Emil Lee, president of the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association, has announced that long-time employee Vanessa Ledesma-Berrios has been promoted to the position of chief operating officer.

The move makes her the first female to hold such a commanding position within the CHTA headquarters staff.

Ledesma-Berrios will work along with CHTA’s new executive team comprised of Frank Comito, chief executive and Matt Cooper, chief marketing officer, to execute the association’s strategic plans and serve the membership of 32 National Hotel Associations and over 600 hotels and 300 allied members.

“In developing our new team of executives to lead CHTA, we knew that Vanessa Ledesma-Berrios was the right person to be the chief operating officer having managed all of the association’s events for the past 16 years as well as the day-to-day operations for the past two years when she was last promoted to director of operations and events,” said Lee. 

“The appointment of a female to the position of chief operating officer is an important milestone for CHTA,” Lee added.

Ledesma-Berrios joined CHTA following her work with Maritza Negroni & Associates as a meeting planner and then conference organiser from 1995 until being hired by CHTA in 1999.