Stacey Nadolny joined Wyndham Hotels & Resorts as the Senior Vice President of Full-Service and Lifestyle brands, responsible for U.S., Canada, and Caribbean markets. Prior to joining WH&R, Stacey spent 16 years at HVS overseeing the Consulting and Valuation practice across the Midwest Region. While at HVS, she consulted on over 2,500 hotel projects, assisting developers with feasibility and market studies and advising owners across the country. She is a graduate of Cornell's School of Hotel Administration and has been working in the hospitality industry since age 12 when she started bussing tables at the restaurant where her mother worked. Stacey is very active in promoting women in hospitality, involved with the Castell Project, AHLA's ForWard, and Wyndham's Women Own the Room.

Vamsi Bonthala is Chief Executive Officer of Arbor Lodging Partners, an award-winning

national hotel investment firm that he co-founded. In this role, Vamsi leads all company

activities including general corporate strategy, investor relations, strategic relationships,

acquisitions, dispositions, and asset management. Vamsi has led all efforts related to

approximately $1 billion of transaction volume since the inception of Arbor Lodging Partners.

Vamsi is also co-founder and Principal of Arbor Lodging Management, the management affiliate

of Arbor Lodging Partners, which has been named one of the nation’s top hotel companies

multiple times by Hotel Management Magazine. Prior to co-founding Arbor Lodging Partners,

Vamsi practiced law in the Private Equity group of Kirkland & Ellis LLP and the Real Estate

group of Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP.

Vamsi earned his AB in Economics and Political Science from the University of Michigan,

where he received Class Honors and University Honors. Vamsi earned his JD from the

University of Michigan Law School, where he was an Associate Editor of the Michigan Journal

of International Law.

Vamsi has been a speaker at numerous industry events and is a member of the Young Presidents

Organization (YPO), the Economic Club of Chicago, and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

Vamsi was recently selected as an Emerging Leader by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs

and recognized as one of Real Estate Forum Magazine’s 50 Under 40 of 2015.

While at Oxford Capital Group, LLC, Mr. Peruri has been involved in over $1 billion of new investments. Mr. Peruri is involved in all facets of the business including investor relations, project design/concepting, construction, property operations, deal origination, acquisitions underwriting, due diligence coordination and project financing. He is responsible for investment opportunities across the real estate spectrum and also in the corporate private equity area.

Prior to joining Oxford Capital Group, LLC, Mr. Peruri worked in acquisitions and asset management at Equity International focused primarily on real estate related platform investments in South America and Asia. Mr. Peruri began his career working in the investment banking division of Morgan Stanley and completed the analyst training program.

Mr. Peruri graduated with an M.B.A. in Finance and Real Estate from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, was a recipient of the Pension Real Estate Association Scholarship and the Robert Toigo Fellowship, and served as teaching assistant to Professor Jeremy Siegel. He also holds a B.S. in Finance from the College of Business at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, graduating with Highest Honors and awarded the Bronze Tablet, and completed the yearlong General Course program at the London School of Economics.

Jon Peck is the President of Peck Hotel Consulting- a Chicago based hotel consultingfirm specializing in hotel development, redevelopment and asset management.

Peck is the former Chief Operating Officer for White Lodging. In this role, he was

responsible for the day-to-day operation of 155 hotels in 23 states. Prior to his time

with White Lodging, Jon was a multi time award winning General Manager and

Director of Sales and Marketing with Marriott International and has been involved

in more than 70 hotel openings throughout his career.

Jon Holds a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame

and a B.S. in Marketing from the University of West Florida. He is one of 60 Certified

Hospitality Asset Managers in the world.

He has personally invested in more than 20 hotel projects, which gives him a clear

owner’s perspective of the hotel business.

Chris Chiero has led the Illinois operating company for USI since 2013. He has over 30 years of experience in the commercial insurance sector. Chris brings extensive technical coverage expertise to the risk management process. Chris has done several public speaking engagements-most recently of note: World Safety Conference – Orlando, FL (Fire Prevention), REBEX Conference – Chicago, IL (Business Continuity), the Milwaukee RIMS Chapter Luncheon Series (Proactive Risk Management), the Treasury Management Association of Chicago annual board meeting, and three times at the Windy City Summit-Chicago, IL (Business Interruption & Educated Insurance Buying).

Ryan’s unique background begins with a degree in musical theatre, followed by a ten-year

career in the performing arts in New York and across the country. Following a stint in the

National Tour of the West End’s version of The Wizard of Oz, Ryan began a career in

professional sports by joining The MLB Fan Cave as one of two original co-hosts for Major

League Baseball’s foray into digital content creation. In 2012, Ryan joined his hometown

Baltimore Orioles, beginning a ten-year stint as the public address announcer at Baltimore’s

Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

In 2017, Ryan joined the Guinness team as one of nine Guinness Brewery Ambassadors in the

US. After assisting in the opening and operation of the Guinness Open Gate Brewery in

Baltimore from 2017 – 2022, Ryan is thrilled to have relocated to Chicago to take over as the

Head of Marketing and Community Partnerships for the new Chicago Open Gate Brewery, while

continuing on as Guinness’s National Ambassador for the United States.

Ryan lives in Wicker Park with his wife, Amy, and rescue pitbull, Otis. In his free time, he enjoys

exploring Chicago’s immense food and drink scene, continuing his quest to find the perfect dive

bar, and still dabbling in musical theatre performance and voice over, whenever the

opportunity presents itself.

Karen Herold, designer, creator, entrepreneur. The Amsterdam-born designer has spent the last

two decades turning clients’ dreams into reality nationwide. Herold founded Studio K Creative, a

multidisciplinary creative house in Chicago, and now leads a team of 15 designers. The

designer and business owner has an expansive portfolio of national award-winning projects with

highly anticipated openings on the horizon.

The imaginative and forward-thinking design culture of Studio K Creative is strategically led by

Herold. She has dedicated her career to evoking design storytelling through every inch of her

projects. With a large growing team, she guides the group to create design moments which are

unforgettable, approachable, and bespoke for each client.

Senior Superintendent Brian Cosgrove joined Clune Construction in 2018 and has since grown

to be an invaluable member of Clune’s field team. With a career spanning 28-years in the

industry, Brian has 10-years’ of experience building out high-end hospitality spaces throughout

the Chicago area. He is an expert at guiding teams through difficult situations, ensuring project

success.

The foundation of Brian’s career was deeply influenced by his family, as his father worked as a

general contractor for over 50-years. Prior to his tenure at Clune, Brian's path in construction

began with framing residential homes. Subsequently, it evolved as he transitioned to

commercial construction, working his way up through the ranks.

In his role, Brian confronts the challenge of gaining the trust and respect of trade partners while

fostering a collaborative and positive work environment. In the industry, Brian is known for

running exceptional projects, being a reliable and diligent partner, and making sound decisions.

Beyond his professional pursuits, Brian remains actively engaged in the community by

supporting high school booster programs and participating in the ACE Chicago Mentor Program,

demonstrating his commitment to both the industry and the local community.

Rick Joutras is a part of the influential leadership team at Whitney Architects in Chicago, IL. His broad

role is pivotal to the firm, overseeing daily operations and managing diverse, multi-market projects.

Rick's involvement spans the entire project spectrum, from initial planning and innovative design

development to execution, ensuring each project embodies the firm's dedication to pioneering solutions

and superior quality on behalf of its clients.

His collaborative approach with architects, engineers, and design teams is instrumental in evolving

project designs from initial concepts to polished realities. Rick provides strategic insights in aligning

these designs with client aspirations, industry benchmarks, and the core values of Whitney Architects.

He is actively engaged in the iterative design process and is instrumental in guiding concepts to fruition.

Rick's educational background is a testament to his multifaceted expertise and skillset. He holds a

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Industrial Design and a Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Psychology from the

University of Michigan Ann Arbor. His academic journey also includes an Associate Degree in Culinary

Arts from Kendall College, Evanston, IL, adding a unique dimension to his professional profile.

In addition to his substantial contributions at Whitney Architects, Rick excels as a Design Director at

Qdesign in Chicago. His furniture and product design prowess has garnered widespread recognition,

evidenced by multiple NeoCon awards, an IIDA RED Award, and a HiP Award.

At Whitney Architects, Rick has a vital role, leveraging his varied educational background and years of

professional experience to contribute significantly to the firm's achievements in architecture and design.

One of Clune Construction’s most tenured Project Executives, Chris Redpath, has spent his

entire career with the company. He started with Clune as an Intern in the Fall of 1992 and was

hired as an Assistant Project Manager upon his graduation from Purdue University in 1993.

Chris got his start in construction even earlier than that, when he spent his summers on house

framing crews in Chicago’s western suburbs.

Today, he leads Clune’s airport and hospitality divisions in the Chicago area and has helped the

firm become a trusted leader for these complex projects. Chris has earned a reputation in the

construction industry for maintaining a steady demeanor and taking time to thoughtfully evaluate

each challenge when it arises.

In addition to applying his vast industry knowledge to his projects, Chris also enjoys passing on

what he knows to those who are coming up in the industry. He describes the most gratifying part

of his job as seeing the many Clune employees that he mentored rising through the company’s

ranks to reach their own success.

Chris serves on the Board of Directors of the ACE Mentorship Program in Chicago and as co-

chair of the organization’s Fundraising committee. He is also on the Construction Management

Advisory Committee for the College of DuPage.

As president and COO, Jon supports the expansion of Ballyhoo and is an integral part of everything from concept development to operations. He has a proven track record in the industry, having led restaurant groups from LA to Chicago. He was part of the visionary team that brought the Ballyhoo brand to life and brings a particular focus on establishing key partnerships that serve as the foundation for current and future growth. Jon has known Ryan and Anna for over a decade and worked with them early on at flagship restaurant Gemini. He lives in Chicago with his family.

Ballyhoo Hospitality is pleased to have Brendan McCarthy as Vice President and CMO. In this role, Brendan leads corporate initiatives for Ballyhoo Hospitality Management while supporting human resources, accounting, and marketing strategies to strengthen the company's growing portfolio of award-winning restaurants.

McCarthy works closely with Ballyhoo Hospitality COO Jon Farrer and comes to Ballyhoo Hospitality from KemperSports, the golf and resort hospitality management company where he served as National Director of Marketing, Sales and Revenue Management. Prior to that, he held multiple leadership roles with Vail Resorts, the premier mountain resort company in the world and a leader in luxury, where he developed and launched new guest experiences. His hospitality expertise ranges from brand development to human resource management.