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•pg_3-12__BMT_pg3-58 1/8/14 6:20 PM Page 12 Speaking Of People Rashaad Shaw serves as Club Lounge concierge at the Ritz-Carlton South Beach. He began in the hotel industry after moving to Miami in 2008 as a lobby attendant at the Eden Roc Renaissance. His duties included cleaning public restrooms/areas and stocking supplies. Shaw also worked as houseman, assisting the housekeepers with cleaning rooms, and later he transferred to the front office as a Guest Service aide, greeting and escorting guests to their rooms. In 2011, he relocated to The Ritz-Carlton South Beach., starting in Guest Services as a call center agent.. In his current role Shaw assists guest with restaurant recommendations, as well checks them in and makes cocktail drinks to their liking. Kimpton's Florida hotels – EPIC Hotel; Surfcomber Miami, South Beach; and Vero Beach Hotel & Spa – are pleased to announce the addition of Kimpton newcomer Biby Banna as the area's marketing manager. With extensive experience in the hospitality industry, Banna leads marketing and social media initiatives to drive sales for the hotels, develop innovative packages and promotions, manage content over social media platforms and more. Prior to assuming her role at Kimpton, Banna was the Content and Marketing manager at Gustazos Social Media, Inc. There, Banna was involved in the aggressive expansion of the company's business quality control while also conducting strategic market analysis to identify new segment opportunities for growth. The Greater Madison Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB), the region's destination management organization, is pleased to announce Constance Samuels as a sales manager for the Bureau. Samuels, a native of Virginia recently relocated to the Madison area. Her background in the hotel industry and a degree in hospitality management from Virginia State University are well suited to her new role in sales. An active and energetic person, Samuels is excited to learn all about the Greater Madison area. Samuels' talents will help propel the organization's work in promoting the destination and fulfilling the GMCVB's promise and purpose of Going Beyond VisitTM to visitors to the Madison area, according to a Bureau release. Ken Chin has been hired as the first executive director of the newly aligned Metro Denver Sports Commission (MDSC; now Denver Sports), which is now part of VISIT DENVER, The Convention & Visitors Bureau. Chin comes to Denver with nearly 20 years of experience in sports business marketing. Most recently, he served as V.P., Business Development and Events, for the Atlanta Sports Council (ASC), the sports division of the Metro Atlanta Chamber. Chin got his start in sports business by working for the National Hockey League (NHL) in their New York City headquarters. He started as an intern, and eventually rose to be Vice President of the NHL's Events & Entertainment Department. Ken Chin grew up in New Jersey and attended Ohio State University. Elliott L. Ferguson, Destination DC president and CEO, announces the arrival of Marquis Perkins as creative director for Washington, DC's official convention and tourism corporation. With more than a dozen years of creative marketing experience in greater Washington, DC, including four as director of marketing and communications at the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Perkins will lead brand strategy and integrated marketing efforts that drive tourism, meetings and high profile events to the nation's capital. In his role as Destination DC's creative director, Perkins will lead Destination DC's marketing services team, overseeing research and crossplatform collateral. Susan Santiago has been appointed area vice president and general manager of Hyatt Regency Century Plaza. In this role, Santiago is responsible for managing all operations for the 726-room Century Plaza hotel, while also overseeing the operations of additional Hyatt Hotels in the Los Angeles area. Santiago is Hyatt's first female area vice president and the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza's first female general manager. Most recently, Santiago was vice president of Food and Beverage –Americas operations for Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, where she was responsible for the overall success of food and beverage operations at Hyatt Hotels and Resorts in the U.S., Canada, the Caribbean, Latin and South America. Santiago began her career at the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay, 12 B M & T ••• November/December 2013 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com