Chairman’s Message

Dear NHLA Members,

I am honored to serve as the next Chairman of the Board for the Nevada Hotel and Lodging Association. I look forward to the next two years with great excitement.

The Nevada Hotel and Lodging Association brings an abundance of resources, benefits and activities to our hospitality industry. We provide statewide seminars, conferences, networking opportunities, certifications, bowling and golf tournaments, and various divisional activities for the benefit of all interests of our members.

NHLA Women in Lodging was founded in 2015 and we have grown this division to over 200 members. WIL provides the ideal platform to promote women’s leadership as well as professional career development. The program includes a dynamic mentor program with two annual sessions, leadership development opportunities such as the Leadership Chats program with top female leaders in the industry and the new Read to Lead Book Club. We also host many seminars, conferences and networking events as well as philanthropic activities for the women’s charities that we support.

The Emerging Leaders is comprised of professional leaders 40 and younger building a career in the hospitality industry. NHLA provides guidance and support for these members through a dedicated leadership council, quarterly activities, leadership development opportunities and philanthropic support encouragement. The new Horizons mentor program provides the opportunity for the young members to meet established leaders in the industry and spend time learning from them.

We have many committees for members to participate within both in lending their expertise and resources for the membership and developing new contacts and skills.

We have a robust schedule of events and activities scheduled for this next year under the leadership and management of NHLA President Diane Gandy and Vice President Irving Pamblanco. Reopening, moving forward and helping our industry to thrive again is our focus through many programs and initiatives.

On behalf of our Board of Directors, I look forward to working with our teams and meeting our members. Thank you for the support.

Sincerely,

Mary Ann Burns
NHLA Chairman of the Board

NHLA Board of Directors:

Officers

Executive Board

Directors

NHLA Executive Staff

To ensure full resources, visibility, representation and member benefits, Nevada Hotel and Lodging Association is led by two key executives under the direction of the Chairman of the Board and the Board of Directors.

Diane Gandy, President, CGSP  

Diane Gandy serves as President and has over 35 years of hotel and travel industry experience including hotel management, OTA major market management, online marketing, industry sales, event planning and communication. She has worked in executive industry positions in both NNV and SNV.

Diane’s NHLA responsibilities include general organizational management, business development and member resources. She focuses on hotel industry leadership development, benefits, sales, marketing, communications, association programs, educational resources, networking, special events, community engagement and strategic partner development.

Diane launched the NHLA Women Lodging in 2015 and continues to lead the division. Diane was the recipient of the 2015 Southern Nevada Women of Distinction Awards, received a 2017 International Athena Award for Outstanding Women’s Leadership, was a 2018 Inductee in the Women’s Leadership Hall of Fame, received the Leadership Award in Collaboration from the Timothy S Y Lam Foundation in 2019 and the 2020 Stars of the Industry Outstanding Leadership award. She has been featured in the Las Vegas Woman and Vegas, Inc. magazines as a leader in the community. Diane is a founding member and served on the Board of Directors for Dress for Success NNV from 2016-2019; is a member of the International Society of Hotel Associations (ISHA) and is a past member on the board of trustees for The Shade Tree LV. Diane is also the founder and president of the Nevada Hotel and Lodging Foundation, a non-profit entity providing scholarships for higher education and continuing education for the hotel industry.

Diane is an accomplished freelance writer and a published author. She has created and managed content for blogs, books, websites and newsletters for several companies and individuals over the past two decades. She provides and oversees all content for NHLA communication channels.

Diane has achieved Certified Guest Service Professional (CGSP) designation and while managing hotels she held certification as a Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA), as well.

Irving Pamblanco, Vice President of Finance & Operations, CGSP  

Irving Pamblanco serves as Vice President of Finance and Operations and has been with NHLA since 1988 when he joined the firm as the business Accountant. He has served several corporate clients including the Nevada Hotel & Lodging Association, Nevada Restaurant Association, Nevada Tourism Alliance, the International Food Service Executive Association (IFSEA), and Heffner & Associates, Inc.

Irving’s responsibilities include overseeing all accounting, finance and inventory functions, general operations, database and I.T. management, website updates and maintenance, membership email broadcasts, event participation, and new membership processing.

Irving has achieved designation from the American Hotel and Lodging Association Education Institute for Certified Guest Service Professional through passing the Guest Service Gold course and exam.

NHLA Women in Lodging

NHLA Women in Lodging (WIL) is committed to the professional development of women in the hospitality industry. We provide opportunities for women to obtain leadership competencies through certifications, seminars, classes and conferences.  Through educational programming, structured mentoring, networking opportunities and philanthropic endeavors, WIL provides the forum for professional women to gain career momentum and connect with other industry leaders. NHLA members join free. Join now.

WIL Council Members

Chairperson:           Mary Ann Burns, Boyd Corporation
President:                Diane Gandy, NHLA

Chris Breed, Soleil Management, Vice President of Resort Operations
Jaime Miranda, Venetian & Palazzo Resorts
Dr. Toni Repetti, UNLV
Michele Kline, Kline Hospitality Consulting
Nicole Marshall, Siegel Select
Kristen Jaeger, Business Development Manager, UNLV
Karina Day, Concierge, Resorts World
Sheree Robillard, Director of Housekeeping, Mandalay Bay

Northern Nevada Council

Under the guidance of the NHLA board and staff, the Northern Nevada council assists in the development, available resources and visibility for Northern Nevada members of the Nevada Hotel and Lodging Association.

Audrey Damonte, Holley, Driggs, Walch, Fine, Wray, Puzey & Thompson
Jim Kenney, Catalytic Pure Air
Cheraz Ecker, Atlantis Casino Resort Spa
Debra Lang, Holiday Inn Express and Suites, Minden
Jonathan Boulware, Jacobs Entertainment, Inc.
Chris Lynch, University of Nevada, Reno
Mike Jones, Gold Dust West – Carson City
Piper Stremmel, Jesse Hotel, Owner
Janine Ganska, Grand Sierra Resort

Emerging Leaders Council

Emerging Leaders is a division of the Nevada Hotel and Lodging Association comprised of young industry professionals 40 and younger. Under the guidance of the NHLA staff, it exists to engage young professionals in the Nevada hospitality and support industries through the development of local resources including networking, mentorship, philanthropic and educational opportunities. All NHLA members are encouraged to support the activities and attend events related to Emerging Leaders. These are our up-and-coming leaders.

Emerging Leaders is comprised of a council consisting of a Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, advisors and members. 2020 Chairperson is Evan Meyer and John Brady is serving as Vice Chairperson. Anthony Lai is chair of the Emerging Leaders mentor program.

Co-Chair: Evan Meyer, Director of Hotel Operations, Boyd Gaming Downtown
Co-Chair: Diego Lopez, Housekeeping Floor Manager, Luxor
Mentor Chair: Anthony Lai, Student Affairs Program Manager, TISOH
Advisor: John Brady, Director of Front Office, Venetian/Palazzo
Members:
Mary Vega, Contracts Manager, Soleil Management
Kylie Stubbs, Manager of Guest Experience, Luxor
Mabior Ayuen, Public Area Department Manager, Venetian/Palazzo
Omar Quezada-Diaz, Pool Operations Manager, Park MGM

Contact Us
Tel: 702-430-4569
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.NVHotels.com