If Kitty (Kathleen) Ratcliffe could give her younger self advice, it would be to remember that the challenges you will face will shape you as a leader. Tackling challenges has been her strength during her 30-year career in the hospitality industry. Ratcliffe has a long history of overcoming adversity on behalf of the communities she has led from Jacksonville during the 9-11 crisis to New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina and to St. Louis during the pandemic where she serves as president of Explore St. Louis.
Explore St. Louis is the driving force behind St. Louis’ $5.8 billion convention and tourism industry, the official destination marketing organization of St. Louis City and County and operator of the America’s Center Convention Complex.
Under Ratcliffe’s leadership, the St. Louis convention industry is approaching pre-pandemic performance levels with improvements in hotel metrics, event activity at America’s Center and the continued development of new tourism assets throughout the community. These forces have combined to facilitate the return of the hospitality workforce, totaling 90,000 St. Louisans who provide exceptional experiences to guests day in and day out, making the industry the leading edge of economic development and attracting billions of dollars to the St. Louis region each year.
Throughout the years, Ratcliffe has provided leadership during tumultuous times, guiding the tourism bureaus, businesses and residents through a process of standing strong. In recognition of her capabilities, she has been honored by a wide variety of local and national groups and asked to serve on multiple non-profit boards of directors, most recently the Professional Convention Management Association Foundation where she was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Supplier Honoree Award.
Ratcliffe was also honored by Black Meetings & Tourism with its Apex Award for Distinguished Serve and was inducted by Destinations International into its Hall of Fame.
“People say that I’m fearless but that’s not true,” said Ratcliffe. “It is just that I refuse to be hamstrung by fear and will take on the toughest challenges when it is for the betterment of our organization, our industry or our community.”
Ratcliffe also credits her team for the success of Explore St. Louis. “We have a strong team of senior leaders who work well together and do not hesitate to roll up their sleeves, volunteer to engage and even reach out to others outside our organization for assistance when needed,” she said.
For rolling up her sleeves and guiding others to enhance the St. Louis community, Ratcliffe has been named a Titan 100.
