Chapman entered the event world as an intern for Thornblade Country Club during her time as a student at Clemson University. During her internship she met local vendors who introduced her to NACE, and the following summer she became a Student Member as she interned for B & R Events. After graduating with a B.S. in PRTM, Travel and Tourism in 2019, Carly continued to stay involved with NACE and work in events and hospitality. Carly currently works at RealOp Investments as a Corporate Event and Marketing Associate, and for rsvp wedding coordination as a Designated Event Assistant.
She is excited to be serving on this year’s board and to continue supporting an organization that encourages both personal and professional growth for all age groups.
Being in the events world is to be part of an incredible community of people who come together to celebrate, grow, and create unforgettable memories. What I love most about events is the opportunity to create unique experiences and be a source of inspiration and solutions to make the planning process stress-free and enjoyable!
I love working with incredible clients from all walks of life and being part of an amazing vendor community. Additionally, it is a passion of mine to use events to give back to the community and strive to use the power of events to improve the world around us.
I am so excited to be part of NACE! I look forward to connecting with NACE Members and developing relationships that continue to build and support our vendor community. This is an incredible industry with some of the most talented people I have met and I cannot wait to continue to learn and grow from them and with them!
Events have the ability to mold our lives and the lives of those around us. Having the opportunity to be a part of a company’s business growth, a family celebration, or an organization's movement for change is profound. It is humbling to experience the impact a well-planned and executed event can have on our lives and futures.
I enthusiastically bring more than 20 years of hospitality experience to the NACE leadership board. My mission, is to become a community connector, encouraging collaboration efforts, to enable our members to become innovators and trendsetters in our industry.
Audrey Martin
Communications Director
Assistant Coordinator
rsvp wedding coordination
Director of Community Relations
Home Instead Senior Care Spartanburg
I love seeing events come together and helping create memories.
I am excited to be in NACE because it offers many opportunities to learn. I am looking forward to promoting this great organization.
Everything about the hospitality industry, especially ours here in the Upstate, keeps me on my toes and definitely prevents life from getting dull. I love working with clients on creating their vision through food. When we meet with clients, host their tastings, or have the dreaded Zoom meetings, we always delve into more than just their menus. We talk about their ideas, give suggestions based on our cumulative experience, and we make sure they know we are here for anything they need, food related or not. I love working with them from start to finish and bringing more to the "table" (see what I did there?) then they ever expected. COVID-19 has pushed us to think outside of the proverbial box, and our amazing clients have responded in such a positive, grateful way. My team and I believe hospitality, in any way, is our passion."
I love the details, creating events that people talk about, and that I get to be a part of someone’s special celebration.
I really enjoy this industry and sharing ideas with like minded people. I am super excited to working with fun people to help plan, produce, and execute a spectacular 2021 Gala.
I love making people's dreams a
reality and being part of their team
on the best day(s) of their life.
I love growing our group and
helping the community come
together for learning and fellowship.
She loves the relationships that are formed working closely alongside each client to plan their special event. She eagerly anticipates working on each new event, knowing that she will use her endless creativity to bring her clients’ vision to life.
She is most excited to join NACE for the programming and networking with top industry professionals and connecting with newcomers. She loves that NACE brings together the most passionate and dedicated industry professionals - sharing experiences, resources, and educational content.
Consulting
Danielle Deming
Scholarship Co-Chair
DJ
Complete Weddings + Events
Principal Coordinator
rsvp wedding coordination
My passion for making anyone's event/wedding run as smooth as possible can be seen by all when I work. I'm all about teamwork, going above and beyond, and making sure all my fellow vendors are able to deliver their best product as well effortlessly. I've attended every NACE meeting and event I can, gone networking to any festival I can manage to go to, attended all other vendors events and open-houses and volunteered to travel the country to learn more about this industry! The more I've dove into this industry, the more enamored and impressed I am with the individuals and companies we have the pleasure and honor to work alongside of. I've noticed I don't want to stop growing, learning and evolving, so when asked to be on the NACE board I couldn't say no!! I look forward to learning, evolving and growing into an even better version of myself while also growing with the other vendors and companies!
Essence Pugh
Gala Committee
Hospitality Committee
Programs Committee
Event Stylist & Florist
A Touch of Essence
Events & Florals
Essence had the opportunity to become an entrepreneur full- time. Since then Essence has opened a new event venue in Simpsonville, SC and has hosted 100+ Events. Essence is passionate about her faith, family and business and gives every client her absolute best.Essence and her team creates one of a kind events! She is passionate about each event, covering every detail. We can’t wait to see the look on your face when you see the magical transformation we create for your special event. We will create a design that will bring your dream to life.
Stephen Gossett
Immediate Past President
Co-Owner
As Immediate Past President, it has been an honor serving this board and community. I am excited for this new year for the Appalachian Chapter. Katie and her 2021 board are going to do incredible things for the Wedding and Events community and I am thrilled for the future of this Chapter.
Stephen Gossett has served on the board of NACE for the past 5 years. He co-owns Noveli Wedding Photography and FamZing Studios with his wife Summer. As an industry professional for over 15 years, NACE has brought significant value to his companies, including winning Photographer of the year (Noveli Photograpjy, twice) and Videographer of the Year (FamZing Studios).
Anna Grace Waters
Communications Committee
Membership Committee
Assistant Coordinator
rsvp wedding coordination
I got into the event business because I loved seeing how happy and excited people are when they are at an event. I interned with Samantha at rsvp wedding coordination and B & R Events and got to experience the best of events. Being a college student I wanted to continue in the event industry and be involved as much as possible.
I joined NACE because I wanted to stay connected and involved with Greenville events. From my experience with NACE I could tell that everyone genuinely cares and loves what they do and about the event space in Greenville. NACE is the best place to grow as an individual and as a professional.
Sydney Hilburn
Communications Committee
Scholarship Committee
Assistant Coordinator
rsvp wedding coordination
I love the ability that events have to
bring people together. I am excited
to be on the leadership board of
NACE so I can learn from the rest of
the board members and
gain experience.
Haley Farmer
Gala Committee
Programs Committee
Scholarship Committee
Photographer
Complete Weddings + Events
Haley Farmer is a local photographer from Greenville, SC. She graduated from the University of South Carolina with a Bachelor of Fine Arts-Photography. She currently works for Complete Weddings + Events as well as her own business, Haley Farmer Photography. Haley has been capturing joy since 2010, but really focused in on weddings in 2018. She LOVES being there for brides and grooms on their big day to help in any way she can while photographing authentic moments.
