MCEI Seattle holds a dinner meeting each month with a distinguished marketing or communications presenter. Presenters bring a behind the scenes perspective and high-level industry marketing insights. Speakers share provocative stories, ideas, positions, and concepts, including controversial topics.

See below for our current upcoming program.

September 2025

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2025 - IVAR’S SALMON HOUSE

Please join us in September for our Annual Meeting! We will be celebrating the past year and looking ahead. 

Attend our next MCEI Seattle meeting on Wednesday, September 10 @ 5:30 p.m. at Ivar’s Salmon House, where we’ll be joined by Rachel Ligtenberg, Executive Director of the Pike Place Market Preservation & Development Authority.

With 30+ years of leadership across both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors, Rachel brings a marketing-forward mindset to one of Seattle’s most iconic institutions. During her time at REI, she helped launch the #OptOutside movement, oversaw major flagship store openings, and shaped a strong, values-driven brand presence. Today, she’s applying those same principles to lead Pike Place Market into its next chapter.

In this conversation, Rachel will share how the Market’s new Master Plan is elevating visibility for local merchants, improving infrastructure, and expanding services for seniors and small businesses—while balancing historic preservation with bold, modern outreach. She’ll also explore the internal communications and cultural alignment work underway to help unify the many voices and missions that make the Market a beloved Seattle institution.

With her vision rooted in equity, inclusion, and community, Rachel is bringing fresh energy and purpose to this historic destination. Join us as she shares the opportunities, challenges, and communications strategies shaping the future of Pike Place Market.

Rachel Ligtenberg brings more than three decades of experience in both for-profit and non-profit sectors to Pike Place Market. A dynamic and visionary leader, Ligtenberg joined the PDA following an illustrious 30-year career with REI, where she held several leadership roles, including Vice President of Retail Operations. Ligtenberg oversees operations, management, financial health and strategic planning for Pike Place Market.

In this role, she ensures that the Market continues to thrive as a vibrant hub for local farmers, artisans, and small businesses, while also serves as a supportive community for its five social services and residents, many of whom are low-income seniors. Ligtenberg’s leadership, centered on purpose, inclusion, and community, brings a renewed energy to the Market’s storied tradition of supporting small businesses, fostering local talent, and welcoming millions of visitors each year.