SACRAMENTO, Calif. | Peggy Mosley, Chairperson of the California Hotel & Lodging Association (CH&LA), announced the appointment of Lynn S. Mohrfeld, CAE to the position of President & CEO of CH&LA.

Mohrfeld, currently the executive vice president of CH&LA, will assume management of CH&LA on January 1st, 2009, following the retirement of James O. Abrams. “Following an exhaustive, nine-month process, the Executive Search Committee of the CH&LA Board of Directors is pleased to announce the selection of Mr. Lynn Mohrfeld,” stated CH&LA Executive Search Committee Chairperson Wes Tyler.

The process to select a president & CEO for CH&LA was thorough and extensive, involving a national search conducted in part by SearchWide, an executive recruitment firm. “The number and substantial quality of the potential candidates considered is a true recognition of CH&LA as the nation’s largest state lodging association. After this exhaustive process, we are confident that Mohrfeld’s experience in tourism and association management make him the ideal candidate to lead CH&LA to successfully fulfill its mission of protecting the rights and promoting the interests of the California lodging industry,” concluded Tyler.

Following his appointment, Mohrfeld said “I very much look forward to continuing the extraordinary effort of Jim Abrams, who, for over 18 years, guided the association into the successful organization that it is today.” Mohrfeld indicated that one of his primary goals is to build on the efforts of working together as a unified industry to strengthen the California lodging industry.

The new president & CEO of CH&LA also placed emphasis on his intention to ensure that CH&LA is truly representative of its diverse membership base and foster an active involvement of the membership in CH&LA programs and services.

Mohrfeld joined CH&LA in 2002 as vice president of marketing & business development and was promoted to executive vice president in 2005. In these positions, his scope of responsibilities ranged from membership development and coordination of marketing programs and services to educational seminars and conferences, as well as non-dues revenue generation and the management of the California Association of Bed & Breakfast Inns, which became a part of CH&LA in 2007.

Prior to joining CH&LA, Mohrfeld served as the Director of Destinations for WorldRes, Inc., a global reservation service for destination marketing organizations and lodging properties. He has also held the position of Director of Research & Internet Business Development for the San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau, leading the organization as one of the first destinations with an internet presence and coordinating economic impact studies for such events as America’s Cup, Super Bowl, and the Republican National Convention. Currently, Mohrfeld is a director on the boards of the International Society of Hotel Association Executives, the American Hotel & Lodging Association, and the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Foundation.

Mohrfeld, who received a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing from the California State University at San Diego, is also a Certified Association Executive as designated by the American Society of Association Executives, as well as a graduate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute of Organizational Management. He lives in Sacramento with his wife Nan and two sons, Logan and Wyatt.

About CH&LA | The California Hotel & Lodging Association (CH&LA) is the largest state lodging industry association in the nation and a Partner State Association of the American Hotel & Lodging Association. Its 1,800 members, which comprise approximately 175,000 guest rooms, include all segments of the lodging industry including the California Association of Bed & Breakfast Inns - California’s largest association of professional innkeepers and certified bed and breakfast inns. CH&LA is the leading resource for communicating and protecting the rights and interests of the California lodging industry. CH&LA was established in 1893. CH&LA is on the web at .

Trisha Moore
916-444-5780
CH&LA