SHL Alumni Spotlight - Kecia Taylor

Kecia Taylor is the director of the NC Restaurant and Lodging Association Foundation and Workforce Development. In her role she works to support the overall growth and well-being of the hospitality industry within North Carolina through outreach, scholarships, education/training opportunities, and employee assistance programs.

She graduated from ECU’s School of Hospitality Leadership in 2012. Having started college as an Art major, Kecia credits her transition into the SHL program with the successful launch of her career after graduation.

Kecia has worked in the hospitality industry for roughly 16 years in a variety of facets from food service and lodging to event planning. She began her career as a management trainee at the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia, rotating throughout all departments of the hotel. She grew quickly into a role as event services manager officially marking the start of her career in event planning.

From there Kecia moved to Texas for a conference services manager role at a private corporate training center. Eventually wanting to branch out from the hotel side of the industry, Kecia took a position with the American Cancer Society managing large-scale fundraising events within the community.

When she decided to move back home to North Carolina to be closer to her family, Kecia transitioned into the creative production realm of the industry. She spent nearly four years with Centrifuge Media as a senior account manager handling the planning and execution of onsite and virtual meetings for pharmaceutical clients before beginning her role with the NCRLA.

Kecia has a passion for the industry and thoroughly enjoys the opportunity to impact the future of hospitality within North Carolina through the work of the NCRLA Foundation. She recently had the opportunity to hire another graduate of the SHL program to join her team.

Kecia is getting married in November and looks forward to all of the exciting initiatives the Foundation has in store for 2023.

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• School of Hospitality Leadership