Kate McCue

Captain, Celebrity Summit, Celebrity Cruises

B.S. Business Administration (2000)

McCue is the first-ever American female captain of a mega cruise ship, the Celebrity Summit, which accommodates 2,158 guests and 952 dedicated crew members.
At 11 years old, while enjoying her first cruise, she told her parents she wanted to be a cruise director when she grew up. Her father told her, “You could do that or you could do anything you want—including drive the thing.”
Her father reminded her of that conversation when she applied to college and encouraged her to apply to CSU Maritime Academy. At that time, the ratio of men to women was 15-to-one and there were just eight women in her graduating class.
McCue was promoted to captain by Celebrity Cruises’ first female president and CEO, Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, who described McCue as “a dynamic and highly respected leader who will continue to pave the way for women in the maritime industry.”
She travels with a glass jar of marbles that belonged to her best friend’s late uncle. She honors his memory by hiding the marbles in many destinations around the world he would have enjoyed visiting.

Notable CSU Alumni in hospitality & recreation