The American Hotel & Lodging Association appointed Rosanna Maietta to president of the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Foundation.
& Lodging Educational Foundation
Maietta, who has served as interim president of the foundation since May of last year, currently serves as SVP of communications and marketing. As AH&LEF president, Maietta will lead the foundation and its team to advance its mission of ensuring a strong and viable future for the entire lodging industry by fueling the talent pipeline. She will be responsible for raising the foundation’s profile and overseeing its scholarship, research and career-development programs. She will also oversee the administration of AH&LA’s intermediary contract with the U.S. Department of Labor to expand apprenticeship programs.
“I am thrilled to announce Rosanna’s incredibly well-deserved promotion,” Katherine Lugar, president and CEO of the AH&LA, said in a statement. “Rosanna has been at the center of our efforts to increase visibility for the dynamic hotel industry and strengthening our relationships with key stakeholders including media, community partners, and our more than 25,000 association members. The foundation has a strong legacy of providing opportunities and empowering our current and prospective workforce and building the next generation of hoteliers. I am confident Rosanna will build on that momentum and make us even more successful going forward.”
Created in 1953, AH&LEF initially focused on providing scholarships to a small group of promising hospitality students. Since that time, the foundation has taken on a mandate to ensuring a strong and viable future for the entire lodging industry. Underscoring the industry’s stories of opportunity, growth and success, AH&LEF priorities include scholarships, research and career-development programs. In 2017, the foundation awarded a record $851,500 in academic scholarships to 372 hospitality management students.
“I am honored for the opportunity to execute on our board’s vision and lead a talented team who are committed to ensuring the future health and vitality of the hotel industry,” Maietta said in a statement. “We are so grateful for the support of our industry leaders and donors who make our work possible and fund these critical programs to advance this great industry’s workforce. We are a vibrant, innovative industry that is full of opportunity, and I’m excited to build on our past successes and ensure we continue to advance.”
Maietta, who will continue to serve in her role as SVP of communications and marketing, joined the AH&LA after some eight years at the Washington, D.C., public relations firm FleishmanHillard, where she was a senior strategic counselor and manager responsible for developing communications strategies and public education campaigns. She previously served as media relations manager for Newsweek and started her career as a journalist based in Rome, where she was a radio anchor and reporter for major outlets including Market News Service International and Bloomberg News.