Speakers

A Mountain Biker and an Operations Lead have more in common than you might think. As someone who is both, Lance Abbrederis has a focus on precision and how the entire business best fits together. Crafting strategies and solving complex challenges are at the heart of success, a daily endeavor at Calibrate Analytics, as well as on the trails.

Lance co-founded Calibrate in an effort to help demystify and create sensible data science strategies that empower businesses to own, organize and build effective visualizations. Prior to Calibrate, Lance served in hospitality roles over the past 25 years and most recently as a Digital Experience leader with Sabre.

Kari Ambrosius is the Senior Marketing Manager at JC Resorts, a portfolio of independent hotels and resorts in Southern California. Her primary areas of oversight include campaign development and strategy, digital marketing, content management, and partnerships. Kari has demonstrated her expertise in developing and executing successful marketing campaigns, resulting in significant revenue growth, as well as identifying and executing strategies that boost top-line revenue and increase team productivity.

Kari’s professional journey includes notable tenures at Marriott International, where she managed sales efforts for 113 resorts and hotels across multiple states. With a career rooted in relationship-driven sales, Kari has a proven track record of increasing both customer and stakeholder satisfaction. Her achievements with Marriott include numerous awards for sales performance, customer satisfaction, and leadership in associate wellness and data quality initiatives.

Kari is a Certified Hospitality Digital Marketer and holds a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.

Ajeet Anand is the Senior Vice President of Commercialization for PHG. In this capacity, Ms. Anand oversees all commercial efforts for our portfolio of properties, both independents and branded.

Ajeet is additionally responsible for all branding efforts for the portfolio, playing a critical role in building brands and customer experience. Ajeet is a 20+ year hospitality veteran, with experience with large management companies such as Starwood, Dolce and Wyndham, as well as start-up hospitality brands such as China-based Cachet Hotels & Resorts.  Ajeet’s experience is centered around driving strategy and execution in areas steeped in the intersection of sales, marketing and revenue.  Ajeet holds a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) in Strategy and Marketing from Georgetown University in Washington, DC and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Public Communications and International Business from the American University in Washington, DC.

Satvika Ananthanarayan is a consulting manager at ZS Associates. At ZS, she brings data-driven insights and solutions to a variety of hospitality clients. She has experience working across a number of hospitality and travel issues including B2B/B2C distribution capabilities, personalization, segmentation, and strategy. Prior to ZS, she worked as a brand and innovation marketer at Frito-Lay (PepsiCo). Satvika has an MBA from Northwestern Kellogg School of Management and lives in Chicago.

Mercedes Blanco is a Corporate Leader Executive with over 15 years of experience in Travel & Hospitality, she is passionate about creating value through digital-tech solutions, as well as fighting for women empowerment. Prior to The Hotels Network, as Chief Partnerships Officer, she worked at BCV a Rategain Company, Microsoft and AC Hotels by Marriott among others.

She has two bachelor’s degrees and two master’s degrees under her belt, including Tourism Management from IE Business School and a PDP in Digital Marketing from Harvard University.

Mercedes has been a dedicated member of the travel industry at-large. She is active member of the Sales Americas Advisory Board at HSMAI, and founding member of Women in Travel THRIVE. She was recognized as Top 50 Women in Travel by WINiT by GBTA and one of the Top 25 Most Extraordinary Minds by HSMAI.

Jeff Borman has a wide range of experiences from early beginnings in hotel operations, reservations sales and marketing. The majority of the last 20 years he has been leading Revenue Management in various parts of the world for Marriott and Hilton, with specific expertise in analytics, pricing science and inventory management. Jeff has held roles across all hotel tiers- from limited service and extended stay to full service, boutique, and the highest-end luxury. His roles have spanned from hotel, market, regional and global leadership positions. For 3 years, he led the eCommerce strategy and analysis department in charge of OTA, GDS and 3rd party vendor valuations and negotiation strategies. In 2019, Jeff shifted from hotel brand management companies to ownership, currently running all things commercial for Ashford.

Crystal Daigle is the Director of Operations for the Accor Global Reservation Centre (GRC) in Moncton, New Brunswick. She also collaborates with the Luxury Reservation Contact Centre in Barcelona, focusing on one of Accor’s newest brands, Orient Express. With 17 years of experience in Contact Centres, particularly in Luxury Sales, Crystal is renowned for achieving exceptional engagement results and maximizing luxury hotel sales and guest experiences.

Throughout her career, Crystal has been recognized for her outstanding leadership, being awarded GRC’s Leader of the Year on two occasions. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of New Brunswick, underscoring her commitment to excellence and continuous professional development. In 2023, she also received the Certified Hospitality Business Acumen (CHBA) Certification by HSMAI.

With a career spanning over two decades in the travel and hospitality industry, Shalise DeMott currently serves as the Vice President of Sales for Northstar Travel Group, leading business development efforts for the Meetings, Incentive and Sports Division. She plays a key role in driving revenue growth and developing tailored programs to meet the diverse needs of clients in the B2B travel market across all channels of digital, data and events.

Shalise holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Business and is currently
pursuing her MBA. Additionally, she possesses certifications in Hospitality & Tourism Management and Meeting Planning. She is a member of SITE, Destinations International, PCMA, and MPI.

Residing in Boca Raton, Florida, Shalise is a sustaining member of the Junior League. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, exploring new destinations, a good book, and being on the water.

Dorothy Dowling, ISHC is a seasoned management consultant and growth advisor, with Horwath HTL with over 40 years of experience in the global hospitality industry. As the former Global Chief Marketing Officer and SVP of Sales at Best Western, she excelled at shaping marketing and commercial strategies. Dowling actively contributes to HSMAI and is a special advisor to the HSMAI Foundation Board. Her industry leadership earned her prestigious Lifetime Achievement awards from HSMAI, the NYU Investment Conference, and GBTA. She holds an Honours BA and MA from the University of Waterloo, completed executive programs at Harvard and MIT, and holds postgraduate certifications in D&I and ESG from Cornell. Dowling is also a public trustee at CubeSmart (NYSE:CUBE), the third largest Storage REIT, and is Director-certified by the National Association of Corporate Directors

As a seasoned professional in the hospitality industry, Jacki Dudding brings over twenty years of diverse experience including roles as Director of Sales, General Manager, Regional Director of Sales and Vice President of Sales. With a strong background in driving revenue growth, Jacki has demonstrated expertise in leading revenue-generating teams to success. Holding a passion for innovation and excellence, she has a proven track record of implementing strategies that exceed revenue goals and increase market share. Committed to cultivating sales talent, she is dedicated to advancing the industry through developing future leaders and maintaining an unwavering commitment to excellence.

Throughout Greg Duff’s 25+ year career working exclusively in the hospitality industry, he has dedicated himself to helping clients solve the range of “back of house” legal issues associated with owning and operating a modern hospitality operation – from advising on the myriad of issues associated with distribution and online travel to navigating the complex relationships among owners, operators, regulators and vendors/suppliers. Greg is Principal for Foster Garvey PC.

David Edelman’s leadership in driving strategic digital and marketing change over the past 30 years – as a top CMO and as a Strategic Consultant — has made him a sought-after advisor on AI, digitization, go-to-market strategy, marketing organization, and agile operations. From his earlier work for clients such as JPMorganChase, SAP, American Express, Verizon, IBM, and McDonalds, he developed and popularized foundational concepts such as “The Customer Decision Journey,” and “Segment-of-One Marketing.” More recently, he guided Aetna (now part of CVS Health) through becoming a digitally-oriented, customer-centric enterprise. David has been repeatedly recognized by Forbes as one of the “Most Influential CMOs in the World,” and by AdWeek as one of the “Top 20 Marketing and Technology Executives.” His writing and work attracts over 1.1 million followers to his LinkedIn blog, and he has delivered dozens of keynote presentations at conferences around the world.

Currently, David teaches Marketing at HBS. Via his Edelman Advisory Services LLC, he also works with a wide range of CEO’s and CXO’s on Marketing and Strategy, focusing on where AI and personalization unlock transformational opportunities. Through his relationship with Halifax Partners, he is a Board member of Stratatech, a vocational school chain, building on his strong interest in education. He is also on the Advisory Board of Glasswing Ventures, a major Boston VC firm, and serves as a Senior Advisor to The Boston Consulting Group.

Previously, as Chief Marketing Officer of Aetna, now part of healthcare giant CVS Health, David ran CVS Health’s “Digital First” enterprise modernization program. He drove a broad transformation at Aetna, implementing real-time analytics and agile operations. Through fast-cycle, cross-functional “pods” that constantly test and learn, he helped accelerate the growth of Aetna’s Medicare business, adding billions in revenues. Using advanced marketing to improve health behaviors, his team motivated actions by members that saved millions in medical cost.

A proven change agent, David built new practice areas as a partner with The Boston Consulting Group, Digitas (now part of Publicis Groupe), and then for McKinsey & Company, all based on guiding clients through global digital transformation initiatives.

In 2022 and 2023, he published three articles for the Harvard Business Review, Customer Experience in the Age of AI, Generative AI Will Change Your Business — Here’s How to Adapt, and What Smart Companies Know About Integrating AI, following his earlier cover story on Branding In the Digital Age (2010), and a follow-up article Competing On Customer Journeys (2015). These have become core reading at business schools and in many corporate marketing departments. Through his affiliation with the “Growth Master” council of the Association of National Advertisers, he co-leads an ongoing taskforce on “Responsible Personalization,” helping CMO’s navigate the many challenges of using AI and customer data to deliver breakthrough experiences.

On the non-profit side, David serves on the Board of Trustees for The Walnut Hill School for the Arts. He is also an avid tenor saxophonist, playing with local ensembles.
David has both an AB in Economics, and an MBA, from Harvard University.

Lan Elliott has been in the hospitality industry for 25+ years as a hotel real estate & transactions executive. Most recently, Lan rejoined Acacia Hospitality LLC, a hotel investment entity she co-founded, which owns interests in four urban convention hotels. Together with its partners, Acacia currently owns interests in four urban convention hotels, totaling nearly 3,800 rooms, managed by Hilton, Hyatt Regency and Marriott. Acacia actively works with its partners and hotel management teams in the acquisition, asset management, renovation, expansion, and refinancing of these assets. Prior to Acacia, Lan spent over 10 years at Host Hotels & Resorts, where she closed on transactions totaling $8+ billion. She also held previous roles at IHG, W Hotels, and KPMG.

Dan Fernandez leads Concord Hospitality’s digital division, shaping Concord’s prominence in the digital space and leading a team that oversees the digital strategy for over 180 hotels and restaurants. Previously, he played a pivotal role at Cendyn, a premier hospitality marketing and CRM agency, spearheading their digital marketing division. Throughout his tenure, Dan orchestrated top-line commercial strategies for over 100 independent properties such as Hotel Del Coronado, The Broadmoor, The Breakers, and Fontainebleau. Additionally, he collaborated with management firms such as White Lodging, Sage, and Interstate, devising digital strategies for renowned brands including Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton, and IHG properties.

Lerah Foreman‘s start in the hospitality industry dates back to when she was 16 years old and became a hostess at a popular restaurant in her hometown. After graduating from Baylor University with a BA in Communications, she entered the hotel world as a Sales Coordinator. In 2020, Lerah discovered her passion for marketing and changed courses. She has her CHDM and is a Hotel Managment Thirty Under 30 award winner. Lerah is now a Regional Digital Manager for Atrium Hospitality and covers 20 properties in the Midwest. She specializes in transient occupancy and online reputation management and visibility.

Mike Francis is a Manager with ZS in Chicago and is a leader of the Travel & Hospitality (T&H) Practice. He has tackled a wide variety of commercial challenges with T&H clients across the hospitality, aviation, travel management, and entertainment industries.

Mike has partnered with clients to craft compelling value propositions, create new go-to-market strategies, develop robust customer engagement processes, and design and deploy optimized team structures with enabling tools – often leveraging data, analytics, and customer insight. In hospitality, Mike has worked side-by-side with executive leaders to identify growth opportunities, develop new engagement strategies, and build commercial capabilities to realize those opportunities.

Sarah Fults brings 30 years of hospitality experience to her role as Vice President of Distribution at MGM Resorts International. In her role at MGM, Sarah is responsible for discovering and implementing new technologies to optimize channel performance while driving operational efficiencies and reducing costs. She joined MGM in 2016 from Choice Hotels & Loews Hotels & Resorts where she managed the commercial, operational, and technical aspects of Third Party Distribution. Sarah currently serves as Chair of the HSMAI Global Distribution Advisory Board.

Katy Gettinger, 30-year hotel sales industry veteran who spent 21 years at Starwood Hotels, where she led the companies Insurance & Financial segment globally, before joining Preferred Hotels & Resorts in 2017. Current HSMAI Sales Advisory Board member. Past FICP board member and held leadership positions in MPI, HSMAI and LIMRA. A Graduate from University of Florida and resides in South Florida.

Tammy Gillis is a recognized thought leader and influencer in the hospitality industry in the areas of sales and sales leadership. She is the Founder and CEO of Gillis Sales. Tammy’s company disrupted the traditional hotel sales model in 2014 and launched a Dynamic Sales Solution providing remote sales support for hotels. She works with hotels, brands, and management companies to elevate their sales performance through her speaking and consulting engagements.

Tammy launched her sales career 30+ years ago and has led high-performing teams with Hilton Hotels, BlackBerry, and her current team of 55 sales professionals who provide sales support to over 220 hotels across North America.

Tammy has trained thousands of sales professionals, hotel owners, general managers, and front-line associates, earning her a Training Excellence Award from the Institute for Performance and Learning. She is on the Program Advisory Committee for Humber College, an allied member of AAHOA, and a Diamond allied member of the IHG Owners Association. She wrote and published a book in 2021 called “Room to Grow” to ensure sales has an equal seat at the table and to encourage hotels not to leave sales to chance.

Michael J. Goldrich, founder and chief advisor of Vivander Advisors, excels in digital and AI strategies, driving transformative growth. His expertise in generative AI establishes him as a prominent figure in this fast-growing field. He developed a five-step process to guide companies in AI transformation. Goldrich further extends his influence by serving as Chief Experience Officer at The Hotels Network, an organization driven by AI and data. His expertise in “predictive personalization” has established him as a sought-after consultant and a pivotal figure in shaping the future of customer engagement within the hospitality sector.

During Michael’s tenure as Head of Global Marketing at Club Quarters Hotels, he successfully pivoted the pandemic target business segment to attract younger, local leisure travelers, boosting brand contribution. His wide-ranging experience includes transforming marketing organizations by implementing and optimizing e-commerce and digital capabilities for global businesses such as Starwood, Accenture, Monster Worldwide, and Wyndham.

Michael’s innovative contributions have earned him various accolades, including the Platinum Adrian Award for an exceptional social media campaign, Gold Adrian Award for an inventive website, and 40 under 40 from the Westchester Business Council. In 2020, HSMAI selected him as one of the Top 25 Extraordinary Minds in Sales, Marketing, and Revenue Optimization.

Holding a BA in Literature from the University of Michigan and an MA in Business Communications from Northwestern University, Michael Goldrich is a dedicated leader committed to delivering value to organizations seeking to advance their projects and elevate their performance.

Sydney Goodwin, experienced leader with a progressive career in the hospitality industry. Superior distribution, connectivity, revenue management, system implementation & development experience. Proven track record of identifying and implementing strategies that lead to increased revenues and reduced costs.

A 25+ year veteran of the hospitality industry, Chris Hardy has served in leadership roles at hotel, regional, and corporate levels with global brands including Hilton, Marriott, and Wyndham. He serves on the HSMAI Sales Advisory Board and is an Adjunct Instructor at Wake Tech Community College.

With KSL Resorts, Sara Harper drives superior commercial results leveraging best in class marketing practices. She supports resort teams with strategy, brand development, demand generation, communications, research, e-commerce, guest experience and overall business performance.

Previously, as Director of Marketing for Hotel del Coronado and Beach Village at The Del in San Diego, she served as a commercial leader — overseeing overall positioning and branding for the iconic beach side resort. Sara led a large team and several agencies to deploy strategy for digital and offline marketing, e-commerce, public relations, social media, and lead generation.

In addition to her heart-centered leadership style and wicked marketing skills, Sara prides herself for developing innovative campaigns and customer experiences.

Sara started her career with San Diego’s largest agency and then joined Loews Hotels, where she worked her way to a regional role. Sara most enjoys strategic brand marketing initiatives and hotel re-imagination/openings. Those talents were put to use in her role as opening VP of marketing communications for The Regent Las Vegas.

Sara’s work for KSL Resorts began in 2005 as director of marketing for La Quinta Resort & Club and then leading the acquisition marketing team for Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa. Before joining The Del in 2011, Sara spent 3 years in Sydney, Australia as managing director of guerilla marketing agency, Notorious. In 2017, Hotel del Coronado joined Curio Collection by Hilton and plugged Sara into the Hilton enterprise and their managed services teams.

Sara is an avid yogi and enjoys cooking, hiking and skiing. She resides in Coronado, CA with her son, Winston.

Adam Hayashi has been working directly in Hotel Revenue Management for over 20 years. He started his hospitality career in Operations with Canadian Pacific Hotels at the Skydome Hotel and then the Royal York, before switching to Revenue Management while the discipline was still in its infancy. Since then, he has gained extensive experience supporting Revenue Management Strategies as an on property Director with major hotel chains such as Hilton, Delta and IHG, and on the ownership side working with the Asset Management teams for Westmont Hospitality and InnVest REIT. Adam joined FRHI 12 years ago as Regional Director, Revenue Management for FRHI Americas and was promoted to Vice President, Revenue Management when the company was acquired by world-leading hospitality group Accor.

In his role, Adam oversees the Revenue Management strategy for over 45 hotels in North America. He has led the creation of a proprietary Business Intelligence solution and recently built a comprehensive Distribution Support team. His purview extends beyond traditional Rooms Revenue Management to maximize ancillary revenue streams such as FB, Spa and Function Space RM.

Adam is an active advocate for the Revenue Management Discipline and serves on the America’s Board for HSMAI as well as the IDeaS Customer Advisory Board (2020-Present). He also previously served on the HSMAI RM Advisory board (2017-2021). He is a regular guest speaker as an RM expert at Humber College, George Brown College, Centennial College and Ryerson University.

In 2019 Adam was recognized with the prestigious award for Top 25 Extraordinary Minds in Hospitality Sales, Marketing and Revenue Optimization from HSMAI.

Noreen Henry oversees Sojern’s global commercial team, including sales, operations, and strategic partnerships. With more than 25 years of experience in travel, Noreen drives corporate commercial strategy using the intersection of digital media and online distribution as a guide. Prior to Sojern, she served as chief executive officer of WayBlazer, an artificial intelligence travel technology start-up. Before that, Noreen served as chief revenue officer at DHISCO, senior vice president at Travelocity Global, and vice president at Intent Media. She also served on the board of directors with HSMAI and as a vice president with HEDNA. Noreen graduated from the advanced management program at Harvard Business School and earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Texas.

Jennifer Hill‘s specialty is revenue management, using a profit-based model of successful collaboration with all commercial disciplines to achieve optimal performance. In her role as Vice President of Commercial Strategy at Kalibri Labs, she relies on this experience to help clients identify and solve strategic business priorities. Jennifer has two decades of experience in operations and revenue strategy at branded and independent hotels in major markets. In 2017, HSMAI recognized Jennifer as one of the Top 25 Minds in Sales, Marketing, and Revenue Optimization, and awarded her the Revenue Management Professional of the Year award in 2014.

Nancy Johns is an accomplished marketing executive with 15 years of hospitality-related experience. She is an expert in being able to evaluate and respond to evolving environments critically. She is a demonstrated leader with the proven ability to lead her team to increased success.

An experienced marketing & communications leader, Lisa Jordan is Senior Director of Digital Marketing for Red Roof. Her background includes nearly 20 years of brand development, marketing strategy, and e-commerce. Previously she served on the executive leadership team at Hostelling International USA and held several positions during a 10-year tenure at Sabre Hospitality Solutions.

Lisa serves on the HSMAI Americas Board and the HSMAI Washington DC Marketing Communications Committee. Recently, Lisa has spoken on panels for the Digital Travel Summit, Digital Travel Connect, and Women in Travel THRIVE.
She earned her Master of Tourism Administration from The George Washington University.

Lori Kiel, Chief Commercial Officer, leads commercial disciplines at The Boca Raton. Lori is a thought leader in our industry, pushing the Commercial Strategy discipline and philosophies forward through her work with HSMAI and Kessler Collection.

Lori has over 33 years of experience in the Hospitality Industry and has worked in various positions throughout her career, from 20 years in operations to 13 years above property. Her roles have spanned the ranks of Rooms Division, GM, Regional Revenue, Corporate Director, and now Chief Commercial Officer. Lori’s analytical skills and passion for commercial strategy offer a unique combination of talent perfectly paired with her leadership. Additionally, Lori has worked with all major brands, soft brands, and independent hotels.

Lori has earned degrees in Hospitality Management and Leadership. Lori’s passion for continued enrichment has found its home with HSMAI, where she serves on the Sales Advisory Board, is Co-Chair of the Commercial Excellence Workgroup, is Chair of HSMAI’s Foundation Board, and sits on the Americas Board. Lori is the author of LinkedIn’s Commercial Strategy Evolution newsletter and actively speaks on panels, podcasts, and keynotes throughout industry events.

Lynsey Kreitzer joined the GF Hotels & Resorts team with over 18 years of experience in revenue-generating roles in the hospitality industry. Beginning her career as a Director of Sales at a Residence Inn by Marriott hotel, Lynsey’s interest and passion for digging into different revenue streams led her to an Area Director of Revenue Strategy role where she was responsible for 20 plus hotels. In this role, Lynsey was key to the communication stream between the hotel teams, the regional sales and operations teams, and ownership groups. Lynsey thrived as a Vice President of Sales & Marketing molding the sales team efforts which was focused on overall strategic revenue growth, leading to her elevation to Vice President of Sales & Commercial Strategy, and now Senior Vice President of Sales & Commercial Strategy.

Lynsey is an energetic, creative leader who places an emphasis on mentorship and team building. Numerous members of her teams have grown into larger roles within the companies she served. The GF Community continues to thrive in commercial strategy as they continue to ask how to reimagine excellence.

Sathya Krishnamurthy brings over 22+ years of experience in product management and strategy, new product launches and business ownership to Milestone. He has an exceptional record of achievements in defining, delivering, and growing enterprise-software products in startups and mid-tier companies.

Sathya has displayed strong business ownership by bringing global teams to deliver strong product results and has mentored and managed global product management and engineering teams in US, Asia and Europe.

Prior to joining Milestone, Sathya worked for such companies as Meta / WhatsApp, Reputation.com, Microsemi and Zynga. Sathya has an MBA from Northwestern University – Kellogg School of Management and an MS in Computer Science from Washington University in St. Louis.

Lori Livingston, Director of Revenue Management, CRME, brings 28 years of hospitality expertise to her role. She optimizes pricing, maximizes occupancy, and strategizes distribution channels, ensuring adaptability to market shifts. Lori spearheads beta testing initiatives, driving innovation within Atrium Hospitality. Recognized with the CRME certification in 2016, she has earned accolades including Atrium Hospitality Elite Director of Revenue Management. Lori champions teamwork, fostering collaboration and excellence within her team. With a passion for hospitality and an engaging leadership style, she is an innovator shaping the future of revenue management in the global hospitality arena.

Michelle Lord brings 26 years of professional expertise to her role at Accor, starting her journey after graduating from Oulton’s Business College with a Travel and Tourism diploma. Throughout her career, Michelle has excelled in Sales and Operations and currently holds the title of Director of Reservation Sales at the Global Reservation Center in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada. Her leadership has been instrumental in overseeing diverse and highly successful Sales and Service teams. Beyond her role at Accor, Michelle has been a key figure in the industry, notably as a dedicated member of the International Association of Reservation Executives. Over the past 12 years, she has served on the Board and recently led the successful merger of the association with HSMAI as its President, demonstrating her dedication to advancing the industry.

Christoph McLaughlin III is the Vice President of Asset Management Strategy for Ashford Inc., which oversees ~$8.0 billion in hospitality assets. Mr. McLaughlin started in 2017, having held multiple roles within Ashford’s Asset Management team. Since 2017, Mr. McLaughlin’s responsibilities have ranged from facilitating over $1 billion in acquisitions, dispositions, and real estate development underwriting to spearheading AHT’s $450 million capital raise. Mr. McLaughlin also previously served as a Financial Analyst at wealth management firm Robert D. Conkel, Inc. Mr. McLaughlin earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Government from Harvard University.

Gissell Moronta is the Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing for Atrium Hospitality where she leads the sales organization’s strategic and tactical initiatives and help the sales team focus on optimizing financial results.

Gissell kicked off her hospitality career in sales as a Business transient manager in the Dominican Republic after graduating college. After moving to the US, her career progressed in hotels through catering and group sales, as Director Sales & Marketing, and customer contact centers.

She has served in area and regional roles leading teams to Gold and Platinum award winning performance over two decades and created the first centralized inbound RFP team for Starwood Hotels, which she took from a pilot into a multimillion-dollar inbound operation. She held positions of Area, Regional and VP of Sales, Sales & Marketing for TPG and Colwen Hotels where she led the sales function for the company.

Gissell is an active member in the industry, serving as CHAIR of the Sales Advisory Board at HSMAI. Named HSMAI’s Top 25 Extraordinary Minds in Sales, Marketing and Revenue Optimization. Gissell also serves in the Diversity and Inclusion Collective resource group at Atrium Hospitality and is the recipient of the Inclusion Champion award in 2022.

Gissell holds a bachelor’s degree in Hotel Business Administration from Dominican Republic (PUCMM), meeting management certification (CMP), Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) certification from Northwestern University, and a master’s degree in Liberal Arts from Harvard University.

Chris Murdock began his career at Fairmont Raffles Hotels International which was later acquired by Accor Hotels, placing him in various distribution leadership positions overseeing a number of brands and hotels for the past 15 years. He plays an active role in the hospitality space, with posts at HEDNA, where he currently serves as President, and HSMAI, as a member of their Distribution Round Table. As President of HEDNA, Chris oversees several global initiatives and advocates for industry-wide standards, young leadership development and education in our field.

Breffni Noone, Associate Professor at the Pennsylvania State University School of Hospitality Management, teaches revenue and profit optimization, and data analytics. She holds a Ph.D. in Revenue Management from Cornell University. She has published over 40 research articles in academic journals and has authored several book chapters. She is a revenue management consultant to hospitality enterprises and provides executive education programs in revenue optimization and data visualization. She serves on the HSMAI Revenue Optimization Advisory Board and the HSMAI Foundation Board. She is a recent recipient of the HSMAI Revenue Optimization Educator of the Year award.

With over 20 years in Hospitality Management, Wendy Norris thrives in fast-paced environments, driving revenue growth while prioritizing guest satisfaction. A dedicated leader excelling in team development, goal-setting, and problem-solving. Specializing in Revenue Management, who has successfully launched new independent hotels and revitalized existing ones, leveraging current trends and strategies. Committed to continuous learning, Wendy fosters a culture of innovation and collaboration, celebrating success with my teams. Beyond work, Wendy cherishes time with family, travel, and entertaining. Her journey is defined by a passion for excellence and a relentless pursuit of memorable guest experiences.

Birsa Pandey is an Advanced Data Science Manager at ZS. He has over 11 years of experience in building Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Econometric, Statistics and Generative AI based products and solutions for a diverse set of industries such as Pharma/Healthcare, Travel & Hospitality, Finance, FMCG, Retail, Technology, Telecom, etc. He works on a broad spectrum of problems such as Generative AI, Airline Operations, Personalization, Optimization, Next Best Action, Anomaly Detection and A/B Testing.

With over 15 years of expertise in digital marketing within the hospitality industry, Rory Peska is a distinguished professional with a robust background. Armed with a degree in Hotel Management and an MBA, their career encompasses pivotal roles at renowned agencies such as Standing Dog Interactive, coupled with extensive experience at hotel management companies including Remington, Interstate, and Aimbridge Hospitality. Rory is actively contributing as a member of the HSMAI Marketing Advisory Board.

As the Chief Advisory Officer of FLYR for Hospitality, the hospitality line of business at FLYR, Andrew Rubinacci leads a global team whose mission is to amplify the commercial performance of FLYR customers. He also serves a critical role in helping FLYR grow the hospitality business and lead the industry with modern approaches to commercial strategy.

He currently serves as the Chair for HSMAI.

With over 25 years of commercial leadership experience, Andrew is one of the foremost revenue management and global distribution experts in the hospitality industry. He has held various executive positions, including Chief Commercial Officer and CIO for Omni Hotels & Resorts, and Senior Vice President of Distribution & Revenue Management for InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG). Most recently, Andrew served as Executive Vice President, Commercial & Revenue Strategy at Aimbridge Hospitality Corporate Office.

Aran Ryan is Director of Industry Studies at Tourism Economics where he helps owners, operators, and destinations understand the impact of tourism industry trends. He focuses on industry-specific analysis and forecasting, as well as strategy and policy analysis.

Aran has over 25 years of consulting experience applying analytics, forecasting, project management, research, and financial analysis skills to support client decision-making. Prior to joining Tourism Economics, he was a Director in the Hospitality & Leisure consulting practice at PwC.

Jason Shames, NYU Professor of Hotel Distribution and CEO & Co-Founder of Skipper.

Stephanie Sparks Smith, CHDM, is the CEO and Digital Matriarch of Cogwheel Marketing™️, a digital marketing agency specializing in the hotel industry. She developed Cogwheel Analytics, a business intelligence (BI) tool that consolidates data from various sources, enabling companies to discern trends and providing them with a benchmarking scorecard. Her team assists management companies in identifying marketing discrepancies between the brand and hotel levels, aiming to boost incremental revenue for their Marriott, Hilton, IHG, and Hyatt properties. Smith actively participates as a member of the HSMAI Marketing Advisory Board, where she has chaired committees focusing on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI), and Rising Leaders, in addition to holding a CHDM certification. A regular speaker at numerous hospitality events and conferences, she is also a partner and consultant at Cayuga Hospitality Consultants. Smith holds an undergraduate degree in Hospitality Tourism Management from Virginia Tech, an MBA from the University of Texas at Dallas, and an Advanced Revenue Management Certificate from Cornell.

Joe Spirito spearheads initiatives to drive innovation and new products aimed at maximizing revenue and bookings within the travel industry. With over two decades of experience in the technology and hospitality sectors, he brings a unique blend of strategic insight and operational expertise to his role.

Bringing expertise in spearheading digital marketing initiatives across diverse industries, Joe is a seasoned leader at Amadeus. Prior to joining our team, he served as Vice President of Global Digital & Marketing Operations at Preferred Travel Group, where his visionary leadership resulted in an impressive 85% surge in direct bookings through branded website channels.

Throughout his career, Joe’s teams have consistently achieved excellence, garnering prestigious awards such as the 2021 U.S. Search Award for Best Use of Search in Travel/Leisure (PPC) and multiple HSMAI Adrian Awards, including a Silver and Bronze in Search Marketing Strategy and a Bronze in Social Media Campaign.

In 2024, Joe’s remarkable contributions were recognized by the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI), where he was honored as one of “The HSMAI Top 25: Extraordinary Minds” in sales, marketing, revenue optimization, and distribution.

Joe holds a B.A. in Business Administration from California State University – San Marcos and an M.B.A from the University of Southern California – Marshall School of Business.

Denise Thomas is the Founder and Owner of The Effective Communication Coach a consultancy focused on transforming emerging and existing professionals into extraordinary leaders by mastering the art of effective communication.

With twenty years of experience within Fortune 100 companies, Denise has honed the ability to deliver and receive messages across language, cultural, and communication-style barriers. She has been recognized for excellence in leadership from companies including Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana, PepsiCo, General Electric, and MolsonCoors. Denise continues her focus on coaching people by traveling and teaching effective communication to professionals worldwide including Tel Aviv Israel, Cartagena Colombia, and Cape town, South Africa.

Denise has supplied her expertise to the National Urban League, Thurgood Marshall Leadership Institute, and the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee. She currently consults for R.W. Baird, Southern Company and Northwestern Mutual amongst other highly regarded employers.

Denise has been recognized with multiple awards by the Milwaukee Business Journal including 2019 Woman of Influence and Top 100 Power Brokers for 2018, ‘19, ’20, ’21 and ’22. She also received Milwaukee Magazine’s 2019 “Women of Distinction”, and BizStarts “Inspiring Entrepreneur” award. The Milwaukee Times Newspaper recognized Denise for her “Excellence in Business” during their 35th Annual Black Excellence Awards.

Denise is a Facilitator at St. Norbert College as part of the School of Business’s Center of Exceptional Leadership and co-hosts the “Truth Be Told” morning talk radio show on The Truth 101.7FM – Milwaukee.

She serves on numerous non-profit organization’s Board of Directors and Advisory Councils including Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, The Milwaukee Ballet, TEMPO Milwaukee and the United Way of Greater Milwaukee and Waukesha County’s Women United Leadership Council. She is also a certified Hogan Assessment Coach, Center of Exceptional Leadership 360 Feedback Coach and E-Learning Trainer/Coach. Denise is a graduate of Cardinal Stritch University in Business Management and a proud member of The Links Incorporated –Trinity (Dallas) Texas Chapter.

She is a proud mother of two emerging leaders, her daughter Dominique and son Daren. She enjoys being a grandmother to her five-year-old English Bulldog, Earn!

Calvin Tilokee is a seasoned hospitality expert with over two decades of experience in the dynamic fields of revenue management and social media marketing. With a passion for creating memorable guest experiences and a knack for harnessing the power of digital platforms, Calvin has had the privilege of shaping the future of the industry.

Calvin’s journey in hospitality has been marked by achievements and recognition. Calvin has been honored to be an award-winning Instagram creator, known for capturing the essence of hospitality through captivating visuals and engaging storytelling. Additionally, Calvin has earned a spot among the top 25 social media influencers in the hospitality sector, as well as a place on the list of the top 100 most inspirational people in hospitality, an accolade presented by the prestigious International Hospitality Institute.

Currently, Calvin serves as the CEO of RevPar Media, a dynamic digital marketing agency exclusively dedicated to helping hospitality businesses thrive in the digital landscape. We specialize in crafting strategic and compelling social media campaigns that drive brand awareness, engagement, and, ultimately, revenue growth.

Anita Travis leads OUTRIGGER’s contact center; a centralized customer communications hub that performs a wide range of functions from providing personalized service and problem-solving to collecting and analyzing data all while promoting a positive brand image. Anita leads her team to ensure that all these functions and more result in excellent customer contact delivery through a variety of channels, and while seeking to maximize revenue potential.

Prior roles before Outrigger included senior manager of global training and consistency at Orbitz Worldwide and various senior management roles at Travelport, Cendant Travel and Cheap Tickets.

Anita serves as Chair, HSMAI Contact Center SIG.”

Jenna Villalobos is a seasoned professional with over two decades of expertise in revenue strategy, marketing technology and reservation sales. Currently, she spearheads the commercial strategy for Outrigger Hospitality Group in Honolulu, Hawaii, a dynamic role in one of the fastest-growing, privately-held hospitality companies across the Asia Pacific, Oceania, and Indian Ocean regions.

Prior to her current position, Jenna contributed her talents to the KSL Resort’s team as the corporate director of revenue optimization, a role she held since 2012. Her early career saw her in revenue leadership roles in the Palm Springs area, notably at Rancho Las Palmas Resort, La Quinta Resort & Club, and Morongo Casino Resort & Spa.

Jenna’s dedication and excellence in her field were recognized when she was named the 2021 Revenue Professional of the Year by HSMAI. She earned her bachelor’s degree in hospitality management from Johnson and Wales University and holds a certificate in revenue management from Cornell University.

Outside of her professional pursuits, Jenna finds joy in spending time with her family, including her two pugs, and exploring the vibrant island of Oahu.

Amanda Voss is the Vice President of Sales for MGMRI overseeing Bellagio Resort & Casino and Park MGM in Las Vegas. With a strategic vision, she provides leadership to the Hotel Sales, Catering, Convention Services, and Group Dining Departments, shaping the resort’s success. Amanda’s journey to her current role was marked by a series of significant achievements at MGM Resorts International. She was part of the inaugural teams for ARIA and Vdara Resorts and played a pivotal role in transforming the Monte Carlo Resort into the stunning Park MGM. Amanda’s forward-thinking approach was instrumental in expanding the convention business at the resort, introducing innovative meeting spaces like the Madison Meeting Center and Ideation Studio, tailored to the evolving needs of meeting planners. Recognized for her remarkable contributions, Amanda Voss was named one of HSMAI’s Top 25 Most Influential Minds in Sales, Marketing, and Revenue in 2018. Her dedication and innovation continue to shape the landscape of the hospitality industry.

As a hospitality veteran with more than two decades of experience in the hotel operations and revenue management side of the industry, Kristi White has a pulse on the needs of the meetings and events business. She has advised hundreds of hotels worldwide on improving their business strategy, performance, and overall profitability. She is a published expert in hospitality and a frequent speaker at industry conferences and universities, as well as a founding member of the Board of Directors for the HSMAI Revenue Management Special Interest Group. Currently, she serves on the for the HSMAI Sales Advisory Board

Holly Zoba is the visionary behind Scout Simply and cofounder of hotelBschool.com, a game-changing platform that provides comprehensive support, training, and resources for hospitality professionals. As a dedicated leader, Holly is committed to elevating the hotel industry through accessible education and mentorship around sales, marketing, and digital technology.

Holly began her career with Hospitality Partners where she spent 10 years as the VP of sales and marketing. She spent several years as the SVP of Hospitality with Signature Worldwide Training where she learned to execute the principles of adult learning and developed training programs for Best Western, Hilton, IHG, Smith Travel Research and Caesar’s Entertainment. Prior to launching her own company, Holly became a full stack web application developer (MERN).

She is a past chair of the HSMAI Marketing Advisory Board and the coauthor of the Certified Hotel Digital Marketers study guide.

A frequent industry author and speaker, she is also a recipient of the Top 25 Most Extraordinary Minds in Sales and Marketing for her work on advocacy marketing.