Caroline Downing

Internal events and employee experience professional with 8+ years across event management, People & Culture, executive support, and high-touch corporate environments. Experienced designing and delivering leadership gatherings, onboarding experiences, conferences, recognition programs, volunteer activations, and company-wide culture initiatives. Skilled at translating business and stakeholder objectives into thoughtful experiences, building repeatable processes, managing vendors and budgets, and driving complex programs from concept through execution.

Senior People & Culture Coordinator - CAVA

(2025-02)

• Lead planning and delivery of employee experiences including leadership conferences, onboarding programs, recognition initiatives, volunteer activations, and company-wide culture programming.
• Partner with leaders and cross-functional stakeholders to translate program objectives into engaging formats, detailed plans, communications, logistics, and attendee experiences.
• Build standardized processes and planning resources that improve consistency, clarity, and execution across recurring employee programs.
• Coordinate vendors, catering, venues, meeting materials, schedules, workplace logistics, and on-site execution while balancing employee experience, operational feasibility, and budget considerations.
• Develop employee-facing communications and serve as a trusted point of contact for complex, high-visibility programs involving multiple teams and stakeholders.
• Gather stakeholder and participant feedback to identify opportunities for continuous improvement and strengthen future experiences.

People & Culture Coordinator - CAVA

(2024-03 - 2025-02)

• Coordinated onboarding, employee engagement initiatives, meetings, events, and culture programs in a fast-paced, growing organization.
• Partnered across People, Facilities, IT, Operations, and other teams to deliver seamless employee and event experiences.

Event Manager / Event Coordinator - Mission Group

(2022-05 - 2024-03)

• Managed corporate and private events from concept through execution, translating client goals into event plans, guest experiences, timelines, budgets, vendor strategies, and on-site delivery.
• Led client and vendor communication, coordinated multiple concurrent events, resolved real-time issues, and maintained high service standards in fast-paced hospitality environments.

Administrative Assistant - Rothschild & Co.

(2017-08 - 2022-05)

• Supported senior executives in a high-expectation financial-services environment, coordinating complex meetings, travel, conference logistics, catering, vendors, visitors, invoices, and expenses.
• Built strong judgment, discretion, executive communication, and service-oriented stakeholder management skills.

Accounts Payable Specialist - Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox

(2013-10 - 2017-07)

• Managed vendor invoices, expense reporting, and financial records while supporting office operations.

M.S. - Human Resources Management - The Catholic University of America

B.A. - Liberal Arts - Rider University