The Hospitality Scoop
July 2018
From the President | Greg White, HANTX President
As many of you know this year has held a few changes for HANTX as we searched for a new Executive Director. The board is pleased to announce the appointment of Traci Mayer as our new HANTX Executive Director. 

 Traci brings over 25 years of experience in management, administration, sales, marketing, and public relations. She has spent the past 20 years in association management, 16 of those in the hospitality community as the Director of the Dallas/Fort Worth Area Tourism Council and the Tourism Alliance of North Texas. In her previous position, she was Executive Director of the Texas Central Hemophilia Association working on behalf of Texans affected by bleeding disorders. 

I would like to say a special thank you to Fariha Hoque, HANTX Marketing & Events Manager for keeping the office running smoothly and to Colleen Rickenbacher for stepping in to be of extra assistance during the transition. 

We are delighted to have Traci on board as our new Director. She brings a combination of hospitality experience and association leadership to this position. This is going to be a very exciting time in the organization's 96 years. 

From the Director's Desk | Traci Mayer
It is such an honor to be named your new Executive Director. HANTX has a long history and I can't wait to get more involved and I'm excited to be part of this great North Texas hospitality community. 

Although it's been just two weeks since I've been on board, it's been full of meeting members of our hospitality community, being involved in a variety of committee meetings, getting oriented and attending the 2018 Dallas Mayor's Intern Fellows Program (MIFP) Luncheon on the 27th. HANTX was thrilled to be part of the MIFP once again this year. Our intern, Ana-Paulina, was a fantastic addition to the office this summer and worked on a variety of projects with Fariha and Colleen from conducting research to getting our files organized. On Friday, July 27th, we attended the Mayor’s luncheon that celebrated all these incredible students. 

It was great to see some of our hotel members participating in this program. I would encourage even more of our hospitality partners to be part of the MIFP next year as this is a wonderful way to introduce high school students to the world of career opportunities available within the hotel and hospitality arena. 

Just a little background on me - I'm a Dallas native and a graduate of Texas A&M University and love all things Texas and Texas A&M related. I have enjoyed working in the hospitality community for many years and sharing what this area has to offer visitors. My biggest pet peeve is poor customer service. I live in Keller with my husband, our son and a crazy dog named Boone.
Looking Ahead
Moving forward, we will be providing you with monthly communication updates and information on things happening at the local level that may impact our hospitality community. 

Be on the lookout for your HOSPY Nomination Packet in August. This year there will be even more to celebrate because we have added additional categories of service to our nomination process in order to acknowledge and honor those employees that make a difference in our hospitality industry. 

One of my goals during this first couple of months is to reach out and meet with our members, but please feel free to reach out to me ( traci@hantx.org ) or the office during this time if you need anything. I look forward to getting to know each of you and listening to your ideas for the organization as we move forward.