The environments where we live and work have a profound impact on our well-being, and the hospitality workspaces are not exempt from this. In this seminar, we will discuss what oppressive workspaces look like, how the affect our mental health, and some ideas around how we can make workspaces healthier.
Jackie Summers
(he/him)
Founder, Sorel Liqueur
Jackie Summers is an acclaimed author, seasoned public speaker, and serial entrepreneur. Summers is the founder of JackFromBrooklyn Inc. and the creator of the award-winning Sorel Liqueur. A native New Yorker, he served as an Executive Editor for The Good Men Project for six years.
Instagram: @theliquortarian @sorelofficial
Jessica Pomerantz, MA
(she/her)
Doctoral Candidate, University of South Carolina
Jessica Pomerantz is a bartender and mental health professional. She has a masters in Forensic Mental Health Counseling from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City, with a focus on gender-based violence and psychological coercion. Clinically, she has experience working with victims and survivors of interpersonal violence, with specific expertise in sex trafficking and domestic violence. Concurrently, Jessica has about 10 years of bartending experience within a wide range of different restaurants and bars. She also has education and training experience working with Outsmart NYC, an organization dedicated to the preventing and ending sexual violence in bars, restaurants, and nightclubs.
Most recently, Jessica has relocated to Columbia, South Carolina to pursue her PhD in Clinical-Community Psychology, with both clinical and research focuses on interpersonal violence and coercion with the goal to apply these interventions to the hospitality settings.
Instagram: @jesspomerantz
Lauren Paylor
(she/her)
Owner, Focus on Health
Lauren Paylor is a mixologist and a nationally ranked bartender. Through intricate training, Lauren established a thorough understanding of service, cocktails, spirits and wine while working for Drink Co. As lead bartender, she assisted in the success of the establishment by providing staff members with guidance through education. She went on to become an F&B manager for Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants in Washington, D.C. where she was introduced to Management. She worked at The Dabney (one Michelin star; James Beard Awards 2018; Best Chef, Mid-Atlantic) as a member of the beverage team. Prior to Covid-19, Lauren was employed at Silver Lyan at the Riggs DC Hotel under the management of the Mr. Lyan beverage company. She is currently the co-founder and owner of Focus on Health, a company focused on health and wellness for food and beverage employees, along with Alex Jump. Lauren was a finalist in the United States for the International Bartending Competition World Class in 2019.
Instagram: @lpdrinksdc @fohealth
Mony Bunni
(she/her)
Founder, Support Staff
Mony Bunni (she/her) is a 16 year hospitality veteran and Chicagoland native who is working to advocate for normalizing conversations about mental health for BIPOC and hospitality professionals. Originally from the Chicago suburbs, Bunni moved to the City of Chicago to pursue an art degree at the age of 19, and continued to work in restaurants throughout her time in college. In 2012, she graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a BFA in Illustration, but quickly realized that her heart was in hospitality. Over the course of her career she has worked her way up from cocktail serving and bartending at Sable Kitchen and Bar, to leadership positions at Queen Mary Tavern and Boleo at the Kimpton Gray Hotel. In 2016 she won the title of Miss Speedrack Midwest, and then became the first Chicago bartender, and woman of color to win the Speedrack National title in 2017. As a first generation Arab-American, she understands the denial that often exists in recognizing and talking openly about mental health challenges in marginalized communities, the struggle to find affordable and accessible healthcare, and the difficulty in finding a therapist that understands specific cultural pressures. Teaming up with Magro and Kelton to form Support Staff she is able to use her platform to share her story and help to provide resources for both her hospitality and BIPOC communities. Currently she is serving as the Beverage Development Specialist at Tenzing Wine and Spirits and residing in Chicago, IL with her husband Graham and Pam the cat.
Instagram: @monybunni @pleasehustleresponsibly
Sherley Meija
(she/her)
Director of Media Strategy, 86 the Barrier
Sherley Mejia, community activist, organizer, lover of humanity. Calling almost every part of NYC home at one point, Sherley (She/Her) takes pride in being a New York native with deep roots in the Dominican community. Born to two first-generation immigrants that paved the way for the rest of their families, she understands the importance of paying every privilege and resource forward. "Without each other we are nothing, and with nothing to fill our tomorrows they remain empty".