Wendy Kallergis Leads Hotel Association To Add Membership And Community Partnerships Lure Local Students Into Industry

Growing up in a restaurant family, Greater Miami and The Beaches Hotel Association President and CEO Wendy Kallergis was groomed for a career in hospitality.

As a Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef with past positions in some the area’s top hospitality institutions, Ms. Kallergis’s understanding of the tourism industry led her to the association’s top post over a year ago.

With successes such as its Green Hospitality Council, Ms. Kallergis is leading the 410-member association into 2011 with plans to grow membership, create a new Web site complete with a hospitality careers and membership directory, grow community partnerships and help local hospitality students enter the industry.

"Look at all the hotels that we have now," she said. "It’s exciting to be working here. Miami is a very exciting town to be in right now."

In an interview with Miami Today reporter Ashley D. Torres, Ms. Kallergis discussed her journey, future growth and the continued strength of the county as a tourism mecca. To read this profile article in its entirety, subscribe to Miami Today’s E-paper. With the E-paper you will be able to read the entire contents of Miami Today online exactly as it appears in print. Or order this issue, to receive a regular printed copy of this week’s Miami Today. You may also subscribe to the printed edition of Miami Today to receive the newspaper every week by mail. If you are reading this in Miami Today’s “Online Archive” as an archived web page and would like to see the entire article that was published, call Miami Today, 305-358-2663 and ask for the Circulation Department.   Top Front Page About Miami Today Put Your Message in Miami Today Contact Miami Today © Copyright 2010 Miami Today designed and produced by Green Dot Advertising and Marketingvar gaJsHost = ((“https:” == document.location.protocol) ? “https://ssl.” : “http://www.”);document.write(unescape(“%3Cscript src='” + gaJsHost + “google-analytics.com/ga.js’ type=’text/javascript’%3E%3C/script%3E”));var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker(“UA-4990655-1”);pageTracker._initData();pageTracker._trackPageview();