WASHINGTON—AHLA has appointed Chip Rogers as president and CEO. In the new year, he’ll succeed Katherine Lugar. Rogers comes to AHLA with more than 20 years of experience.
Rogers has served as the president and CEO of the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA), the largest U.S. hotel owners association, since 2014. In this role, he led a team of more than 30 staff members with an annual budget of $15 million, bringing an unprecedented amount of success to the organization. Under his leadership, the AAHOA has grown overall membership by 30% and revenue by 62%.
In addition to leading the AAHOA, Rogers sits on the board of directors for the United States Travel Association, Community Leaders of America and the California Hotel & Lodging Association. Prior to joining AAHOA, Rogers served in the Georgia General Assembly for 10 years and was unanimously elected as Senate majority leader in 2008 and 2010.
Rogers was selected after a thorough and comprehensive search conducted over the last several months. An AHLA Search Advisory Group, comprised of the leading CEOs and executives of the major brands, owners and management companies representing a cross-range of the association’s members, conducted numerous in-depth interviews of each candidate. Ultimately, Rogers’ appointment was unanimously approved by the nominating committee and board of directors.
Coming from AAHOA, Rogers is no stranger to AHLA, as the two organizations have worked hand in glove for many years advocating on behalf of the entire hotel and lodging industry. Both organizations have held joint advocacy days each year for the past several years, and AAHOA’s incoming chairwoman currently sits on AHLA’s board.
Rogers will join an existing AHLA team with a wealth of experience, including Kevin Carey, EVP and COO; Brian Crawford, EVP of government affairs; and Rosanna Maietta, president of the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Foundation (AHELF), and EVP of communications and public relations. The appointment of Crawford and Maietta to EVP was announced earlier this week.
