The American Hotel and Lodging Association (AH&LA) has named Katherine Lugar as its new president and CEO. Effective April 17th, Lugar will take over for CEO Joseph A. McInerney.
As executive vice president of the Retail Industry Leader Association, Lugar established the association as a retail industry advocate by leading several legislative victories-including a reform of debit card swipe fees. Previously she also served at Travelers Insurance as vice president, federal government relations. Prior to joining Travelers, Lugar held several posts at the National Retail Federation and held the position of vice president, legislative and political affairs.
“We couldn’t be happier to have Katherine join us now as AH&LA embarks on a new mandate to become the lodging industry’s primary voice for advocacy in the nation’s capital,” says Ronald L. Vlasic, chairman of AH&LA and regional vice president of Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants. “We have asked her and she has agreed to transform AH&LA by significantly strengthening its government affairs and public relations programs. She’s superbly qualified to do so.”
