This is one of a series of interviews honoring Grady College alumni who have been recognized as Bulldog 100 recipients in 2026. The Bulldog 100 is sponsored by the UGA Alumni Association and celebrates the 100 fastest-growing businesses owned or operated by UGA alumni.
Catherine Denham (ABJ ’05) is a luxury travel advisor affiliated with Brownell, the oldest travel agency in North America. The following question and answer session was conducted.
After graduating from Grady College in 2005, I went straight into practicing my field of public relations for Sea Island Resorts. I loved being in hospitality and the service industry. Part of my job at Sea Island was to curate itineraries that would showcase both resorts — The Cloister and The Lodge — to editors we hosted. In 2010, I transitioned to agency life at Butin, a PR and digital communications firm led by Mary McGeachy Butin (ABJ ’86 and multi-year Bulldog 100 recipient). After more than 13 years in marketing and public relations, I realized how much I missed my roots in luxury hospitality and service. In 2018, fellow UGA alum Catherine Vaughn Whitworth (BBA ’69) took me under her wing and mentored me into the travel advising business — a gift that has been foundational to my success.
Today, as a luxury travel advisor affiliated with Brownell, the oldest travel agency in North America, I curate extraordinary journeys — from indulgent weekend escapes to intricate multi-country adventures — for clients. I blend passion, expertise, and global relationships to deliver seamless, one-of-a-kind experiences. I delight in guiding clients through multi-year travel plans shaped by life’s milestones, children’s emerging interests and bucket-list aspirations. My team and I thrive on uncovering clients’ dreams and translating them into immersive itineraries enriched by insider access, expert insight and, in the spirit of famed Will Guidara, a commitment to “Unreasonable Hospitality.”
Grady College professor emerita Dr. Ruth Ann Lariscy, a dear family friend, helped nurture my love for the written and spoken word. From my senior year of high school on, I knew I wanted to major in PR — which ultimately led me to choose UGA and Grady College over other universities I was considering.
My professors instilled not only the core tenets of the field but also the critical thinking skills that have helped me navigate challenges in every role I’ve held. I use my PR training daily — from “spinning” stories for my children (after all, sometimes moms do need a good angle) to handling delicate situations with clients and business partners.
I was incredibly fortunate to be offered what was truly my dream job before graduation. My mentors at Sea Island — including UGA alums Merry Tyler Tipton and Robert Rippee (MBA ’05) — were instrumental in shaping my early career. My Grady professors prepared me in the classroom, and Merry, Robert and Susan Kelly Kister believed in me and opened doors that laid the foundation for my professional growth. They gave me opportunities I never imagined as a recent college graduate, placing a tremendous amount of trust in me and I was determined to rise to the occasion.
That experience set the stage for everything that followed. It taught me how to communicate with clarity and confidence, how to anticipate needs before they were spoken and how to deliver service at the highest level. I learned the importance of relationship-building, attention to detail and representing a brand with integrity — all skills that have carried me through every chapter of my career and ultimately led me back to my true passion: in travel and luxury hospitality.
When I established my own business in 2018, I remember thinking, “One day I want to earn my very own spot on the Bulldog 100.” It was such an honor to be recognized as part of the team at Butin when Mary was named to the list in 2012, 2013 and 2014! I feel so fortunate today to have earned a spot on this list, and I know I could not have done it without members of my team — Parissa Shedd Larsen (BS ’20), Christie Carden York (BA ’08) and Olivia Mansfield Wall. The Bulldog Nation stretches far and wide, and it means so much to me to be a part of this year’s list of Bulldog 100 recipients!
COVID-19 effectively shut down the travel industry for months. A year and a half into my second career, I found myself canceling every trip from mid-March 2020 onward — and in a commission-based role, each cancellation meant a direct loss of income. It was demoralizing, particularly while I was also trying to be a good mom and wife. It’s difficult to juggle all of the balls on good days, not to mention bad days!
But I pivoted with every curveball the pandemic threw. I was determined not to fail, even knowing the odds: roughly 20% of new U.S. businesses fail in their first year, nearly half within five years and over 65% within a decade. I refused to become part of those statistics.
During my teenage years, my dad would say, “Fly, baby girl, fly!” These words, combined with my determination to earn a spot on the Bulldog 100, drove me to keep pushing forward as I canceled, replanned and replanned again trip after trip during a period of ever-changing travel restrictions.
This may sound old-fashioned to some, but there are situations that simply shouldn’t be handled by text or email. A phone call can resolve issues more quickly and build trust more effectively.
Zoom has transformed how we connect with clients we may never meet in person. Video calls allow us to build rapport and understand clients on a much more personal level.
Make your bed. It may sound simple — even a little silly — but beginning the day with a small, guaranteed win sets the tone for everything that follows. I remind my girls of this daily. Maybe they’ll thank me one day. My husband often reminds me, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time,” and that mindset has carried me through every season of growth.
As a business owner, I also believe deeply in putting the right people in the right seats. Tools like the Birkman Method have been invaluable in helping me understand each person’s interests, needs and stress triggers. I pair this with a straightforward grid exercise in which my team and I assess the tasks we love and should be doing, love but shouldn’t be doing, dislike but need to do, and dislike and don’t need to do. This practice has been genuinely transformative, and we revisit it at least once a year — especially now, as technology evolves at a rapid pace. Staying current on new tools and automations allows us to streamline administrative work and create more space for what truly matters: creativity, critical thinking and meaningful client relationships.
Early in my career, I defined success through traditional PR metrics — stories, impressions, comments, shares and other print and digital indicators.
Today, as a luxury travel advisor, success is defined primarily by client feedback post-travel. Did we deliver on our mission of providing unreasonable hospitality and extraordinary experiences? While this is a softer metric, the hard metric that validates it is referrals. My business has been built entirely on referrals, and knowing this gives me confidence that we are meeting — and exceeding — our clients’ expectations.
I am incredibly grateful to be part of the Brownell community. Brownell advisors are among the best in the industry — known for exceptional sales performance, remarkable repeat client satisfaction and strong relationships with travel partners around the world.
In this field, staying relevant requires constant curiosity and firsthand experience. We must travel often so we can personally understand the destinations, hotels and experiences we recommend. We also must stay attuned to emerging technologies, evaluating which innovations can streamline our workflows and ultimately enhance the client experience.
Equally important is the ongoing work of nurturing meaningful relationships with clients and with our global partners — largely through many of the communications skills I was taught during my coursework at Grady College. The magic is in the details: knowing a client’s favorite snacks, drinks, books or flowers allows us to orchestrate thoughtful touches that transform a great trip into an extraordinary one. Continuous learning, genuine connection and a commitment to excellence are what keep my work both relevant and deeply rewarding.
Denham is one of nine Grady alumni named to this year’s Bulldog 100 list, named by the UGA Alumni Association. They were celebrated on Feb. 7. The list of Grady College alumni and their businesses include:
