I recently sat down in the Palm Court over afternoon tea to meet with Linda Lese founder of Berend Associates which is a leading event and fundraising firm for the nonprofit sector. Linda shared her thoughts about fundraising, her favorite charities, who she would love to have dinner with tonight and her mother’s delicious tomato sauce.

I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Stephanie Thomas, President of Susan Ulin Associates. An event management company that provides services to a wide range of not-for-profit agencies in the New York area. The firm has managed hundreds of events including charity balls, tribute dinners and movie premieres. The team under the direction of Stephanie Thomas will undertake responsibility for all event activities including fundraising strategy, site and vendor selection, budget and timeline development, sponsorship and table sales.

I recently had the wonderful opportunity to sit down in the famous Palm Court and chat with event planner extrodianaire Harriette Rose Katz over afternoon tea.  Always camera ready, Harriette looking spectacular as ever turned heads as she walked in to greet me for our interview.  In 1978, she founded Gourmet Advisory Services.  She combined her passion of the culinary arts and her extensive global travel to form a company renowned in the New York area as the premier event planning company for weddings and corporate high-end events.

Boo Grace and her husband Cecil Grace founded Operation Positive Role Model in 1992. The Foundation promotes positive behavior among schoolchildren as well as combating childhood obesity. "Too often", says Boo Grace, "good kids are overlooked while those who either excel athletically or academically and those who get into trouble get all the attention.”