AHLA Announces New Hires, Names Fonda Federal Affairs Director
AHLA continues to expand its government affairs and advocacy capabilities
WASHINGTON - The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) today announced two new staff additions who will further expand the organization’s government affairs and advocacy capabilities.
Kat Fonda has been named AHLA’s Director of Federal Affairs. In this new role, she will be responsible for policy development and advocacy before Congress and other federal government agencies.
Fonda joins AHLA from Fundraising Inc., where she served as a fundraising consultant to several dozen members of Congress, including multiple committee chairmen and U.S. senators, providing counsel to members and senior congressional staff. Prior to Fundraising Inc., Fonda spent several years at Aflac, where she assisted with policy development on Capitol Hill and served as a representative of the company before members of Congress.
AHLA also announced that Shreya Kanal has been named Manager of Government Affairs. In this role, Kanal will work with the association’s federal affairs team to advance the hotel and lodging industry’s agenda on Capitol Hill. She joins AHLA from Associated Builders and Contractors, where she served as the Coordinator of Legislative and Political Affairs. She is a graduate of Christopher Newport University.
Fonda and Kanal join a steadily growing AHLA government affairs team, which is planning for additional growth and has played an increasingly critical role on behalf of the hotel industry, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. In the last two years, AHLA has grown from 44 to nearly 70 employees, as the organization continues to serve as the singular voice of America’s hotels and remains deeply engaged in policy issues affecting hoteliers at all levels of government.
AHLA’s government affairs efforts are all about getting advocacy results for America’s hoteliers, and Kat and Shreya are going to help us continue to do just that. These crucial additions to our growing team will enable us to better engage policymakers and achieve even more policy wins for hoteliers nationwide. AHLA Executive Vice President of Federal Affairs and Policy Chirag Shah
About the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA)
The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) is the largest hotel association in America, representing more than 30,000 members from all segments of the industry nationwide – including iconic global brands, 80% of all franchised hotels, and the 16 largest hotel companies in the U.S. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., AHLA focuses on strategic advocacy, communications support, and workforce development programs to move the industry forward. Learn more at www.ahla.com.
