LESLIE HALE, PRESIDENT and CEO of RLJ Lodging Trust, will join Mit Shah, CEO of Noble Investment Group, for the 10th Annual Bharat Shah Leadership Speaker
Series at the Hunter Hotel Investment Conference. The Bharat Shah Leadership Speaker Series was established and endowed in honor of Dr. Bharat Shah at Georgia
State's Cecil B. Day School of Hospitality Administration, J. Mack Robinson College of Business. The upcoming series is scheduled for March 21, accessible to
registered attendees, special guests, and Georgia State University students.
Hale is the first African American woman to lead a publicly listed real estate investment trust. She serves on the board of directors for Delta Airlines, is a
trustee of Howard University, and is a board member of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. Currently, she is the board chair for the American Hotel and Lodging
Association.
Hale said she was honored to be included in the Bharat Shah series, she said in a statement.
HOSPITALITY INVESTMENT EXECUTIVE Leslie Hale has won the third annual Castell Award instituted by the American Hotel & Lodging Association Foundation, a
statement said. The award honors a female trailblazer in the hospitality investment arena who paves the way for more women to rise to the top.
The award will be presented at the Lodging Conference on Sept. 20. Hale is the president and CEO of RLJ Lodging Trust and vice chair of the AHLA board of directors,
the statement said.
She also serves on the board of directors of Macy's, Inc. and Delta Airlines Inc. The female leader is a Howard University Trustee and is a board member of the
Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond's Baltimore Branch.
"Leslie is the ideal candidate for this important award," said Rosanna Maietta, president and CEO, AHLA Foundation. "Over the years, her dedication to advancing
the hospitality industry sets the gold standard for leadership, she has inspired men and women in our industry, and we are thrilled to honor her leadership."