Meet The Celebrate Team!

As Founder of Celebrate by Lisa Lou, Lisa believes life is meant to be celebrated! Whether that is wrapping gifts for a party or hosting dinner for friends, Lisa’s main desire is to bring people back together through happy occasions and everyday living. She believes a key component to creating healthy families occurs when meals are shared on a regular basis. Her philosophy: Share a meal, heal a family. Heal a family, heal society. With a belief every family has a story to tell, Lisa Lou reveals tales through beautifully curated tablescapes. What she cannot convey through a table design, she expresses through her writing. With a journalism degree from Texas Tech University and certified by the Charleston School of Protocol, readers will enjoy blog posts on everything from entertaining to modern etiquette. But most importantly, her writing mentors others in “doing life” (as southerners like to say). Married to her high school sweetheart, they are blessed with a son, daughter (in law) and new grandson. She enjoys museums, reading, snuggling with her dogs, and attempting to learn golf, but her favorite place to be is beside her husband, and best friend. 

As the Business Development Director, Ainsley Farris brings 10 years of retail and small business experience to Team Celebrate. She is gifted in helping companies tell their story through merchandising, along with a mind for data. She makes sure Team Celebrate stays on task and pushes us to keep our eyes on the goal! A Louisiana native and University of Mississippi graduate, she is authentically southern, which fits our brand well. Ainsley is married to her college sweetheart, is the mother of two, loves to cook and spends every chance she can watching college football.

Alina and Mason Diaz are the marketing experts at Celebrate by Lisa Lou. With more than 15 years of experience in the industry they help businesses create content that engages audiences and turns them into customers for life. When they are not working on graphic design and videography they enjoy hiking, kayaking, and writing. Team Celebrate thinks they are amazing!

As Operations Director, Cecelia Zook manages the daily interactions of our computerized point of sale system. We affectionately call her Miss Shopify! A graduate of Texas A&M, she joined our team with extensive experience as an event manager and coordinator. This makes her a great resource for all the parties we like to host! Married to her high school sweetheart, she and her husband welcomed their first son in 2022, affectionately named Tripp (he’s a third!). Together, they enjoy traveling and spending time with their two golden retrievers, Rudder, and Nilla.

Laura Geelhoed is the Controller for Celebrate by Lisa Lou with more than 40 years of experience in the industry. As a Western Michigan University graduate, she loves working with her fellow co-workers to ensure all runs smoothly. Splitting her time between Houston and Washington State, her Celebrate family makes sure she carries a little of that southern hospitality with her when traveling north. She readily proclaims God and family as her priorities. 

Linda Terrell is the Managing Director/Buyer for Celebrate by Lisa Lou and is certified by the Protocol School of Washington in Business Etiquette. As a native Houstonian, she grew up with an appreciation for southern hospitality and hosting events. This makes her the perfect fit for Team Celebrate! She loves creating beautiful tablescapes where she can put her passion for entertaining to use. When not busy working, she spends her free time with her husband and their baby girl. A graduate of Baylor University, a favorite pastime is cheering for her two favorite sports teams. Go Bears! Go Astros!   

Penny and Eli Martinez are the Distribution and Art Directors for Celebrate. They have experience in the food industry having worked as a chef and pastry chef in top establishments including the Four Diamond Hotel, The Houstonian, as well as operating their own catering company. As a culinary graduate from the Art Institute, Eli is great in front of the camera as he teaches us how to prepare simple meals. Penny, also a trained counselor, enjoys teaching others the therapeutic benefits of baking. And we must brag on her chocolate cake which won First Place from The Houston Press. When not working they enjoy time with their two daughters.  

What does the Celebrate Team do when even we are stumped on an entertaining question? We call our consultant, Reginald Addo-Ankrah! Founder of Service with Style, Reginald is a sought-after hospitality trainer for some of the finest hotels around the world. Our team often wonders how he does it all. Between overseeing large and small private events, and training oversees, he somehow has time to help with future moon landings. (Yes, you heard that right. Reginald is an engineer with Nasa!). What an interesting man, and we are so honored to call him our friend and mentor.

Your soon-to-be favorite shop for dinnerware and entertaining pieces! At Celebrate the Table we have partnered with well-known artisans like Juliska, Beatrix Ball, and Maison Margaux to bring beautiful, Southern inspired settings to your table. We believe the home should tell a story and we let our tablescapes tell yours. With looks created for every season we make entertaining easy and elegant. Mark your calendars, this new branch of the Celebrate family is opening in February 2023.