2022 GUEST SPEAKERS & PANELISTS

Tad Asbury

Corporate Vice President/Marriott International

Executive Director/Bridges from School to Work

Tad Asbury is the Executive Director of Bridges from School to Work and a corporate Vice President with Marriott International. Established by the Marriott Family in 1989, Bridges’ mission is to transform the lives of young adults with disabilities through the power of a job. Joining Marriott in 2003, Tad leads a Bridges team of nearly 80 associates, working in twelve cities across the U.S, helping to place more than 1,000 youth annually into competitive, paid employment in a variety of industries. With responsibility and oversight of Bridges Board development, operations, strategic planning, fundraising, finance and communications, Tad possess extensive knowledge gained over nearly 30 years of professional experience in non-profit management, corporate communications, public affairs and education. Tad currently has served on numerous boards including the National Youth Employment Coalition. An experienced national speaker and presenter Tad holds a B.A. from Albion College and an M.S. from Georgetown University.

David Benson

Architectural Ceramics

President

At the age of 15, David began working for Architectural Ceramics. Whether it was delivering tile, taking out the trash, or filing, these experiences helped shape his work ethic of today. David holds a Bachelor of Science degree from The George Washington University in Pre-Health Professionalism. Upon graduation David started full time Architectural Ceramics selling tile directly. Over the next 15 years David has held management positions and a VP of Sales position with Architectural Ceramics. Today David is the President of the company and has helped lead the brand refresh from Architectural Ceramics to Architessa. David has been on the board for NEWH, CTDA and other organizations over the years. David is married to Adrianna and has three beautiful kids Sydney, Shaylen and Isaac. He also volunteers as a coach for his kids soccer teams and is active in his local church.

Malcolm Berg

EoA, Inc.

Founder, President & Design Director

Malcolm Berg is the founder, President and Design Director of EoA, Inc. Malcolm received his Master of Architecture degree from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design, and his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, with Concentration in Architecture, from the Massachusetts College of Art.

His strong visual arts background, paired with a Master’s thesis which eroded thresholds between architecture and landscape, developed into a strong career in experiential design. To that end, Resort Hospitality design emerged as a distilled medium to bring Architecture, Landscape and Interior Design into one experiential discipline.

His focus on design is unequivocally about the narrative, about the human element – about the intimate relationship people have with their environment.

“There’s a story in every project, or at least there should be. The story is not about the Architecture, nor about the furniture or the artwork. It is about the dialogue, about the synergy created by disparate components in any landscape. It is about cinematic envelopment, about sensorial stimulation – about creating a mental image of a liquid moment. To that end I founded Edge of Architecture, to bridge the gap between disciplines, to bring the focus back to narrative, to the human element – and to the intimate relationship people ultimately have with their environment.”
— MALCOLM BERG

Beth Campbell

Campbell House

Chief Executive Officer

Beth Campbell is an award-winning architect and visionary leader in the industry. With nearly 30 years of global design experience, she just launched her own company, Campbell House. The firm is a full-service interior design studio, focused on high-engagement design solutions for hospitality, entertainment, food and beverage, gaming and corporate workplace. Most recently, Beth served as CEO of Wilson Associates, a top global interior design firm. Prior to Wilson, Beth was EVP and head of design for Westfield Corporation and spent 16 years at Gensler as a managing partner and global account director.

Michael Castro

Sonesta International Hotels Corporation

Senior Vice President of Franchise Development

Mike Castro is the Senior Vice President of Franchise Development for Sonesta Hotels & Resorts in the United States and Canada. His role is to lead the company’s sales team and brand growth through franchising. With more than 35 years of experience in hospitality, Castro has an extensive background in franchise sales for both conversion and new construction hotels, in hotel management and franchise services. Castro has a history with the Sonesta/Red Lion’s family of brands with 24 years in various leadership positions - most recently as Vice President, Franchise Development for Western US and Canada.

Enrico Cleva

EC&CO

Owner/President

Enrico G. Cleva, is an architect and an international business development consultant specialized in strategic partnerships for exhibitions and professional associations. He works with the Interior Designers of Canada and is NEWH Milano Chapter’s President. Enrico represents some shows of Fiera Milano in Canada&UK, promoting the events on the markets and building strategic partnerships with associations. He worked as European Business Development Manager for the show IIDEXCanada in Europe and has been consultant for many Italian and international show organizers. He runs his architecture firm ec&co. in Milan and is contributing writer for the Toronto based magazine Canadian Interiors.

Sarah Cozewith

American Hotel & Lodging Foundation

Vice President of Career Development

Sarah Cozewith is Vice President of Career Development for the American Hotel & Lodging Foundation. She oversees the expansion of the AHLA Foundation’s workforce initiatives to build on the success of the Foundation’s apprenticeship and scholarship programs, and expand on diversity, equity & inclusion efforts and scale the Empowering Youth program.

With more than 20 years of experience in the workforce arena, Sarah joined the AHLA Foundation after driving programs for the multifamily housing and retail industries. Sarah most recently served as the director of workforce development at the National Apartment Association where she oversaw national efforts and fostered strategic partnerships with educational and community-based organizations. She also spent more than a decade at the National Retail Federation managing curriculum development and motivating members to participate in workforce programs.

Anita Degen

Degen & Degen

Managing Principal

As co-founder of Degen & Degen architecture & interior design and Managing Principal of Interior Design, Anita Degen has focused her design practice on bringing creative solutions and design excellence to all types of hospitality & resort projects worldwide.

Her career is built on diverse experience, including a BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University, corporate brand experience, working for major international design firms as well as a small boutique firm in Berlin Germany. For over 25 years she has been co- leading her Seattle based team of stellar design talent.
Active in numerous organizations such as IIDA and WA Lodging Association, Anita is most committed to education in hospitality. Her belief that it is as the key to the development and future of hospitality design is evidenced by her years serving the NEWH Inc. International Board of Directors. She has served the board in numerous positions centered around education for the past twenty years including International President 2008 – 2009.

Her work is influenced by a lifelong love of travel and the world around her. Anita finds constant inspiration in history, nature and art.

J. Clif Dierking

PDSI

CRM & Partner

As a member of PDSI’s Senior Leadership Team, Mr. Dierking is responsible for customer relations and key business development. Mr. Dierking also provides strategic leadership for real estate advisory services in hospitality, assisted living, corporate, and mixed-use projects, as well as tactical responsibility for all major accounts. Mr. Dierking plays a vital role in aligning the project management teams’ performance to support the owner representation services PDSI’s clients expect. His deep experience in project development and execution are key to PDSI’s mission of maximizing its clients return on investment. Prior to joining PDSI, Mr. Dierking worked as in-house Architect and Development Manager for 180s LLC where he coordinated the relocation efforts for the company’s World Headquarters and Distributions Center in Baltimore and the European Sales Office in Aix en Provence, France. Mr. Dierking served as Senior Project Manager of Technical Services for IHG Hotels, where he managed the execution of major capital investment projects and developed architectural and engineering programs. He was also responsible for driving brand distribution and real estate values for the InterContinental Hotel and Crowne Plaza Hotel brands. Mr. Dierking’s educational background includes a B.S.B.A. from the University of Hawaii and a Master’s in Architecture from the Illinois Institute of Technology. Mr. Dierking is a registered architect in Maryland with an impressive background in the hospitality industry, management and architecture disciplines.

Tom Douglas

Seattle Kitchen

Founder / Chef

Tom Douglas has been cooking up Pacific Northwest cuisine in Seattle since 1984, opening his own restaurant, Dahlia Lounge, in 1989. For the last 30 years, he’s made a name for himself alongside business partner and wife Jackie Cross and business partner (since 2006) Eric Tanaka by opening 13 full-service restaurants; an event space, Palace Ballroom; a cooking school, Hot Stove Society; and a product line including rubs, sauces, mustards, and knives. The James Beard Outstanding Restaurateur, self-described as “middle-aged, tall, and round,” can be found at any of his restaurants on a given day putting in the work to create a successful restaurant group. As he reminds himself and his staff, “no one can out effort us.”

Jennifer Farris

Bandura Design

Founder and Principal

With over 20 years of design experience, Jennifer has directed the design and planning for a variety of commercial projects, including hotels, restaurants, and mixed-use developments. As the founder and Principal of Bandura Design Jennifer leads an award-winning team and is currently managing multi-family development projects across the country. With a background in Exhibit Design, Visual Merchandising and building custom furniture, she brings a unique perspective to each project and creates interiors that transform the end users experience. Jennifer is currently the President of the Board for the DC Chapter of NEWH and volunteers her time in the DC community to help educate and expand the design community and build female leaders for the future.

Michelle Finn

Emerald

VP/Boutique Design Group

Michelle Finn is vice president, Boutique Design Group, Emerald. In this role, she oversees the management and development of its hospitality and related brands, which encompasses Boutique Design, Boutique Design Trade Fair (BDNY) held on an annual basis in New York City, Boutique Design Forum Series, Boutique Design Match, Boutique Design Product Symposium and Senior Lifestyle Design Match. Finn has received numerous awards for innovation in trade fair development, publishing, leadership and service. She is a member of the Hospitality Industry Network (NEWH), Boutique Lifestyle and Lodging Association (BLLA) and the International Society of Hospitality Purchasers (ISHP).

Mark Friesen

Beyer Brown & Associates

Principal

Mark Friesen is one of two principals of Beyer Brown & Associates, an FF&E purchasing agent that has been servicing the hospitality industry since 1978. Beyer Brown is headquartered in Orlando, Florida, and has several offices both domestically and internationally with a Vancouver location. Friesen has been in the hospitality industry for over 24 years and brings a high level of understanding and knowledge of many aspects of the industry. In addition to being a principal of Beyer Brown for over 15 years, Friesen is also a member of YPO, and has increased his knowledge with an asset management course certification from eCornell. During his career, Friesen has overseen over 2 billion dollars in FF&E purchasing and has worked on every major hotel brand including Four Seasons, Ritz Carlton, Hyatt, IHG, Marriott, Hilton, Kimpton, Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, and many others. Currently living in Vancouver, Friesen travels extensively and maintains a very active industry reputation.

Stacy Garcia

Stacy Garcia, Inc.

CEO & Founder

Stacy Garcia is a creative entrepreneur and founder of multiple business enterprises: LebaTex, Inc., a distinctive textile supplier and Stacy Garcia, Inc., a licensing firm and design house. This internationally renowned designer has partnered with some of the world’s leading manufacturers to create products for resorts and homes all over the world. Stacy has an established reputation as a preeminent forecaster of color and design trends, and is a Chairholder of Color Marketing Group, the premiere international color forecasting association. She was voted one of the 10 leading voices in the hospitality industry and honored by ASID for Design Excellence.

Kyle Gibson

Fortress Investment Group

Vice President of Design and Construction

Kyle Gibson is a Vice President of Design and Construction at Fortress Investment Group.

He currently performs construction management, development, and design oversight for the asset management and acquisition teams. His responsibilities include physical diligence, development, capital planning, coordination of consultants, and project oversite.

Before joining Fortress, he was Vice President of Development and Construction for Guggenheim Partners; Vice President of Design and Construction for BOK Financial; Managing Partner at Red Rock Development.

Mr. Gibson began his lengthy career in real estate development and construction in the mid-1980. He had led the development and construction of more than 850 retail, commercial, residential, hospitality, restaurant, and mixed-use projects.

Mr. Gibson holds a Bachelor of Business Administration with a real estate finance specialization and a minor in Architecture from Texas Tech University.

Glenn Haussman

No Vacancy News

Founder/Host

Glenn Haussman loves the hospitality business. That’s why he’s hosts the No Vacancy, publishes the novacancynews.com industry news site, and educates and empowers people about this incredible industry as a professional speaker, host and moderator. Glenn also hosts No Vacancy News Today, a news and analysis program focused on hospitality headlines, Friday Night Audit, a comedy focused show capturing the energy of the post conference bar scene and offers up travel commentary on the weekly sports focused show BT Talks Baseball.

His first book, which he helped create, is called The Adaptors, focuses on capturing real unplugged conversations with top innovative business leaders, that are uncovering unbridled opportunity. It arrived March 2021. Glenn is also an in-demand public speaker, educator, custom content creator and consultant for major hotel brands, leading industry influencers and suppliers.

Before the pandemic, Glenn traveled 125 plus nights yearly, enjoying the worlds of hospitality and travel as observer, educator and customer. As a frequent moderator and speaker, he motivates audiences with actionable insights and getting people to rethink conventional thinking.

The No Vacancy podcast attracts the biggest names in hospitality, including major public company CEOs and industry influencers. The show was chosen by USA Today as a “best podcast to listen to while traveling.”

Glenn has been quoted in leading publications such as the New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post, Forbes, MSNBC.com, CNN.com and Chicago Tribune. He’s also been in the classroom, previously serving as adjunct professor at New York University, teaching classes in Public Relations & Advertising, and Consumer Behavior.

Find Glenn at novacancynews.com and @TravelingGlenn. Follow him on the No Vacancy pages on LinkedIn and Facebook.

Michael Havener

Sunstone Hotel Investors

Vice President & Head of Design & Construction

For 35 years Michael has been involved in the design and construction of hotels and resorts throughout the United States, Caribbean and the United Arab Emirates. Michael’s inspiration for creating and building unique hotel properties is derived from a lifelong passion for traveling, his love of architecture and interior design, and a belief that hotels are a significant component of memorable business or leisure travel experiences.

Jessica Iaconis

Universal Orlando Resort

Senior Manager of Interior Design

Jessica Iaconis is the Senior Manager of Interior Design for Universal Orlando Resort’s hotel team. Jessica began her career with Universal Creative over 10 years ago as a Show Set Designer on The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Diagon Alley. After several years of working on attractions, Jessica transitioned to her home on the hotel team where she has been able to use her degree in Interior Design to direct and monitor consultant and vendor progress throughout the design and construction processes. Jessica works closely with the Chairman and CEO of both Universal Parks & Resorts and Loews Corporation to ensure guest expectations and operational needs are met or exceeded without compromising the always highly detailed design vision.

Jessica’s motivation and passion for design has always been, and continues to be, fueled by the endless ways to make a design come to life. Early in her career this was realized as each residential client had unique visions for their home, making every project unique. Now on Universal’s hotel team, Jessica finds inspiration in the challenge of giving guests the comfort and convenience they’ve come to expect, mixed with cutting edge technology and a fresh design aesthetic at every new property.

Kavitha Iyer

IHG® Hotels & Resorts

Head of Design for the Americas

Kavitha Iyer joined IHG Hotels & Resorts in 2021 as Head of Design for the Americas. An Architect and Designer with over 20 years of experience in Hospitality, Kavitha is responsible for leading architecture and design strategy for IHG’s 13 global brands.

Kavitha and her team of talented architect and designers at IHG Design collaborate closely with Brand, Development and Operations to imagine and bring to life distinctive design experiences which align closely to each Brand personality. Placing an emphasis on guest centric emotional engagement, Kavitha and her team lead various design strategies across the portfolio which range from bringing to life new brands like Atwell Suites, voco and Vignette Collection as well as creating new visions for lifestyle, upscale and luxury brands like Hotel Indigo, Crowne Plaza and Intercontinental Hotels.

Prior to joining IHG ® Hotels & Resorts, Kavitha was the Director of Design at Marriott International where she led several high-profile initiatives which focused on transformative next generation design experiences for upscale brands.

Kavitha’s love of art and travel fuels her continued passion to spend her free time creating a new canvas, exploring, discovering new places, people and being inspired by the everyday.

Dionne Jefferson

Marriott International

Vice Present of Design and Project Management

Dionne Jefferson serves as the Vice Present of Design and Project Management for Marriott International's full service premium brands, bring strategic leadership to the design studio focused on Marriott, Sheraton, Delta and Gaylord hotels. Dionne is a champion for design and a strategic business leader making her a valuable partner to owners, industry consultants, Brand, Development, and business leaders. An interior designer by trade, with over 25 years of experience, Dionne has held a wide variety of roles across focused and full-service segments, product development and international projects. She successfully pivots between being a hard-charging, results-oriented executive to being a thoughtful team builder and mentor.

Inspiration is everywhere…a toddler’s smile, ocean waves, stillness and silence, an unexpected ray of light, respect for one another.

Katie Johnson

Hyatt Hotel Corporation

Vice President of Global Brands

Katie Johnson is an award-winning marketing and branding professional that has perfected her craft over 18 years of working in the hospitality industry with experience spanning from hotel-level to corporate headquarters.

Currently as the VP of Global Brands for Hyatt Corporate, Katie Johnson is instrumental in growing Hyatt’s Independent Collection brands, which includes The Unbound Collection by Hyatt, Destination by Hyatt and JdV by Hyatt. She is responsible for developing forward-thinking marketing strategies and solutions for lifestyle and independent brands to drive awareness, property revenue and consumer loyalty. Katie also oversees the branding of new property developments and transitions, as well as leads the master brand marketing, signature guest experiences and brand partnerships.

She attended The Women’s College of The University of Denver. Katie is a dog-lover at heart, loves to travel and visit independent hotels across the world, and as a Colorado native enjoys exploring the great outdoors via foot, bike or paddle board with her two boys and husband.

Carolyn Auger Joiner

blackdog studio

Principal/Owner

Carolyn Auger Joiner, ASID earned her BFA from Georgia State University in 1986 and created blackdog studio in 2004. Blackdog studio was instrumental in developing new build Westin and Sheraton Prototypes with Starwood Hotels, opening seven hotels in four years. In 2007 we worked with the Aloft team and opened nine hotels. Renovation projects include the 70-million-dollar renovation at the Westin Peachtree Plaza, the guest tower renovation at the 1038 room Marriott River Center in San Antonio and work for numerous other brands including LeMeridien, Hyatt, Homewood Suites and Doubletree. As of 2021, we completed over 55 Hotel and vacation ownership projects in locations ranging from the Dominican Republic to Kauai, Hawaii.

Mark Klingensmith