UP CLOSE AND Purr-sonal

If there is one person, or even just a name, that anyone in CFA (Cat Fancier Association) knows, it would have to be Allene Tartaglia. It might be from her involvement with most aspects of the operations of CFA in her position of executive director. Or perhaps from her deep involvement with both the CFA Annual meeting and/or the International Show. Cat Talk thought it was time to learn more about one of the most key people in CFA.

- Teresa Keiger

Originally from Wilmington, Delaware, Allene first worked for Wilmington Trust Company bank. She began in the vault, counting actual stock certificates and bonds. Yes, “back in the day,” these were physical objects which had to be moved to a clearing house in Manhattan when the stock or bond was sold. She then got married and moved to Staten Island, New York, working for the director of sales for Thomson McKinnon Securities, one of the top ten securities brokerage firms at that time. She and her husband later moved to New Jersey, but they both continued to commute to Wall Street.

The one and a half hour each way commutes took their toll on Allene, and she began the search for something closer to home. Six months later (in 1982) she was working in Manasquan, New Jersey, at CFA as then-executive director Tom Dent’s administrative assistant. From there, she became involved with many more aspects of CFA until finally becoming executive director in 2006.

In the meantime, Allene met Kent Highhouse and they later married. Allene notes that: