USAE
THE WEEKLY COMMUNITY NEWS OF ASSOCIATIONS, CVBs AND HOTELS
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Judge Sets Hearing Date for Fate of Historic W.V. Hotel U.S. Senator Battling Texas Billionaire By Jordan Bradley
The National Coalition of Black Meeting Professionals (NCBMP) held its inaugural Kermit J. Hall Leadership Summit at the J.W. Marriott Clearwater Beach from April 22–24. Shown here (left to right): Kevin L. S. Richardson, Chair, National Coalition of Black Meeting Professionals; Clearwater Mayor Bruce Rector; and Jason Dunn, CEO, National Coalition of Black Meeting Professionals.
ASAE Names Four Leaders as Fellows
By Todd McElwee
ASAE announced the selection of four distinguished association leaders as the 2026 Class of ASAE Fellows—an honor the association said recognizes exemplary leadership and enduring contributions to the association profession. Rebecca Achurch, AAiP, CAE, Achurch Consulting; Laurie Kulikosky, CAE, CEO, Children and Adults with
ADHD (CHADD); Magdalena Nowicka-Mook, CEO-ICF, Associations International; and Diana Tucker, CAE, COO, Global Aerosol Recycling Association, join a group of more than 300 professionals who have received the designation. The ASAE Fellows designation is one of those honors that makes you look back and look forward at the same time,” Achurch told USAE. For me, it’s a reflection of 30 years of
Signia by Hilton Indianapolis Opens Reservations Book By Jordan Bradley The Signia by Hilton Indianapolis has opened its reservations book for stays beginning on February 1, 2027, Hilton announced on April 21. The 800-room hotel is the first from Hilton’s Signia brand to open in Indiana, and it will be the newest headquarters hotel at the Indiana Convention Center. Along with its direct access to the convention cen-
ter via skywalk, the Signia by Hilton Indianapolis “will also offer convenient access to Lucas Oil Stadium and Gainbridge Fieldhouse, placing guests at the center of the city’s premier sports, entertainment, and convention destinations,” Hilton said. “With reservations now live, Signia by Hilton Indianapolis is one step closer to welcoming guests and locals to a hotel designed Please turn to page 5
believing that when we share what we know freely, everyone gets further faster. What excites me most is the opportunity to give back to the community and engage with the next generation of association leaders to help ensure the profession is even stronger for those who come after us. The four professionals will be inducted at the 2026 ASAE Fellows Retreat from May 4–6 in Baltimore.
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Pageb 2 WorldHotels Launches New Outdoor Brand Collection Backdrop Page 3 Business Event’s Industry Week Featuring Eclectic Social Slate Page 4 Judge Rules N.C. Hotel Must Face Allegations of Discrimination, Retaliation Page 5 Industry Movers Page 7 Final Word: A Warning to the Travel Industry: The Next TSA Paycheck Cliff Is Weeks Away
A federal judge has set a date early next month for an evidentiary hearing that will decide the next chapter of the historic Greenbrier Hotel in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. The hotel is at the center of a contentious legal battle between its owners, U.S. Sen. Jim Justice, who was also the former governor of West Virginia, and the company holding its debt, TRT Holdings, owned by Texas billionaire Robert Rowling. Justice and his family-led collection of businesses, Justice Family Group, LLC, have owned the Greenbrier since 2009, when the family purchased the property for approximately $20 million. However, records show the resort has millions in outstanding debt in recent years, including tax liens on unpaid taxes in the amount of $2.36 million filed by the West Virginia Tax Division and more than $8 million filed by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, both filed in October 2025.
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Man Receives 60-Year Sentence for Indy Convention Center Murder By Jonathan Trager
Brian Fulton, who was co nv i c te d of k i l l i n g a co-worker inside the Indiana Convention Center, was sentenced on April 22 to 60 years in prison in a case prosecutors described as a random and brutal workplace attack. Fulton, 34, received what Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears called an “effective life sentence” for the
murder of 58-year-old Al Gosnell, a sound and lighting technician at the downtown Indianapolis venue. A jury found Fulton guilty of murder in March following a brief trial that included surveillance footage and witness testimony placing him at the scene. Gosnell was attacked on September 11, 2024, while working inside the convention center. Evidence Please turn to page 4