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AHLA Promotes Five From Within

AHLA elevated five employees to its leadership team, tapping seasoned veterans to carry the organization forward

By Todd R. Berger

The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), headquartered in Washington, D.C., promoted five employees to its leadership team. The promotions are part of a steadily growing team that has played an increasingly critical role in the hotel industry. Since 2021, the AHLA and AHLA Foundation teams have nearly doubled in size, growing to more than 85 combined employees.

The promotions are:

2.16.24 Matt Carrier of AHLA
Matt Carrier || Courtesy of AHLA

Matt Carrier was promoted to senior vice president of federal affairs, policy, and research. In this role, Carrier will lead AHLA’s federal advocacy team, with a focus on congressional engagement and regulatory issues. Additionally, he will continue to oversee the association’s industry research efforts. Carrier joined the association in early 2020 having previously spent nearly a decade working in the hotel industry, most recently at Marriott International.

2.16.24 Sarah Bratko of AHLA
Sarah Bratko || Courtesy of AHLA

Sarah Bratko was promoted to vice president of state and local government affairs and policy counsel. In this role, Bratko will help develop and expand AHLA’s state and local policy team, which has been a critical component of the organization as it works to deliver advocacy results for hoteliers across the country. Bratko joined AHLA in 2022 from the Rhode Island Hospitality Association and has been an invaluable resource on policy analysis for the association.

2.16.24 Olivia Klipa of AHLA
Olivia Klipa || Courtesy of AHLA

Olivia Klipa was promoted to vice president of conferences and events. Having joined the organization nearly eight years ago, Klipa has been integral in the evolution of AHLA and AHLA Foundation events, with member engagement opportunities increasing to over 100 touchpoints annually. Most notably, Klipa has helped to grow the foundation’s two annual fundraisers to million-dollar events. In her new role, she will assume expanded responsibilities for the overall strategy, management, and execution of all association and foundation programs, meetings, and special events, and will continue positioning these engagement points as a key source of non-dues revenue for both entities.

2.16.24 Lauren Pravlik of AHLA
Lauren Pravlik || Courtesy of AHLA

Lauren Pravlik was promoted to vice president of committees and member engagement. In this newly created role, Pravlik will be responsible for the strategy and growth of AHLA’s Committee portfolio, content-focused groups to drive member engagement through industry alignment on time-sensitive topics, peer networking, and the creation of industry resources. An association veteran of nearly 13 years, Pravlik is uniquely positioned to leverage her experience in various roles related to conferences and events, partnerships, and member relations.

2.16.24 Kat Fonda of AHLA
Kat Fonda || Courtesy of AHLA

Kat Fonda was promoted to senior director of federal affairs. This promotion recognizes her ongoing contributions to AHLA’s federal advocacy work in areas such as labor regulations, industry coalition leadership, and expanding AHLA’s political influence in Washington, D.C. Fonda joined the organization in 2023 from Fundraising Inc., where she served as a fundraising consultant to several dozen members of Congress.

“These promotions are incredibly well deserved and will help AHLA continue delivering top-notch advocacy, member services, and communications support to hoteliers throughout the country,” says President and CEO Chip Rogers in a prepared statement. “Please join me in congratulating Matt, Sarah, Olivia, Lauren, and Kat on their stellar work to strengthen our industry.”

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