The Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) continues to fill out its executive team at the close of 2018 with a pair of key appointments.
Karen Hughes has been named the HTA's vice president of marketing, moving over from her position as vice president of Meet Hawaii and travel industry partnerships for the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau.
Keith Regan has taken the position of chief administrative officer, joining the HTA from his most recent role as managing director for the County of Maui, where he's lived for the last 22 years.
Both Hughes and Regan will start in their new positions on Dec. 17. Earlier in December the HTA announced former Marriott executive Chris Tatum as the new president and CEO after a four-month search.
"With Keith Regan and Karen Hughes joining Chris Tatum, we have an outstanding executive team in place to lead HTA in doing the critically important work of supporting the Hawaii brand, marketing travel to the Hawaiian Islands, and managing tourism for the state of Hawaii," HTA board chairman Rick Fried said in a statement announcing the appointments.
As vice president of marketing and product development, Hughes will oversee HTA's programs to support Hawaii tourism, including tourism marketing strategy and planning, tourism industry research, development of new experiences, and the administration and coordinated promotion of all tourism programs supporting leisure and group travel. Hughes boasts more than two decades of tourism sales and marketing experience, including five years as regional vice president of sales and marketing in Hawaii for Starwood Hotels and Resorts.
Regan, as chief administrative officer, will be responsible for overseeing HTA's operations, including administrative and fiscal management, and supervising the budget and operations of the Hawaii Convention Center.
Former COO Randy Baldemor resigned
in March and former chief marketing officer Leslie Dance stepped down in
May. The tenure of HTA president and CEO George D.
Szigeti ended at the close of October.