The American Resort Development Association’s (ARDA) Board of Directors voted to unite with Women in the Industry (WIN) to strengthen and grow both organizations. The decision was made at ARDA’s Annual Fall Conference held in Washington, DC, late last year.

Women in the Industry (WIN) was originally formed to advocate, educate and connect women in the vacation industry. It is a dynamic, diverse, non-partisan global organization providing leadership, mentoring, philanthropic and educational opportunities to women and those who support women. Formed two years ago, the group has continued to grow its scope of appeal. The grassroots, volunteer non-profit organization has steadily grown with support from many industry corporate sponsors and interested individuals. Member benefits include educational sessions, philanthropic contributions, mentoring, and networking opportunities, such as WIN Wednesdays held in various areas of the country.

According to Co-President Lani Kane-Hanan, WIN’s mission has always been to advocate, educate and connect its members by fostering personal and professional growth through networking, education, research and philanthropy. “As our groups unite, ARDA will incorporate WIN’s operational needs within its existing infrastructure, allowing us to operate more efficiently while furthering our common goals.”

“WIN’s direction is clearly in alignment with ARDA, especially with our mutual commitment to embrace the diversity within our industry, develop leadership and contribute to charitable platforms,” said Howard Nusbaum, president and CEO of ARDA. “As we make the transition, there will be benefits for both of our organizations as our goals are clearly complementary. One of the first changes members will see is the institution of a new ARDA Philanthropy Council with WIN Co-President Cathy Backus as chair.”

ARDA is the trade association for the timeshare industry. ARDA's membership comprises over 500 companies (both privately held firms and publicly traded corporations), which house 5,000-plus individual ARDA members. ARDA's active, engaged members have extensive experience in shared ownership interests in leisure real estate. ARDA's work — including proactive advocacy — touches every role within the timeshare industry. Developers, exchange companies, vacation clubs, timeshare resellers, timeshare owner associations (HOAs), resort management companies, industry vendors, consultants, and legal and regulatory experts are all part of the ARDA network. For more information, visit ARDA.org.

ARDA-ROC is a 501(c)4 non-profit entity funded by over 1.5 million individual timeshare owner's voluntary contributions. ARDA-ROC is dedicated to preserving, protecting, and enhancing vacation ownership through smart policy and sensible regulation. ARDA-ROC advocates for local, state, and federal policies that enable the vacation ownership industry to thrive and provide consumers with an enriched vacation ownership experience. For more information, visit ARDAROC.org.