THE COMMUNITY NEWS OF ASSOCIATIONS, CVBs and HOTELS

Editor’s Pick

ASAE Research Foundation, MPI Foundation Release Neuroinclusion Study

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Colorado Town of Ridgeway Sues Hotel Owner
Alleges Code Violation and Tax Dodging

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Industry Movers

Patrick Fisher

Patrick Fisher

Patrick Fisher has been appointed President of Hotel ZaZa, a collection of four distinctive luxury properties across Dallas, Houston, and Austin, which was acquired by Rockbridge Holdings. Fisher will lead the full Hotel ZaZa portfolio: Hotel ZaZa Dallas Uptown, Hotel ZaZa Houston Museum District, Hotel ZaZa Houston Memorial City and Hotel ZaZa Austin Downtown. 

Stan Iliev

Stan Iliev

Stan Iliev has been announced as the Dual General Manager of the Le Méridien and AC Hotel Denver Downtown. Both properties are owned and operated by White Lodging. Iliev’s tenure with White Lodging began in 2011 when he served as assistant general manager and front desk manager at the Hilton Garden Inn, Chicago Midway. He has held general manager roles at properties in Chicago, Valparaiso, Louisville and Nashville.

Daniel Weber

Daniel Weber

Daniel Weber has been appointed Executive Sous Chef of Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort & Spa in Paradise Valley, Arizona.  A graduate of Le Cordon Bleu, his career has spanned destinations including Walt Disney World, Bay Hill Country Club – where he cooked for Arnold Palmer – and Four Seasons Resort Orlando, along with posts at The Current Hotel in Tampa and Southbound in Richmond. He worked in St. Louis.

Leslie Johnson

Leslie Johnson

Leslie Johnson has been promoted to Chief Sales Officer at Visit Milwaukee. She was Vice President of Sales. She leads a team that booked more than 328,000 room nights in 2025. Johnson will oversee sales initiatives that expand Milwaukee’s presence in key markets and fuel long-term economic impact. IAEE honored Johnson with its Outstanding Marketing & Sales Award, which recognizes exceptional achievement in marketing and sales activities.

Samuel V. Calabrese

Samuel V. Calabrese

Samuel V. Calabrese has been appointed Executive Vice President and CEO of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) effective May 1. Calabrese will become ASHP’s fifth CEO in its 84-year history, succeeding longtime CEO Paul W. Abramowitz, PharmD, who retired earlier this year. He currently serves as Vice President of the ASHP Office of Accreditation Services. Calabrese spent 25 years in the Cleveland Clinic Health System.

Dr. LeRoi Hicks

Dr. Hicks

Dr. LeRoi Hicks has been named as the American College of Physicians’ (ACP) Executive Vice President & CEO, effective July 6. He becomes the first African American physician to serve in the roles. Hicks is President of ChristianaCare’s Wilmington Campus, a health care hub in Delaware. Hicks graduated from Howard University in 1991 and earned his medical degree from the Indiana University School of Medicine.

Bryan Kubel

Bryan Kubel has been promoted to Visit Milwaukee’s Director of Partnership and Business Development. He was the CVB’s senior partnership manager. Kubel will lead efforts to strengthen community partnerships, create innovative collaboration opportunities and deliver value to stakeholders across Milwaukee’s hospitality ecosystem. In 2025, Kubel helped welcome 182 new partners and led a record-breaking August Partner Mixer at the Air Refueling Wing that brought together 345 partners.

 

Corey J. Parker

Corey J. Parker

Corey J. Parker has been named CEO of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM). Parker has more than 20 years of leadership experience in healthcare, academic medicine, and national medical societies. Positions have included COO of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and executive director of Surgical Accreditation at the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Parker is set to join AOSSM on April 6.

Photos of the Week

USAE writer Jordan Bradley took a riding lesson on April 2 from trainer Scott Scheyli with Arabian horse ShI’mVaguelySurprised (also known as JT) in Tucson, Arizona.

USAE writer Jordan Bradley took a riding lesson on April 2 from trainer Scott Scheyli with Arabian horse ShI’mVaguelySurprised (also known as JT) in Tucson, Arizona.

Don Welsh - welcome reception

Don Welsh, President & CEO of Destinations International, spoke to attendees during the association’s 2026 CEO Summit from March 30 to April 1 in Newport Beach, California.

Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser spoke about her administration’s workforce development priorities and partnering with D.C.-area associations at ASAE’s inaugural Public Policy Forum on March 23 at the Mayflower Hotel. Pictured here (left to right): Jason Oxman, CAE, APR, President and CEO, Information Technology Industry Council (Moderator); Mayor Bowser; ASAE Chair Jay Karen, CAE, CEO, National Golf Course Owners Association; and ASAE President and CEO Michelle Mason, FASAE, CAE, AAiP.

Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser spoke about her administration’s workforce development priorities and partnering with D.C.-area associations at ASAE’s inaugural Public Policy Forum on March 23 at the Mayflower Hotel. Pictured here (left to right): Jason Oxman, CAE, APR, President and CEO, Information Technology Industry Council (Moderator); Mayor Bowser; ASAE Chair Jay Karen, CAE, CEO, National Golf Course Owners Association; and ASAE President and CEO Michelle Mason, FASAE, CAE, AAiP.

Play Ball! Giants Enterprises welcomed business events industry guests to the San Francisco Giants’ Spring Training facility of Scottsdale Stadium in Scottsdale, Arizona, this month. Shown here is Fred Dixon, President & CEO, Brand USA, and Caroline Beteta, President & CEO, Visit California, who threw out first pitches. The group shot includes Joey Nevin, Vice President, Giants Enterprises; Peter Gomez, President & CEO, Visit Oakland; Paul Vandeventer, President & CEO, MPI; Stephen Revetria, President, Giants Enterprises; Dixon; Beteta; Anna Marie Presutti, President & CEO, SF Travel; Aaron Schwartz, Chief Public Affairs Officer, Brand USA; Rachel Sacco, President & CEO, Experience Scottsdale; Stephanie DeVries, Chief of Staff, Visit California; Ryan Becker, Sr. Vice President, Visit California; and Rich Ramirez, Director, Park Hyatt Cabo Del Sol. https://my.asaecenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Fund-DHS-Letter-to-Congress-3-17-26.pdf

Play Ball! Giants Enterprises welcomed business events industry guests to the San Francisco Giants’ Spring Training facility of Scottsdale Stadium in Scottsdale, Arizona, this month.

At the Annual Tourism Day at the Capitol on March 5, the Georgia Association of Convention & Visitors Bureaus (GACVB) presented a ceremonial $5.1 billion check to Gov. Brian Kemp (holding check, center left) and First Lady Marty Kemp (holding check, far left), underscoring the powerful economic impact of Georgia’s tourism industry. GACVB President & CEO Amanda Dyson-Thornton (holding check, center) and more than 200 tourism industry professionals from across the state, including elected officials, Georgia Rivers, Georgia Grown, the Entertainment Tourism Alliance of Georgia, and the Georgia Hotel and Lodging Association were in attendance.

At the Annual Tourism Day at the Capitol on March 5, the Georgia Association of Convention & Visitors Bureaus (GACVB) presented a ceremonial $5.1 billion check to Gov. Brian Kemp (holding check, center left) and First Lady Marty Kemp (holding check, far left), underscoring the powerful economic impact of Georgia’s tourism industry. GACVB President & CEO Amanda Dyson-Thornton (holding check, center) and more than 200 tourism industry professionals from across the state, including elected officials, Georgia Rivers, Georgia Grown, the Entertainment Tourism Alliance of Georgia, and the Georgia Hotel and Lodging Association were in attendance.

USAE writer Jordan Bradley took a riding lesson on April 2 from trainer Scott Scheyli with Arabian horse ShI’mVaguelySurprised (also known as JT) in Tucson, Arizona. Don Welsh - welcome reception Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser spoke about her administration’s workforce development priorities and partnering with D.C.-area associations at ASAE’s inaugural Public Policy Forum on March 23 at the Mayflower Hotel. Pictured here (left to right): Jason Oxman, CAE, APR, President and CEO, Information Technology Industry Council (Moderator); Mayor Bowser; ASAE Chair Jay Karen, CAE, CEO, National Golf Course Owners Association; and ASAE President and CEO Michelle Mason, FASAE, CAE, AAiP. Play Ball! Giants Enterprises welcomed business events industry guests to the San Francisco Giants’ Spring Training facility of Scottsdale Stadium in Scottsdale, Arizona, this month. Shown here is Fred Dixon, President & CEO, Brand USA, and Caroline Beteta, President & CEO, Visit California, who threw out first pitches. The group shot includes Joey Nevin, Vice President, Giants Enterprises; Peter Gomez, President & CEO, Visit Oakland; Paul Vandeventer, President & CEO, MPI; Stephen Revetria, President, Giants Enterprises; Dixon; Beteta; Anna Marie Presutti, President & CEO, SF Travel; Aaron Schwartz, Chief Public Affairs Officer, Brand USA; Rachel Sacco, President & CEO, Experience Scottsdale; Stephanie DeVries, Chief of Staff, Visit California; Ryan Becker, Sr. Vice President, Visit California; and Rich Ramirez, Director, Park Hyatt Cabo Del Sol. https://my.asaecenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Fund-DHS-Letter-to-Congress-3-17-26.pdf At the Annual Tourism Day at the Capitol on March 5, the Georgia Association of Convention & Visitors Bureaus (GACVB) presented a ceremonial $5.1 billion check to Gov. Brian Kemp (holding check, center left) and First Lady Marty Kemp (holding check, far left), underscoring the powerful economic impact of Georgia’s tourism industry. GACVB President & CEO Amanda Dyson-Thornton (holding check, center) and more than 200 tourism industry professionals from across the state, including elected officials, Georgia Rivers, Georgia Grown, the Entertainment Tourism Alliance of Georgia, and the Georgia Hotel and Lodging Association were in attendance.

Featured

Micaela Nardino
Micaela Nardino
 

 

In 2023, Nardino applied for and received the Joan and John Markham Award offered by the Travel and Tourism Research Association. NC State flew Nardino out to Houston to attend the association’s Marketing Outlook Forum.

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