Debra Punke has been promoted to Chief Human Resource Officer at Concord Hospitality

As Chief Human Resource Officer, Punke will continue to oversee and guide the company's culture and organizational growth strategies, as well as champion human capital initiatives across technology, talent acquisition, training, benefits, risk and compliance. She will also continue to play a leadership role within Concord Hospitality's public relations efforts and lead initiatives around sustainability, charitable giving and wellness.

Punke holds more than 40 years of hospitality industry experience, with at least 10 years in front-line operations, sales and human resources, respectively. Since she joined Concord in 1994, the company's portfolio has grown from just three hotels to 140 properties, a growth trajectory in which she played an integral part. While serving as Vice President of Operations from 2002 to 2007, she opened a total of 17 hotels and blazed the trail into Canada, where she opened five hotels in just seven weeks.

In addition to building a vibrant and inclusive culture within Concord and her countless other responsibilities, Punke has consistently gone above and beyond for the hospitality industry and her community. She helped champion Concord's partnership with the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) on a national program to offer training and job opportunities within the hospitality industry to young professionals recently out of school and out of work in addition to leading the AHLA's HR Committee. Punke also sits on advisory boards for Marriott, Hyatt and Beekeeper, and regularly volunteers at the Ronald McDonald House of Durham (N.C.).