USAE
THE WEEKLY COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER OF ASSOCIATIONS, CVBs AND HOTELS V O L U M E 4 4 , I S S U E 1 1
MARCH 9, 2026
North Dakota’s Beulah CVB Has Gaming License Revoked Attorney General Claims Unlawful Actions By Jonathan Trager
At the Annual Tourism Day at the Capitol on March 5, the Georgia Association of Convention & Visitors Bureaus (GACVB) presented a ceremonial $5.1 billion check to Gov. Brian Kemp (holding check, center left) and First Lady Marty Kemp (holding check, far left), underscoring the powerful economic impact of Georgia’s tourism industry. GACVB President & CEO Amanda Dyson-Thornton (holding check, center) and more than 200 tourism industry professionals from across the state, including elected officials, Georgia Rivers, Georgia Grown, the Entertainment Tourism Alliance of Georgia, and the Georgia Hotel and Lodging Association were in attendance.
Wyndham Appoints Amit Sripathi as CFO
By Jordan Bradley
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts has appointed Amit Sripathi as the company’s new Chief Financial Officer, the company announced on March 3. Sripathi moves to the role from the position of Chief Development Officer of North America and succeeds Kurt Albert, who served as Interim CFO since November last year. Sripathi joined Wyndham in 2021. During his time with the compa-
ny, Sripathi has “helped Wyndham achieve 20 consecutive quarters of organic net room growth and oversaw the divestiture of the Company’s owned hotels,” Wyndham said. Wyndham also said Sripathi brought “significant operation and finance experience” from previous roles throughout the hospitality sector when he joined Wyndham. Prior to joining Wyndham, he held roles at RLJ Lodging Trust, where he was responsible for capital markets
Registration Opens for ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition in Indianapolis By Todd McElwee Registration is now live for the 2026 ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition in Indianapolis. ASAE’s signature event will take place August 15–18. “This is a moment when association professionals aren’t just responding to change—they have the chance to shape what comes next,” said Michelle Mason, FASAE, CAE, President & CEO, ASAE. “The 2026 ASAE Annual Meeting is built to help them do just
that, equipping them with the ideas, relationships, and momentum to steer the future of their organizations, and with our outstanding partners at Visit Indy, we’re committed to delivering an experience that truly moves the needle.” ASAE said the 2026 theme, Driven by Purpose, reflects both the moment facing associations and the spirit of the host destination. In collaboration with Visit Indy and partners across the city, ASAE said it Please turn to page 5
and corporate finance, and Deutsche Bank, a real estate, lodging and gaming investment group. “Wyndham is a truly unique company with an asset-light franchise business model that consistently delivers for its owners and shareholders,” said Sripathi. Sripathi said he is looking forward to driving “enhanced value creation” at Wyndham and to build on the company’s “Count on Me” culture to benefit owners and shareholders.
Inside
Page 3 Page 4 Louisville Hotel Partnership Makes $75K Pledge to University Page 5 Travel Associations Launch “Pay Federal Aviation Workers” Campaign Page 6 D.C.’s Dupont Circle Hotel Hosting Irish Heritage Month Page 7 ASAE Moves Into New D.C. Office
The North Dakota Office of Attorney General Drew Wrigley has slapped a $50,000 fine on the Beulah CVB and revoked its gaming license after an investigation revealed multiple violations of state gaming laws and regulations. CVBs in the state can conduct charitable gaming—legally run games of chance for charitable purposes—if they’re registered as nonprofits and hold a valid state gaming license. The Attorney General’s Gaming Division announced on March 2 the Beulah CVB had engaged in practices that didn’t comply with North Dakota gaming requirements, including misrepresentation of financial distributions, improper transfers of net proceeds, and inaccurate reporting on official documents. “Gaming organizations in North Dakota must follow strict rules, and it’s our responsibility to enforce them
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Women Leading the Way: Meet Chicago Northwest’s Heather Larson By Jordan Bradley Heather Larson, CDME, CMP, President and CEO of Meet Chicago Northwest—which encompasses the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, the site of a proposed new stadium home for the Chicago Bears—maintains a wide scope of vision for the organization and the region’s development. Still, she knows that headlines are sparking new strands of conversation re-
garding the project all year. “I imagine you’re going to want to talk about the Chicago Bears,” Larson said when she sat down for this edition of USAE’s Women Leading the Way column. Yes, we do. The Arlington Heights Chicago Bears Dome Stadium project has been in the works since the team bought a parcel of land in February 2023. But any decent sports fan knows that the public discourse around the team’s move Please turn to page 8