•    The American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) has reported that a record number of association executives—278—recently earned their Certified Association Executive designation as part of the winter 2010 class. News of this achievement comes as ASAE marks the 50th anniversary of the CAE program.

Executives earning CAE status from state or regional associations include:
Marc Abla, CAE, of the Illinois Chiropractic Society;
Jeanette Allison, CAE, of the Texas Society of Architects;
Steve Arnold, CAE, of the Kane County (Illinois) Farm Bureau;
Barbara Baldwin, CAE, of the California Society of Anesthesiologists;
Robert Barker, CAE, of the Mason County (Michigan) Growth Alliance;
Joanne Barry, CAE, of the New York State Society of CPAs;
Steve Blanton, CAE, of the Rogue Valley (Oregon) Association of Realtors;
Rick Bondurant, CAE, of the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas;
Jody Boudreaux, CAE, of the Professional Insurance Agents of Louisiana;
Angela Brutsche, of the Austin (Texas) Board of Realtors;
Julie Courtney, CAE, of the Independent Bankers Association of Texas;
Lawrence Cummings, CAE, of the Central New York School Boards Association;
Michael Curren, CAE, of the Massachusetts Hospital Association;
Matthew DeWolf, CAE, of the Michigan Bankers Association;
Cynthia Durham, CAE, of the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association;
Katherine Febraio, CAE, of the New York State Speech-Language-Hearing Association; Kathie Feldpausch, CAE, of the Michigan Association of Realtors;
Cindy Fletcher, CAE, of the Oregon Dental Association;
Peter Fox, CAE, of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association;
Sandra Giarde, CAE, of the California Association for the Education of Young Children; Buddy Gill, CAE, of the Texas Credit Union League;
Krista Gulbransen, CAE, of Western Independent Bankers;
Barbara Harrison, CAE, of the Florida Association of the American Institute of Architects;
Devorah Jakubowski, CAE, of the Texas Veterinary Medical Association;
Annette Henkel, CAE, of the Minnesota Utility Investors Association;
Roberta Herman, CAE, of the Colorado Restaurant Association;
Mark Herzog, CAE, of the Virginia Biotechnology Association;
David Higgins, CAE, of the Florida Dental Association;
Angelique Hill, CAE, of the California Retired Teachers Association;
Debra Hurston, CAE, of the Minnesota Chiropractic Association;
Lisa Jones, CAE, of the Texas Retailers Association;
Laurie Kaiser, CAE, of the Madison Area (Wisconsin) Builders Association;
Daniel Kelsey, CAE, of the Indiana State Medical Association;
Megan Killian, CAE, of the Pennsylvania Institute of CPAs;
James Kistler, CAE, of the Associated Builders & Contractors Heart of America Chapter;
David Latimer III, CAE, of the South Carolina Troopers Association;
Yvonne McGhee, CAE, of the Fairfax (Virginia) Bar Association;
Deanna Menesses, CAE, of the Capital Area (Louisiana) Medical Society;
Scott Meske, CAE, of Municipal Electric Utilities of Wisconsin;
Sue Millager, CAE, of the Chapel Hill (North Carolina) Board of Realtors;
Sonnia Montemayor, CAE, of the Texas Society of Association Executives;
Gary Moon, CAE, of the Ohio Council for Home Care & Hospice;
Susan Motley, CAE, of the Virginia Nurses Association;
Kristen Myers, CAE, of the New York Association of Homes & Services for the Aging;
Hester Ndoja, CAE, of the Florida Society of Association Executives;
Judith Oiler, CAE, of the American Physical Therapy Association of New Jersey;
Karen Oshman, CAE, of the Wisconsin Physical Therapy Association;
Sara Reynolds, CAE, of the Colorado Municipal League;
Sonia Riggs, CAE, of the Colorado Chapter of the American Institute of Architects;
Robert Rohrer, CAE, of the Cook County (Illinois) Farm Bureau;
Nancy Schleuter, CAE, of the Associated General Contractors of St. Louis;
Emily Speight, CAE, of the Texas Architectural Foundation;
David Stone, CAE, of Florida Hospices & Palliative Care;
Michele Straw, CAE, of the Florida Association of the American Institute of Architects;
Suzanna Stribling, CAE, of the Southeastern Council of Foundations;
Albert Suguitan, CAE, of the Greater Gateway (Illinois) Association of Realtors;
William Sheridan, CAE, of the Maryland Association of CPAs;
Robert Talley, CAE, of the Nevada Dental Association;
Marcia Tetterton, CAE, of the Virginia Association for Home Care & Hospice;
Michael Theo, CAE, of the Wisconsin Realtors Association;
Robert Thieman Jr., CAE, of the Illinois Manufactured Housing Association; Rose Trader, CAE, of the Outdoor Advertising Association of Illinois;
Jennifer Thuma, CAE, of the Insurance Brokers & Agents of the West;
Kyle Allen Ulrich, CAE, of the Florida Association of Insurance Agents;
Dianne Verbonitz, CAE, of the Arizona Psychological Association;
Lisa Veregge, CAE, of the Maine Insurance Agents Association;
Allan Voorhees, CAE, of the Iowa Automotive Dealers Association;
Jill Watson, CAE, of the Metropolitan Medical Society of Greater Kansas City;
Cherie Williams, CAE, of the Reno/Sparks (Nevada) Association of Realtors;
Murray Williams, CAE, of the Iowa Credit Union League;
Aaron Wolowiec, CAE, of the Health Care Association of Michigan;
and Jay Young, CAE, of the Pennsylvania Credit Union Association. 

•    The New England Society of Association Executives is scheduled to hold its first Technology Conference on March 26 at the Doubletree Guest Suites Hotel in Waltham, Massachusetts. For more information, call (978) 250-9847 or visit www.nesae.org.

•    Ellen Kushman has been named executive director of the Greater New York Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Kushman’s appointment comes as part of the organization’s selection of the New York City office of the Kellen Company for its association management.

•    The Arkansas Society of Association Executives is slated to hold its Associate Trade Show on May 11 at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock starting at 1 p.m. New this year: A virtual trade show and state agencies will be among the exhibitors. For information, call (501) 223-9188 or visit www.arksae.net.

Oregon’s Travel Lane County plans to celebrate the grand opening of its Adventure Center this month, in addition to launching its new slogan: “Real Adventures. Real Close.”

Located in the Eugene–Springfield metro area, the center will provide visitors with assistance in navigating area accommodations, restaurants, shopping districts, wineries, events, nature trails and other attractions.

The center’s interactive features, including a display with a McKenzie River drift boat and topographic tabletop maps for trip planning, incorporate the area’s landscapes and recreational offerings.

The Ritz-Carlton Dove Mountain has opened in Marana, Arizona, 30 miles northwest of Tuscon. The hotel, which faces the Tortolita Mountains, features 250 guest rooms and more than 44,000 square feet of indoor-outdoor meeting space. The property’s 850 acres mean guests can enjoy a wide array of outdoor activities including hiking on 20 miles of trails, mountain biking through a cactus forest, guided desert Jeep tours and even organized cattle drives.

Located 20 miles northwest of Atlanta, the Embassy Suites/Atlanta– Kennesaw Town Center recently opened with 192 guest suites, 7,000 square feet of meeting space and a Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse.

In Atlantic City, a non-casino event space called One Atlantic has opened above the Pier Shops at Caesars. The venue, home to 10,000 square feet of indoor space and a 2,000-square-foot outdoor terrace, rises 80 feet above the Atlantic Ocean and extends 100 yards over the water.

The Maxwell Hotel has opened adjacent to the Seattle Center in downtown Seattle. The new hotel features 140 guest rooms, an indoor pool, an exercise facility, an espresso bar, retail space and 1,600 square feet of meeting space.

The Crowne Plaza Chicago O’Hare Hotel & Convention Center, located in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, has completed a renovation of its 503 guest rooms and suites, which feature wireless Internet access and new furniture, fixtures and finishes. The property offers 55,000 square feet of event space, including 22 breakout rooms and a ballroom for up to 3,000 people.

The Paradise Point Resort & Spa in San Diego has completed a $20 million renovation of its 462 guest rooms (which are all individual cottages) and its 35,000 square feet of meeting facilities. The Paradise Point Resort has a South Pacific motif, and the meeting space—which includes 29 meeting rooms and three ballrooms—features wood ceilings, stone flooring and rattan and bamboo accents.

The Hilton University of Houston Hotel & Conference Center has named Fernando Cuéllar as its general manager. Cuéllar, who has almost 40 years of experience in the hotel and hospitality industry, was previously general manager of the Lancaster Hotel in downtown Houston.

Michael McGilligan has been named general manager of the Hilton/
Dallas-Lincoln Centre. McGilligan has served as general manager of the Embassy Suites/San Diego-La Jolla for the past three years.

Jonathan Heath has been named general manager of the new W Retreat & Spa on Vieques Island, Puerto Rico, scheduled to open March 18. Heath previously served as the opening general manager of the Ace Hotel & Swim Club in Palm Springs, California.

One Bal Harbour Resort & Spa, located in the village of Bal Harbour, Florida, has made two new appointments. Erin Hosler has been named general manager and corporate director of branding and operations, and Debra Klemm has been named director of sales and marketing. Hosler previously served as general manager of the now-closed Hotel QT in New York City. Klemm was previously regional director of entertainment sales for the Standard Spa and the Raleigh Hotel, both in Miami Beach, Florida.  

Denise Banks has been promoted to vice-president of sales, meetings and conventions at the Grand Sierra Resort & Casino in Reno, Nevada. Banks, most recently the property’s vice-president of meetings and conventions, has been working at Grand Sierra since 1980 and has held several key management positions there.

In Fort Lauderdale, the Westin Beach Resort and the newly renovated Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Beach Hotel (formerly the Sheraton Yankee Trader and the Sheraton Yankee Clipper, respectively) have appointed David Wahba as complex director of sales and marketing. Wahba, who has worked at the hotels in the past, was previously director of sales and marketing at the Westin Resort/Aruba.

The Peoria Area (Illinois) Convention & Visitors Bureau has named Bob Marx president and CEO. Marx was previously the opening general manager for Marriott’s Fairfield Inn & Suites in Gadsden, Alabama. His background also includes serving as director of marketing for the San Jose (California) Convention & Visitors Bureau and president and CEO of the Bakersfield (California) Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Aradia Zenobia has been appointed executive director of the newly formed New River Valley (Virginia) Convention & Visitors Bureau, which is based in Blacksburg, Virginia, and represents Montgomery County. Zenobia was formerly acting president of the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce.

Karrie Burns has been appointed executive director of the Monroeville (Pennsylvania) Convention & Visitors Bureau. Burns was the general manager of the Monroeville Courtyard by Marriott. She succeeds the interim director, Donna Bour, who was filling in following the departure of the organization’s former executive director, Sandra Rice.

The Greater Springfield (Massachusetts) Convention & Visitors Bureau has appointed Amy Vieceli as convention center sales manager, where she will be responsible for marketing the MassMutual Center. Vieceli spent the past three years as a sales manager for the Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place Hotel. Prior to that, she was a manager at Pintore Catering in Hartford, Connecticut.

 

•    Adam McClung has been named executive vice-president of the Arkansas Cattlemen’s Association. McClung replaces Tubby Smith, who accepted a position with the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry. McClung is an Arkansas native and served as membership director of the Arkansas Cattlemen’s Association from 2004–2008.

•    The Arizona Society of Association Executives and the Arizona Sunbelt Chapter of Meeting Professionals International are scheduled to hold a joint panel on “social networking from a meeting planner’s perspective” on March 11 at the Radisson Fort McDowell Resort in Fountain Hills. For more information, visit www.azsae.org.

•    The California Society of Association Executives has scheduled its 2010 Annual Conference—“Elevate”—for April 12–14 at the Renaissance/Long Beach. The event will offer education sessions and networking opportunities. For more information, visit www.calsae.org or call (916) 443-8980.

•    Brian Summers, CAE, of the Construction Financial Management Association, has been named president of the newly formed Mid-Atlantic Society of Association Executives, which was created out of a merger between the New Jersey Society
of Association Executives and the Delaware Valley Society of Association Executives. Additional new officers include Victoria Elliott, CAE, of the Dermatology Nurses’ Association; Erica O’Grady, CAE, of the Institute for Certified Construction Industry Financial Professionals; Dan Lemyre, CAE, of Association Headquarters, Inc.; and Ray Saputelli, CAE, of the New Jersey Academy of Family Physicians and the NJAFP Foundation.

•    Slated upcoming events for the Empire State Society of Association Executives include a Meetings Institute on March 16 at the Crowne Plaza/Albany–City Center, and a program called “The 21st Century Executive’s Role in the Financial Management of Non-profits” on April 16 at the Holiday Inn/Albany–Wolf Road. For more information, visit www.essae.org.

•    The New England Society of Association Executives is scheduled to hold its first Technology Conference March 26 at the Doubletree Guest Suites in the Boston suburb of Waltham, Massachusetts. The program will include education sessions, exhibits and networking opportunities. For more information, visit www.nesae.org. or call (978) 250-9847.

•    Alexis Terry has been named director of diversity and inclusion for the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) & The Center for Association Leadership in Washington, D.C. Terry previously worked for BoardSource, also based in D.C., where she served as project manager of its Diversity & Next Generation Initiative.

•    Also at ASAE, 25 students have been selected for the second class of its Leadership Academy for Young Association Professionals. Those from state or regional associations include Meghan Brown, of the Nevada Cattlemen’s Association; Jessica Forte, of the Pennsylvania Dental Association; and Abigail Young, of the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association.

L.A. Live, the new $2.5 billion sports and entertainment development in downtown Los Angeles, will soon see the opening of two options for lodging: the J.W. Marriott Hotel Los Angeles at L.A. Live and the Ritz-Carlton, Los Angeles. The J.W. Marriott is scheduled to open February 15 with 878 guest rooms, and the Ritz-Carlton is slated to open March 15 with 123 guest rooms. They will share space in a 54-story tower near the L.A. Convention Center and the Staples Center.

The J.W. Marriott will offer a wine bar, a cocktail lounge, a coffee bar, a fitness center with an outdoor pool, a rooftop bar, and a restaurant.

The Ritz-Carlton will share its 8,000-square-foot spa with guests at the J.W. Marriott and will offer a club lounge, a lobby lounge, a signature restaurant, a fitness center and an outdoor pool.

The nearly 100,000 square feet of meeting space will be housed in the Gallery Collection, which is connected to both hotels. Included in the space are three
ballrooms—the 25,086-square-foot Diamond Ballroom, the 20,792-square-foot Platinum Ballroom, and the 17,072-square-foot Gold Ballroom—nine meeting rooms and three boardrooms.

A new iPhone app has been developed specifically for associations and other member-based organizations. Called “yourApp” and launched by YourMembership.com, a provider of online member communities and membership-management software, the app allows associations to customize their own mobile applications for Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch.

Members can then use their organization’s app to search for and contact fellow members; view member profiles; access messaging centers; upload photos and view photo galleries; and view their organization’s blog, among other things.

For more information, visit www.YourMembership.com.

The new Verdanza Hotel (formerly the Holiday Inn/San Juan) has opened in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The property offers 222 guest rooms, three restaurants, personal bike-taxi service to the beach and more than 15,000 square feet of event space. The 216-suite Embassy Suites/Houston Energy Corridor has opened on the west side of the city near the area’s major businesses and attractions, which include golf courses, shopping and the Houston Zoo. The hotel has 7,000 square feet of meeting space, a restaurant, a pool and a fitness center. The Waldorf Astoria Orlando has opened on 482 acres in Florida and is the first Waldorf Astoria to be built outside of New York. The hotel is surrounded on three sides by the Walt Disney World Resort and features 497 guest rooms, a spa, fitness center, pool with private cabanas, dining options , golf and a business center. Event space includes the 27,376-square-foot Floridian Ballroom, the 8,110-square foot Grand Ballroom, and several meeting rooms starting at 419 square feet. Also in Florida, the Holiday Inn/Walt Disney World Resort is slated to open this month following a $35 million makeover. The hotel, which is located within the resort grounds, offers 323 upgraded guest rooms, a business center and 11,161 square feet of event space. It also has a heated pool. In San Antonio, the new Holiday Inn/Northwest–SeaWorld has opened with 194 guest rooms and 6,000 square feet of meeting and event space. The hotel, designed in Hill Country style, also offers three dining options and both indoor and outdoor pools. In Key West, Florida, the Sheraton Suites/Key West recently completed a property-wide renovation, which resulted in an upgraded entrance and lobby, restaurant, fitness center, outdoor pool area and 180 guest suites. The hotel also redecorated its 1,100 square feet of meeting space. The Enchantment Resort in Sedona, Arizona, has upgraded and expanded its meeting space. It now offers 13,000 square feet of indoor event space—more than half of which is new and all of which now features Southwestern décor and floor-to-ceiling windows—and 20,000 square feet of outdoor banquet space. The meeting space upgrade is the first phase of a $20 million renovation scheduled to take place over the next three years. The Hilton/New York, located in Midtown Manhattan, has completed a $1 million refurbishment of its Trianon and Mercury ballrooms. The upgraded space, which totals more than 15,000 square feet, features new wall coverings, carpeting, furnishings and fixtures, including a new lighting concept in the Mercury Ballroom’s Rotunda that uses imagery and computer-programmable lights to create “live art.” The hotel has 1,980 guest rooms and more than 151,000 square feet of dedicated event space. The 319-room Newport Marriott, located in the historic harbor area of Newport, Rhode Island, recently renovated its 24,800 square feet of meeting space. Rooms have been repainted; there are new carpets, lighting fixtures and refurbished bathrooms and hallways; and a state-of-the-art video conferencing system was installed.

David Monahan has been appointed CEO and general manager at the Las Vegas Hilton. Monahan served previously as senior vice-president of Colony Capital, a real estate investment firm and owner and operator of the Las Vegas Hilton. Prior to that, he held executive-level positions with ITT Sheraton and InterContinental Hotels Group. Thomas McCartney has been appointed president of the Tropicana Las Vegas, the historic hotel and casino located on the Strip that is currently undergoing a multimillion-dollar renovation. McCartney was most recently president and CEO of the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. Kemp Gallineau has been promoted from senior vice-president and general manager of Kissimmee, Florida’s Gaylord Palms Hotel & Convention Center to senior vice-president and chief sales officer for Gaylord Hotels. Gallineau first joined Gaylord Hotels in 2001. Prior to his position at the Palms, he was vice-president and general manager of the Gaylord Opryland in Nashville. Jeff Protzman has been appointed general manager of the Hilton/Salt Lake City Center. Protzman has spent the past 20 years with Doubletree, most recently serving as general manager for the Doubletree/Anaheim-Orange County in Southern California. He has also served as general manager for Southern California’s Doubletree Guest Suites Santa Monica Hotel and the Doubletree/San Pedro. Malia Osterbauer has joined the Portofino Hotel & Yacht Club in Redondo Beach, California, as its new general manager. Osterbauer has more than 15 years of experience in the hotel industry and was previously the director of resort operations/assistant general manager for the Hilton San Diego Resort & Spa. The new Miyako Hybrid Hotel in Torrance, California, has appointed Cherie Davis as general manager. Davis was most recently general manager of the Hotel Maya in Long Beach, California, and has opened seven hotels over the course of her 25-year career. Hedy Varga has been appointed group sales manager for the Canary Hotel in Santa Barbara. Varga was previously senior account executive at Hospitality Performance Network. Prior to that, she was national sales manager for the Beverly Hilton, the Century Plaza Hotel & Spa and the Ritz-Carlton, Marina del Rey, in Southern California.