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Hyatt Regency Baltimore GMGail Smith-Howard has been named a recipient of a prestigious national award from the Trumpet Foundation. Smith-Howard is one of 26 leaders and a select group of hotel general man- agers to win the 2012 TrumpetAward, which recognizes African-American achievements and contributions. The awards will be presented during a nationally televised broadcast hosted by Wayne Brady, host of CBS's Let's Make A Deal, from Atlanta's Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, on Saturday, January 7, 2012. Smith-Howard and other leading hotel general managers from around the country will be recognized for their ability to foster and support the African-American experience and for their outstanding contributions to the hospitality industry. BenjaminDavis serves asGMof the Grand Lucayan, Bahamas. With a career that spansmore than 35 years of experience Davis brings with him vast knowledge and understanding of the Grand Lucayan brand. Davis served as resort manager in 1999.He then worked in various execu- tive positions in the hospitality industry, wherehe sharpenedhis skillsmanaging a number of resorts in the Caribbean and Europe.Most recently, Davis worked as VP and COO for the Myers Group of Companies, before returning to Grand Lucayan, Bahamas in September 2011 as the resort's generalmanager. In his role, Davis is instrumental in overseeing the entire operation of the 519-roomoceanfront resort and leading a team of over 600 employees. The Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce announces Sonya D. Hoskins, Esq., as its new Chair of the Board ofDirectors for 2012,making her the third woman to chair the DBCC in its 86-year history. Hoskins is a co- founder and partner of the law firm of Robinson & Hoskins, L.L.P., in Dallas, Texas,where her main areas of practice are Civil and Commercial Litigation, CommercialTransactions,Probate,RealEstate,School Lawand SmallBusinessDevelopment. Hoskins, who has been a member of the Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce for 14 years, received her Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice fromtheUniversity ofTexas and her Juris Doctor with cum laude distinction from Southern University LawCenter inBatonRouge,Louisiana. 12 TheAustinConvention andVisitors Bureau (Austin CVB) announces the hiring of Steve Genovesi as senior VP, sales. As the executive in charge of the CVB's convention sales efforts, Geno- vesi will work to promote Austin nationally and internationally as a pre- mier meetings destination. His key roles will be to work closely with meet- ing and event professionals, lead the Austin CVB sales team, and work in partnership with area hotels and the Austin Convention Center Department to set and achieve strategic booking goals. He will also serve as the primary liaison for the Austin CVB at several key meeting industry events. Genovesi comes to the Austin CVB with 26 years of hospi- tality sales and marketing experience, most recently as VP of sales and marketing for the Chattanooga, Tenn. CVB. The SMG-managed Greater ColumbusConventionCenter announ- ces the promotion ofChristianLewis to operations coordinator. He joined the OperationsDepartment as an associate in2007 andwaspromotedtosupervisor before assuming his newrole. The Greater Columbus Convention Center, located in downtown Columbus,hosted an estimated 2.5mil- lion visitors in 2010. The facility is owned by the Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority and is managed by Philadelphia-based SMG. Since 1977, SMG has provided management services to more than 220 public assembly facilities including arenas, stadi- ums, theatres and performing arts centers, equestrian facilities and convention, congress and exhibition centers. MGM Resorts International stren- gthens its role as a market leader in Diversity and Group Sales with the promotion of Mary Ann Sena-Edelen to director of Regional Sales-Diversity. In this position, Sena-Edelen is respon- sible for developing and implementing a business strategy to attract diverse groups to MGM Resorts' properties throughout the U.S. Most recently, Sena-Edelen was director of Diversity & Training at Monte Carlo where she oversaw training for all departments and incorporated diversity into every aspect of the resort's daily operations. Prior to that, she was senior diversity leadership manager for the Company's Diversity Leadership Education program. Sena-Edelen joined the Company in 1993 as a Casino Training Manager at MGM Grand. Black Meetings & Tourism January/February 2012: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com