Moving forward in the new year to drive the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International to even greater heights is its newly-announced Americas Board of Directors and Executive Committee for 2008. The board of seasoned sales and marketing executives in the travel and hospitality industry is charged with furthering HSMAI’s efforts to create innovative and successful products and programs for its broad membership base of sales and marketing professionals.

“The board is a dynamic group of smart, talented and experienced professionals who bring innovation, vision and achievement as well as strategic direction to the table,” states Robert A. Gilbert, CHME, CHA, president and CEO of HSMAI. “I am confident that we will see another extremely productive and successful term with the new board in-place.”

HSMAI chair, Dorothy Dowling, senior vice president of marketing, Best Western International stated: “I am very proud to be part of this leadership team as it is our responsibility as individuals and an organization as a whole to provide an environment where professionals can access information-rich content, industry trends and receive assistance from colleagues.”

The HSMAI Americas Nominating Committee has released the following slate of Board of Directors for the 2008 administrative year:

HSMAI Executive Committee:

• Chair: Dorothy Dowling, senior vice president of marketing, Best Western International
• Chair-Elect: David Atkins, Digital Media Consultant
• Vice Chair: Kim Schaller, vice president, chief marketing officer, Hershey Entertainment
• Treasurer: Barbara Bowden, CRME, assistant general manager, The Peabody Orlando
• Immediate Past Chair: Jack Schmidt, vice president regional director, sales & marketing, Destination Hotels & Resorts

Board of Directors:

• Maureen Callahan, vice president, marketing, Destination Hotels & Resorts
• Chris Cowan, Coastal Consulting Group
• Frank Fredericks, vice president of sales & marketing, Wild Dunes Resort
• Christian Gayet, senior vice president of sales, Accor North America
• Ursula Hahn, CHME, managing director, HSMAI Mexico
• Andrew Jordan, senior vice president, marketing, TGI Friday’s USA
• Melissa Maher, vice president, strategic accounts, Expedia, Inc.
• Alice McQuade, senior director of travel agency sales & marketing, InterContinental Hotels Group
• Jeff Senior, senior vice president, sales & marketing, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts
• Pamela Streeter, vice president for electronic distribution & marketing, Interstate Hotels & Resorts
• Mark Thompson, assistant executive director, Irving, Texas CVB
• Jens Thraenhart, executive director of marketing strategy, Canadian Tourism Commission
• Rob Torres, managing director of travel, Google
• John Washko, vice president, sales & marketing, The Broadmoor

Partner Association Representatives:

• Tim Grace, director of marketing, Caribbean Hotel Association
• Kathryn Potter, vice president of marketing, American Hotel & Lodging Association
• Doug Price, senior vice president, professional development, Destination Marketing Association International
• Gary Oster, senior vice president, business development, Travel Industry Association (TIA)