Home
Denise Thorne -- Immediate Past President
Instyle Caterers
(301) 486-0300

Denise Thorne has been a member of the Greater Washington DC Chapter of ISES since 1998. Denise recognized the need to become involved and so began volunteering almost immediately wherever needed, but joined the board in 2004 as Job Bank / Volunteer Director and has since held various positions and served on various committees. She was awarded Volunteer of The Year in 2008. Denise is co-owner of InStyle Caterers a boutique style full service catering company located in Maryland. She also is on the Advisory Board of the Culinary & Hospitality Department at Prince George’s Community College, is a member of the Prince George’s Chamber Of Commerce Hospitality Committee and is an adjunct Professor at Prince George’s College. Denise's experience for the last nineteen years plus as a caterer includes banquet services for as many as eighteen hundred guests, catering for corporate executive functions, weddings, birthdays, bar/ bat mitzvahs etc. Other events include black tie affairs, fundraisers, foreign embassy parties and even company picnics. Denise has directed functions at such locations as Corcoran Gallery Of Art, OAS, Library Of Congress, The Smithsonian, Women's Museum, Newton White Mansion and other historic locations. Denise lives with her husband and two daughters in Upper Marlboro MD.

Mike Ostrow -- VP/Marketing & Communications
Entertainment Exchange, LLC
(301) 986-4640

Mike Ostrow has served on a number of ISES committees over the past years and joined the board as the Director of Communications this year. He has 30 years of experience in the event industry as Co-Owner of the Entertainment Exchange and as the band leader of the nationally acclaimed variety dance band, Free Spirit. In addition to playing music and working full time at the Entertainment Exchange, Mike holds a Ph.D. in Management and he served as the Director of the Small Business Development Center at The University of Maryland, College Park. Mike is highly regarded as an industry expert and he has been recruited to contribute to various publications and conferences such as The Special Event (TSE) nationally and Washingtonian Magazine locally.

Joyce Mnkande -- Director/Membership
Events2Remember, Inc
(301) 317-1441 x1

After attending several ad-hoc networking events, the desire to become a participating member compelled Joyce Mnkande to join the Greater Washington DC Chapter of ISES in 2007. In 2009, Joyce’s desire to become a factor and to make a significant contribution in the organization propelled her to join the membership committee as the Event Planners Liaison. She later accepted her nomination of her current position as Director of Membership in 2010.

Joyce is the founder and owner of Events2Remember, Inc. With a strong background in accounting and as a certified event planner, she has successfully designed, developed, produced, and executed a myriad of events ranging from small intimate events to large cross-cultural, multi-faceted events. Having resided and visited many different countries, Joyce’s exposure to different cultures and protocols has facilitated her in working with embassies, foreign dignitaries and government officials.She has participated in planning and producing corporate events, meetings and a variety of social events and fundraisers both locally and overseas.

David Markowitz -- Director/Sponsorship
Professional Bartenders and Servers
(301) 938-9235

David has over 23 years in the hospitality industry being involved at every level from event planning and club managing to booking agent, kitchen chef and bartending. He is a certified TIPS trainer for responsible beverage service. David joined ISES in the fall of 2006 and quickly became involved with the membership committee. In the fall of 2007 David accepted his current position on the Board of Directors.

Robin Gordon -- Director/Volunteers
Radio King Orchestra
(301) 330-8622

Robin Gordon has been in the entertainment and hospitality industry for most of her adult life. As Co-owner, President and vocalist of Radio King Orchestra, a popular and unique entertainment package, she and her husband, Rick (also an ISES member) have built their “specialty” entertainment business from scratch. As a business owner, Robin has a profound respect for the importance of building relationships and setting new standards for quality and customer focus. As an active member and volunteer in the ISES DC Chapter since 2006, Robin served on the Gala Sponsorship Committee 2 years in a row and is now excited to be Director of Volunteers. Committed to continual learning and growth in business leadership and philanthropy, Robin sees her new position with the ISES Board as an opportunity to venture into new areas of growth while at the same time serving others and making a difference.