Catalina has over 30 years of strategic recruiting experience in hospitality and consumer-based industries, having placed consequential leaders in organizations ranging in size from emerging brands to publicly traded companies. Since joining The Elliot Group in 1988, Catalina has led senior-level executive search assignments, boasting numerous impactful C-level placements in operations, finance, development, technology, marketing, and supply chain across various industries, including restaurants, contract food service, retail, and lifestyle brands. A trusted thought partner, Catalina is often sought for her guidance on long-range strategic succession planning.
Catalina’s first-hand corporate leadership experience fuels her success in executive search. After earning her Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration, Catalina served in various management positions in the food and beverage and rooms divisions with Hilton’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel and Intercontinental Hotels Corporation.
Catalina actively gives back to Cornell University and is on the Nominating Committee of the Cornell Hall of Fame, sponsored by the Cornell Hotel Society. Committed to diversity in leadership, Catalina is a Founding Board Member of the Multicultural Foodservice and Hospitality Alliance (MFHA), an affiliate of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, and served as Board Chair. She participated in MFHA's 25th Anniversary celebration in 2021 and moderated the Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Webinar in May 2022.
A noted authority in human resources and recruitment, Catalina has been quoted in Nation's Restaurant News, Restaurant Hospitality, and The Lieberman Learning Letter. Catalina has presented at her alma mater’s highly respected Dean's Distinguished Lecture Series. She has been a speaker at the Roundtable for Women in Foodservice New York Chapter Symposium; Women's Foodservice Forum (WFF) Regional Connects Panel on Building High Performance Teams; the Immigration Panel sponsored by BlackBox Intelligence; Women of Color Panel at the MFHA Conference; and Society for Hospitality and Foodservice Management Inaugural Young Professionals Summit.