Meet the Managers
Welcome to Carolina Party Partners! We're thrilled to have you join us on this journey, and we're eager to introduce ourselves. This page is designed to provide our clients with an insight into who we are. We believe that getting to know us better will reinforce your confidence in choosing our services for your wedding, party, or any special event where you need traveling bartenders, servers, or event assistance!
Kenny Thornewell
President & CEO
Kenny founded Carolina Party Partners after gaining over 15 years of operations experience in the hospitality, food service, and traffic control arenas. He previously served as a Food & Beverage Operations Manager at a large theme park, VP of Event Operations at a local wedding and special events company, and currently holds a Professional Engineer License with a specialty in Traffic Operations. It is this wealth of knowledge and experience that perfectly positions him to lead Carolina Party Partners. In his spare time, he loves to visit amusement parks, snowboard, and hike.
Tara Neel
Vice-President
Tara was first introduced into the special events industry over 10 years ago while working as a part-time banquet server in college, and built on her special event experience working security at the PGA Tour Pinehurst. You'll frequently see her personally bartending at many of our events where she loves the opportunity to engage with our clients and guests. Away from work, Tara enjoys attending women's professional soccer (Go NC Courage!), hiking, skiing, and cuddling with the company pup, Roscoe.
Kristina Davis
Operations Manager
Kristina became an integral part of the Carolina Party Partners team in the Fall of 2021, leveraging her insightful banquet server background from her college days. Swiftly ascending to a supervisory position, she remains dedicated to orchestrating flawless events. As of summer 2023, Kristina has joined the management ranks, expertly overseeing day-to-day operations such as booking coordination, staff scheduling, and event execution. During her downtime, she relishes strolls with her canine companion Willow, embarking on hikes, and visiting with her family in Virginia.