Scott Ward
Ward was named general manager of Embassy Suites by Hilton Tampa Downtown Convention Center in Florida. His career in hospitality began in 1992 at Interstate Hotels & Resorts, where he held various roles, including rooms manager, director of housekeeping, director of front office and director of rooms. Ward joined Hilton Hotels in 2009 as resident manager at Hilton Waikoloa Village on Hawaii Island; he later joined Hilton Riverside in California, serving in the same role until he was promoted to the helm of Doubletree by Hilton New Orleans, where he most recently served.
Sean McNamara
JW Marriott Denver Cherry Creek welcomed McNamara as director of sales and marketing. He most recently worked with Sheraton Denver Downtown as director of sales, a position he held since 2016. His hospitality career began on Hawaii Island, at Sheraton Kona Resort and Spa at Keauhou Bay, where he started as food and beverage manager and left as director of sales and marketing. McNamara collected many honors and accolades over the years, including being named to Marriott’s International Chairman’s Circle in 2018 and Sales Leader of the Year for Starwood North America in 2015.
Kimberly Payne-Ward
Payne was selected as senior sales manager of ATL Airport District Convention & Visitors Bureau in Atlanta, Georgia. Her first stint in the hospitality industry was for Fairmont Inn and Suites, where she worked as director of sales and marketing. She later joined Macon Convention & Visitors Bureau in Georgia in a sales position and was subsequently promoted to director of sales and convention services.
Brian King
King is the cluster director of sales and marketing for Santo Domingo Marriott properties, which includes JW Marriott Hotel Santo Domingo, Renaissance Santo Domingo Jaragua Hotel & Casino and Courtyard by Marriott Santo Domingo. Before joining the team in Santo Domingo, King was director of sales and marketing at The St. Regis Punta Mita Resort in Mexico. He has stints in Argentina prior to this, working as director of sales and marketing at Sheraton Iguaza Resort & Spa in Puerto Iguaza, and as account manager at Park Tower Buenos Aires.
Dana Kramer
Kramer has joined SportsPittsburgh as senior development manager. She has experience in many sectors, including events, hospitality and sales; she comes from Omni William Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh, where she served as sales manager. Kramer holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Robert Morris University in business administration, with a concentration in hospitality management and communications.
Cristina Scott
CWE Meetings & Events welcomed Scott as vice president of global operations; she’ll be based in Southlake, Texas. She comes from Sabre, where she worked for 24 years, holding numerous commercial management and sales operations roles. Scott has an International Master of Business Administration degree from Thunderbird-The Garvin School of International Management in Glendale, Arizona; a Bachelor of Arts degree in interdisciplinary studies from University of North Carolina and a Spanish studies certificate from University of Salamanca in Spain.
Chad Moon
Benchmark named Moon senior director of total rewards and human resources information systems (HRIS). He recently served as vice president of total rewards and HRIS for Two Roads Hospitality, headquartered in Denver. Before this, he held multiple human resources leadership roles, including director of total rewards for Intrawest Resort Holdings, also headquartered in Denver. Moon is based in Overland Park, Kansas.
