Sheila Hession named Advisory Board Member at HSMAI’s Washington, D.C. Chapter
The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International’s Washington, D.C., chapter today announced the appointment of Sheila Hession, a 30-year hospitality industry veteran, to its advisory board. Hession is executive director of sales at the MGM National Harbor resort in Maryland, where she is responsible for sales, catering and conference services. She will lend her professional experience and thought leadership to the chapter, which serves the hospitality industry throughout the Washington metropolitan area. Prior to joining MGM National Harbor, Hession was director of sales and marketing at the historic Willard InterContinental hotel in Washington, where she led sales, catering and public relations efforts. She was regional director of sales with Davidson Hotels & Resorts from 2012 to 2014, responsible for the overall sales and marketing strategy for 12 full-service hotels representing multiple brands in the Washington area and Tennessee. She was director of sales and marketing for the L’Enfant Plaza Hotel from 2010 to 2012 and director of sales and marketing for Washington Court Hotel on Capitol Hill from 2007 to 2010, both in Washington. Prior to that, she spent seven years at the historic Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington and 10 years with Hyatt Hotels Corporation in leadership roles. Hession began her hospitality career as a front desk agent during high school and served as night manager, front desk manager, director of front office operations and assistant general manager before making the leap to hotel sales in 1993. She earned a bachelor of arts degree in English with a minor in hospitality management at the University of Maryland, University College, in College Park. Other HSMAI Washington DC Chapter board members include Jennifer Hill, chapter chairwoman and regional director of revenue & distribution for Highgate; Cathy Bokman, chief operating officer for Madison Hospitality; Handan Duvall, vice president of sales & marketing, revenue management and interactive marketing for B.F. Saul Hospitality, Hotel Division; Tomiko Burroughs, director of sales for TravelClick Inc.; Iman Butler, director of sales & marketing for The Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner, Virginia; Noreen Collins, corporate director, revenue management, for Club Quarters Hotels; Jennifer Phillips, area director of revenue management for Marriott International; Carol Motley, director of convention sales for Destination DC; and Rich Roberts, president of RDR PR LLC.
