LAS VEGAS—MGM Resorts International announced award-winning diversity, inclusion and sustainability leader Jyoti Chopra as its Senior Vice President, Chief Diversity and Sustainability Officer. Jyoti will be based in Las Vegas and will report directly to President and COO, Bill Hornbuckle. She will also serve as liaison to the Corporate Social Responsibility Committee of the company’s Board of Directors. “Jyoti joins MGM Resorts at an exciting time, as we embark on a bold new vision for our social impact and sustainability strategy, Focused on What Matters: Embracing Humanity and Protecting the Planet,” said Hornbuckle. “Jyoti’s considerable experience and expertise specifically in...

Name: Kristen Royal Title: Sustainability Program Director Company: Tayst Coffee Years in Current Position: 1+ years Primary Responsibilities: “I do a lot of outreach and communication on sustainability. I am in constant communication with other sustainability directors. I research lifecycle reports. I analyze our product and compare it with others. I analyze the machines themselves and the complexities and differences between plastic pods and a compostable one like ours.” Organization’s most significant sustainability-related accomplishment: “Our pod return service. Our clients are demanding this. We are hoping to scale up the service nationwide in January 2020.” Organization’s most significant sustainability-related challenge moving forward: “Making sure we...

KRABEY ISLAND, CAMBODIA—Six Senses Krabey Island announced the appointment of Ateeb Shrestha as general manager. Ateeb brings more than 16 years of experience in the hospitality sector to his new role, including three years as general manager with Six Senses Ninh Van Bay. Prior to joining Six Senses he acquired broad expertise across international and independent hotel groups with resident manager and general manager assignments with Gangtey Lodge in Bhutan, Nira Resort in Mauritius, Hyatt Regency Danang Resort and The Nam Hai Resort in Vietnam. He also spent time at The Setai in Miami and The Chedi in Muscat. From his...

WAIKOLOA, HAWAII—Native plants are not only beautiful, but they often serve valuable, practical functions in their ecosystem. Hoping to serve as an industry model, Hilton Waikoloa Village has transformed its landscaping to revitalize native ecosystems. Across 62 acres, the resort is cultivating rarely seen native species and restoring portions of an erosion-damaged National Historic Trail fronting the property. The initiative will contribute to Hilton’s Travel with Purpose 2030 Goals, the company’s commitment to cutting its environmental footprint in half and doubling its social impact by 2030. Raymond Keenan, horticulture expert and director of landscaping at Hilton Waikoloa Village, has been leading the...

REDMOND, ORE.—Soul Community Planet (SCP) announced the appointment of Tobias Colvin as SCP Redmond’s new General Manager, effective immediately. With more than 19 years of luxury hospitality management experience in city hotel and resort operations, Colvin will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the newly renovated 49-room SCP Redmond. “We welcome Tobias to our SCP family,” said Soul Community Planet Co-Founder and CEO Ken Cruse. “Aside from sharing SCP’s holistic hospitality values, Tobias has the leadership skills to help make SCP Redmond a great success. Tobias brings a diversity of life experiences, a love for the outdoors, and, following...

DALTON, GA.—As a leading supplier of carpet, resilient, hardwood, laminate, tile and stone flooring products and synthetic turf, Shaw Industries’ reach into the hospitality industry and beyond is significant. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. with approximately 22,000 associates worldwide. What has perhaps distinguished Shaw the most is its commitment to reduce its environmental impact. Its products have the sustainability stamp of approval from GREENGUARD, CRI Green Label Plus, FloorScore, and NSF 140, among numerous others. To further support its transparency efforts, it also maintains Health Product Declarations (HPDs) for all commercial carpet products and Living Building Challenge...

BROOKLYN, N.Y.—ECPAT-USA, the preeminent policy organization working to protect children in the United States from commercial sexual exploitation, announced the selection of its new Executive Director, Lori L. Cohen. She will assume her new position on November 4, 2019. Cohen brings a wealth of experience to ECPAT-USA’s work to end human trafficking. Prior to joining ECPAT-USA, she created and directed the Anti-Trafficking Initiative at Sanctuary for Families, Center for Battered Women’s Legal Services. Her team garnered widespread recognition, assisting more than 2,000 adult and child victim survivors of human trafficking and other forms of gender-based abuse. A graduate of Yale Law...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Center for Responsible Travel (CREST) recently announced the appointment of Dr. Gregory A. Miller as the organization’s new Executive Director. He assumes leadership from CREST Co-Founder Dr. Martha Honey, who is retiring as Executive Director after 16 years. “I am thrilled to be leading such an innovative organization working to harness the power of responsible tourism for the benefit of nature and destination communities around the world,” said Miller. “I look forward to advancing CREST’s critical mission to promote sustainable travel and shaping the organization’s future in this rapidly-expanding field.” Miller is a respected environmental, tourism, and outdoor recreation...

YOUNTVILLE, CALIF.—Bardessono Hotel, the luxurious, LEED Platinum Certified wine country retreat in the heart of Napa Valley, introduces a fresh take on Lucy restaurant’s celebrated signature cuisine with the addition of Jim Leiken as Executive Chef. Bringing a repertoire of experience working with some of the world’s most renowned chefs, from Chef Daniel Boulud’s New York City and Palm Beach, Fla. restaurants, Leiken spent the past five years cultivating a deep understanding of the culinary scene in Napa at Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen in St. Helena, with Chef Cindy Pawlcyn. Now taking the helm of Lucy restaurant with careful attention...

RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CALIF.—Lauren Bergloff joined Terranea in 2013 and was an instrumental part of the Experience Concierge team, developing, leading and expanding its adventure offerings and educational guest programming. In 2017, Lauren was promoted to the new role of Sustainability Leader for the resort. Her dedication to promoting and expanding Terranea’s eco initiatives for guests and internal operations is evident in the program’s growth and results over the past year. What Inspired Terranea’s ‘Green’ Disposition? Poised above coastal bluffs of the Palos Verdes Peninsula with sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean, Terranea Resort debuted in June 2009 as the only luxury...