Nearly eight months since William "Chip" Rogers stepped down as president and CEO of the American Hotel & Lodging Association, the AHLA’s Board of Directors has selected Rosanna Maietta to be the association’s next president and CEO, effective Nov. 14. Kevin Carey has served as interim president and CEO of AHLA since March 5 and will continue serving at AHLA as chief operating officer and senior executive vice president.
“I am excited to be returning to AHLA and reconnecting with the brilliant team and colleagues I had the privilege of working with,” Maietta said in a statement. “This organization and industry hold a special place in my heart, and I am eager for the opportunity to lead it into a new chapter of growth and engagement. Working alongside the officers and board, I am confident that together we will build on our past successes and accelerate this thriving industry on behalf of our members.”
Having previously served as president and CEO of the AHLA Foundation and executive vice president of communications and public relations of AHLA, Maietta is familiar with AHLA’s mission, operations, financials and people, and has solid relationships with AHLA’s key stakeholder groups, including members of the AHLA board and Foundation board of trustees.
“We are delighted to be welcoming Rosanna back to AHLA to lead this dynamic organization,” said AHLA Chair Kevin Jacobs, chief financial officer and president, global development for Hilton. “AHLA is in a strong position of stability and strength, with an engaged membership, successful advocacy program and a talented and dedicated team. With Rosanna’s reputation as an astute leader and strategist and her proven track record of advancing core missions, evolving organizations, and achieving strong financial outcomes, I am confident that she is the right leader to build on AHLA’s momentum.”
“Rosanna is well known as a creative and inspiring leader and a persuasive communicator with the capacity to build lasting relationships and alliances across all levels and constituencies – qualities essential in our next CEO,” said AHLA Vice Chair Mitch Patel, founder and CEO of Vision Hospitality Group. “Rosanna will bring a fresh, strategic approach that will be instrumental in advancing AHLA’s mission. Simply put, we are thrilled to welcome Rosanna back to AHLA as our president and CEO.”
Maietta was selected after what the association described as “a thorough and comprehensive search” conducted over the past several months under the oversight of the AHLA Search Committee, chaired by Patel and comprised of CEOs and executives of the major brands, owners and management companies representing a cross-section of AHLA’s members. Maietta’s appointment was unanimously approved by AHLA’s executive committee and board of directors.
Maietta most recently was chief communications officer and senior counselor to the CEO at the American Clean Power Association, where tripled the size of her team across communications, marketing, events and business development; significantly grew event revenue; and led numerous multimillion-dollar public affairs campaigns to drive support for the clean energy industry.