Name: Jennifer BauchnerTitle: Director, Rooms and Sustainability, North America OperationsOrganization: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.Time in current position: Eight monthsMy primary responsibilities: “My role is a combination of responsibilities for room operations—front office and housekeeping for our 500-plus North America hotels—as well as leading sustainability initiatives at those hotels, bringing to life goals set forth in our sustainability strategy and making sure owners and managers have tools to implement them at the hotel level. I am able to have an immediate impact from a sustainability perspective. So much of what we do needs to be executed in the...

Name: Beth PrattTitle: Director, Environmental AffairsCompany: Yellowstone National Park-Xanterra Parks & ResortsYears with company: “I started in January of 2008.”My primary responsibilities: “The job is a 50/50 split between infusing sustainability into each department and raising awareness of climate change and helping guests and employees be greener in their own lives.”Most significant environment-related accomplishment in Yellowstone National Park so far: “Opening the For Future Generations: Yellowstone Gifts store. We were able to do that at a time when the economy was not doing well.”Company’s most significant environment-related challenge: “Successfully balancing the need for historical preservation with the need for...

Name: Cecile EppersonTitle: Director of Wellness and SustainabilityHotel: The New York Palace HotelYears with hotel: 14My primary responsibilities: “They center on corporate responsibility, environmental responsibility, community engagement, and ensuring the health and safety of our employees as part of our ‘We Care’ philosophy.”Hotel’s most significant environment-related accomplishment so far: “I am proud to say we are participating in the Clean the World soap and shampoo recycling program.”Organization’s most significant environment-related challenge: “We would love to have a towel and linen reuse program but it is a challenge because The New York Palace is a five diamond property.”What I enjoy...

Name: Sara Schoen Title: Commercial Market Development Associate Organization: U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Years with USGBC: 2.5 My primary responsibilities: “My responsibilities with USGBC include the hospitality market and the volume certification pilot program—a program that allows companies to certify blocks of buildings in aggregate. I am working to make LEED more accessible for international projects and am also working on the Building Performance Partnership (BPP). Through BPP we collect LEED certified building performance data.” Organization’s most significant lodging-related accomplishment so far: “The increase in the number of properties earning LEED certification. It’s a great accomplishment to have so many hotels working toward...

Name: Sandy Swider Title: Vice President, Global Citizenship Company: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. My primary responsibilities: “Focusing and communicating our effort. Making sure we have the right talent focused on the right issues. It is a lot about corralling the troops and getting people’s brains in the game.” Company’s most significant environmental accomplishment so far: “The launch of Element—the first hotel brand requiring LEED certification.” What I like most about what I do: “Getting the opportunity to work with so many talented people.” What advice I would give to someone considering starting a sustainability initiative: “It is important to have someone advocating for...

MINNETONKA, MINN.—Beathe-Jeanette Lunde was named executive vice president of human resources for Carlson Hotels, The Americas in December 2009. In her new position at Carlson Hotels, Lunde leads the company’s responsible business initiative, human resources, people development, internal communications, and safety and security. She reports directly to Thorsten Kirschke, executive vice president and chief operating officer, Carlson Hotels, The Americas. A senior executive with hotel industry experience in several managerial and corporate roles, Lunde came to Carlson Hotels from The Rezidor Hotel Group, based in Brussels, Belgium, where she was senior vice president of people development and...

Name: Robert MarshallTitle: General Manager/OwnerProperty: Inn Marin Hotel, Novato, Calif.My primary responsibilities: “My primary responsibility is managing the fiscal profitability of the inn. I oversee quality control, housekeeping, etc. They call me the ‘green guru.’ I am always looking for more green initiatives to implement.”Hotel’s most significant environmental accomplishment so far: “Our energy conservation. I monitor our gas and electric bills on a monthly basis. Year over year, for the last three years, we have had a 15 percent reduction in electricity consumption and a 5 to 6 percent reduction in natural gas consumption.”Our biggest environmental challenge: “Creating a...

ANN ARBOR, MICH.—NSF International, a leader in greenhouse gas verification and sustainable standards development, has appointed Malcolm Fox Director of Sustainability Programs. Climate change poses many challenges and risks to businesses worldwide. As Director of NSF International’s Sustainability Programs, Fox can help companies mitigate these risks by measuring and managing carbon emissions and their potential costs. NSF International’s Sustainability Programs are designed to eliminate confusion in the marketplace by creating credible and transparent sustainability services. NSF’s sustainability services include standards development and certification for sustainable products, greenhouse gas verification, and environmental footprinting. Companies that achieve certification through NSF International are...

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.—Pedro Mandoki, CHA, owner and president of N.P. Hotel Group, Inc. and Mandoki Hospitality (Gulf Shores, Ala.), has been appointed chairman of the Board of Directors for the 2010 International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show (IH/M&RS). A former chairman of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) and 40-year hotel and resort industry veteran, Mandoki will lead efforts for the 95th annual IH/M&RS, taking place November 13 to 16, 2010, at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. In addition, Turf Hotels president Michael C. Hoffman has been appointed to the nine-member Board of Directors. Formerly the president...

Name: Renée Swoger Title: Senior Manager of Energy & Environment Services Company: Accor North America (NA) My primary responsibilities: “I manage the energy capitalization budget. I also manage certification, rebate programs, Earth Day activities, and the energy reporting of hotels in the United States, Canada and Mexico. I oversee the execution of our three-year environmental plan.” Company’s most significant environmental accomplishment so far: “I consider our No. 1 accomplishment in 2009 to be energy reporting. Each property’s three-year energy consumption history is considered—with controls for weather and variations in occupancy. We created a baseline for each property. We plug in actual weather and...