About Mrs. Mary Louise Starkey

mary_louise_starkey

Mrs. Mary Louise Starkey – Founder of Starkey International Institute for Household Management

Mary Louise Starkey, the “First Lady of Service” and the founder and visionary of the Starkey International Institute for Household Management, coined the term “Household Manager” in 1981, and with it, she launched a movement.

She then set about to create a Private Service profession by opening the world’s first modern-day educational Institute for Household and Estate Managers, Butlers, Personal Assistants, and Private Chefs. Mrs. Starkey began writing about the profession, and eventually developed Starkey’s patented “Starkey Service Management System,” the world’s first advanced management tool for Private Service. She has continued to set the standard for Private Service in education and in Private Service placement for nearly 41 years.

Today, she has 18 patents, copyrights, trademarks and publications. The United States military deemed Mrs. Starkey the “First Lady of Service” due to her years supporting and educating Enlisted Aides, the soldiers who serve the White House, Admirals and Generals. Her clientele includes Old Guard families, legacy families, CEOs, tech entrepreneurs, entertainment personalities and diplomatic leaders across the country and abroad.

Mrs. Mary Starkey is passionately devoted to changing the outdated paradigm of “servitude” into “Service as an Expertise,” and building a profession that is world-recognized. In 2007, Starkey was featured in journalist Robert Frank’s best-seller Richistan, and once again in his 2011 book The High Beta Rich. In recent years, she has been regularly featured in many media outlets, including The Today Show, Good Morning America, BBC, Town and Country, Forbes, Vanity Fair, Costco and the London Times.

Mrs. Starkey serves the high-net-worth and their family offices throughout the U.S., Europe, Canada, China, Anguilla and India through private training, education for employers, public media for openings, staffing of certified Graduates and other education. A dynamic and passionate public speaker and natural storyteller, Mrs. Starkey continues her vision for the art form of Service by appearing at international conventions, both here and abroad, at seminars, corporate events and hospitality forums around the globe.

For more information, please contact:
Starkey International Institute for Household Management
Phone: 720-788-3398
Email: services@starkeyintl.com

Mission Statement

To create a world-class Private Service industry in which Private Service Management is seen as an art form, continuing education and growth are valued, and standards of professionalism are recognized, honored and fortified.

Private Service Titles & Positions

Private Service Titles & Positions

Terms and Titles continue to be challenging for the Private Service industry due to old cultural patterns of the profession. In addition, the lack of knowledge and management expectations of both the employers and employees continue to be difficult to navigate in Private Service. It’s also because the industry as a group has not been able to agree upon titles, as each position is unique. The main factors that contribute to salary are the difficulty factor of the position, the qualifications necessary for the position, the location and cost of living.

Service Management as an Expertise

The term “Service Management” has taken on new life with Starkey and has become a highly desired profession on the national and international stage. Much more comprehensive than Customer Service, it refers to one’s in-depth knowledge of and ability to successfully position service to succeed. Service Management focuses on meeting expectations, the Relationship of Service, sophisticated Service etiquette and Service as a professional expertise in any style or environment. It can apply to those performing Household Management, Concierge Services, Butlering or Senior Services. Service positions continue to grow in hospitality, private homes, concierge companies, private clubs and in senior communities. Salaries typically begin at $50,000 per year.

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Our Vision and Mission Statement

Make a Difference in the Life of Another

Service TrainingThe Starkey International Institute for Household and Service Management is deeply committed to meeting the needs of industry Service Professionals and their Employers.

Mission Statement:

“Create and serve a world-class Private Service industry in which Estate Management, Household Management, Personal Assistance, Buttling, and Private Chef Service are viewed as art forms; where continuing education and growth are valued and standards of professionalism are recognized, honored, and fortified.”

History and Philosophy
Starkey began as Starkey & Associates, Inc. in January 1981, offering housekeeping and placement services. In November 1989, Starkey International Institute for Household Management was created in response to marketplace requests for trained and skilled professionals. Since its first class offering in January of 1990, the Institute has benefited from the presence of old-world European and American Butlers, experienced service professionals, and Household and Estate Managers from the United States and abroad.

Our curriculum teaches private service expertise and an organizational structure which supports the management of complex homes and lifestyles.

The curriculum is creative, interactive, and transformational in style.  It is a method of conceptual and hands-on education that teaches the Household Manager and Service Manager to identify and attend to the specific needs or Service Standards of the Principal and household.

The Private Service Management profession in America is still in its young adult stages, but growing rapidly. Our response from the marketplace assures us that we are in the midst of a service explosion and the need for Private Service Management and service experts will continue to grow. It is essential that Private Service Management emerges into the American marketplace as a clearly defined, skilled, and respected profession. The future of this specialized Service Management offers the coveted revitalization of graciousness, etiquette, and a “Service Expertise” in the heart of fine homes and estates across the United States, Europe and developing India and Asia.