Sam Newton
Newton is Louisville Tourism’s first-ever Airport Welcome Center Manager. He will lead Muhammad Ali International Airport’s new welcome center through its opening and oversee the center’s staff in greeting visitors and helping them navigate Louisville. Most recently, he served as senior manager of operations at Frazier History Museum.
Corinna Wenks
Park Hyatt Chicago appoints Wenks as general manager. She served as the property’s director of rooms from 2010-2015 and was awarded “Director of Rooms of the Year.” After filling numerous roles across multiple Hyatt properties, from San Francisco to San Antonio, she is excited to be with Park Hyatt Chicago once again.
Brad Poarch
Event Production Network (EPN) welcomes Poarch as its new president. He is the CEO of Oklahoma City-based audio-visual company Cory’s and formerly served as EPN’s vice president. EPN encompasses 28 member locations and creates 30,000 annual experiences championing the latest in AV technology.
Jon Martin
Martin joins Sage Lodge, an outdoors-focused resort in Montana’s Paradise Valley, as general manager. Martin will helm this role as an ambassador for the resort in the Paradise Valley community and to strengthen the property’s reputation as a world-class destination, while overseeing all daily operations, including onsite activities, community partnerships, dining and the spa.
Kalei Bridges
Bridges rejoins the Island of Hawai’i Visitors Bureau as sales manager. She was raised in Hāmākua on the island of Hawai’i, is a haumana of Hālau Manaola, an educator and cultural practitioner of Polynesian music and the arts and has held numerous hospitality sales management positions at both the Island of Hawai’i Visitors Bureau and Hilton Waikoloa Village.
Mary Haban
Haban joins Visit Tampa Bay as vice president of global communications. She will lead the organization’s communications team and work to elevate community relations and executive communications. She is known for her skill in brand elevation and impressive results across diverse industries.
Hillary Francis
Kona Village, A Rosewood Resort, names Francis as director of sales and marketing. She has been a resident of Hawai’i for the past 14 years and is dedicated to leading the property’s growth and success in a direction that treats the land with care. Most recently, she served as complex director of marketing for the Waldorf Astoria, leading the renovation of Grand Wailea.
Dale Johnson
Johnson joins Kimpton Palladian Hotel Seattle as general manager, soon after joining the property earlier this year to oversee F&B operations. He brings decades of hospitality experience, including several years as a general manager. He joined Kimpton in 2021 as general manager at Kimpton Hotel Vintage in Portland where he successfully relaunched the property’s F&B program.
Todd Moritz
Bishop-McCann appoints Moritz as the first-ever vice president of event technology. He brings over 20 years of experience in the event industry across realms, including event technology, multichannel marketing and program management. He looks forward to implementing new solutions from evolving technology to address evolving client and company needs.
Kristi Cotten-Morris
Cotton-Morris takes on the role of general manager at Grand Hyatt Atlanta Buckhead. In addition to overseeing all daily operations, she will oversee a multi-phase renovation throughout 2024. She brings a focus on team development and nearly 30 years of hospitality experience.
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