USA, Washington, D.C. February 06, 2019

HSMAI Washington DC Chapter, which serves hospitality professionals throughout the Washington metropolitan area, has announced the appointment of a new chair, chair-elect and two members to its advisory board.

Sheila Hession, executive director of sales at the MGM National Harbor resort in Oxon Hill, Maryland, will serve as advisory board chair joined by the chair-elect, Leticia Proctor, senior vice president of sales, marketing & revenue management for Donohoe Hospitality Services, Bethesda, Maryland, and two new board members, Vanessa Wilson, director of sales & marketing for the Hilton Washington DC National Mall, and Lajja Ashar, PS area manager for Booking.com (USA) Inc., both in Washington.

"Sheila Hession, Leticia Proctor, Vanessa Wilson and Lajja Ashar are talented and accomplished leaders with extensive hospitality sales and operations experience," said Ellen Wilson, managing director of the HSMAI Washington DC Chapter. "We are fortunate to have their insights and vision on our board."

Hession, a 30-year hospitality industry veteran, joined HSMAI Washington DC Chapter's advisory board in September 2017. Before joining MGM National Harbor, she was director of sales and marketing at the Willard InterContinental hotel in Washington, regional director of sales with Davidson Hotels & Resorts and director of sales and marketing for the L'Enfant Plaza Hotel and Washington Court Hotel on Capitol Hill, both in Washington. Prior to that, she served in leadership roles at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, Washington, and Hyatt Hotels Corporation.

Proctor, who joined the advisory board in 2017, is responsible for the development and implementation of Donohoe Hospitality Services' sales, marketing and revenue management efforts at the national, regional and property levels. During her career of more than 20 years, she served as senior vice president of sales, revenue management & digital strategies for PM Hotel Group, Washington; regional director of sales for Hersha Hospitality Management; area director of sales and marketing for Kimpton Hotels; and director of sales and marketing for Crestline Hotels and Resorts, Remington Hotels and Resorts and the former Holiday Inn Select Bethesda.

Wilson, a 20-year hospitality veteran, previously was director of sales & marketing for the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center in Virginia, the Hilton Washington DC North/Gaithersburg hotel in Maryland, DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Washington DC and the Churchill Hotel Near Embassy Row in Washington.

Ashar, who has worked in sales and marketing for more than 14 years, is responsible for leading Booking.com's multiple account management teams that oversee the accommodations in Washington, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and Delaware. Earlier in her career, she served InterContinental Hotels Group, was area revenue director and sales director for hotel management companies and worked in product marketing and merchandising for Johnson & Johnson and Kraft Foods.

Other HSMAI Washington DC Chapter board members include Iman Butler, director of group sales for the Washington Marriott Wardman Park; Linda Caruso, director of sales & marketing for the Hyatt Centric Arlington in Virginia; Jennifer Hill, vice president of client engagement for Kalibri Labs in Washington; Carol Motley, director of convention sales for Destination DC; Jennifer Phillips, area director of revenue management for Marriott International in Bethesda, Maryland; and Suzanne Shogren, regional director, ownership group services, for Cvent in Tysons Corner, Virginia.