This week in travel has seen a pair of new executive appointments at major destinations.
Events DC, the official convention and sports authority of the District of Columbia, named Jinhee Kim as the organization's first-ever chief creative officer. This new position was established to create innovative strategies to drive new business opportunities and expand Events DC's reach to an even broader audience, the organization said. As chief creative officer, Kim will lead the creative services division, which aims to provide revenue opportunities and generate economic and community benefits for the city. She brings 20 years of experience in event planning, strategic planning and program development, having held leadership roles at the Smithsonian and, most recently, as head of programming at Today at Apple DC.
Travel Nevada, meanwhile, named Juraj “George” Sojka its new international market manager, with responsibility for the organization’s efforts in Europe and the United Kingdom. He has approximately 10 years of sales, marketing and management experience, most recently hailing from Aramark Lake Tahoe/Lake Mead, where he has held a variety of positions since 2011, most recently senior sales and marketing manager. In that role, he oversaw lodging operations, dining and retail operations, as well as a marina, wedding services and a winter snowmobile operation.
In hotel news, the Sagamore Pendry Baltimore announced the appointment of Tomiko Burroughs as director of sales and marketing. Her previous experience includes roles at Kimpton Hotels, TravelClick and Expedia Inc., as well as leadership of local and regional sales and marketing teams for Savoy Suites & Carlyle Suites Hotel; Fairmont Hotel, and The Hilton Arlington Hotel & Renaissance Hotel, all in Washington DC; plus the O’Callaghan Hotel in Annapolis, Maryland.
Finally, in air travel news, American Airlines named Kenneth Charles its chief inclusion and diversity officer. In this new role, Charles will lead American’s global inclusion and diversity strategies. This includes establishing the company’s office of diversity, equity and inclusion to ensure best practices are implemented across all aspects of American’s people and business processes. He joins American from U.S. Bank, where he was senior vice president of enterprise talent, and brings more than 30 years of private sector experience, including a decade of inclusion and diversity leadership. He served as vice president for global inclusion and staffing and chief diversity officer at General Mills.
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