ATLANTA—AAHOA announced that President and CEO Ken Greene will leave the organization in February to pursue another opportunity. The AAHOA Board of Directors will immediately begin its search for his replacement. Greene was brought on as interim president and CEO in June of 2021 and dropped the interim title in September. Greene is leaving AAHOA for another career opportunity with IBF Hospitality, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and his last day at AAHOA will be February 11, 2022.
“Ken has been instrumental in carrying AAHOA through the past several months, which brought on a lot of change both at AAHOA and in our industry,” said AAHOA Chair Vinay Patel. “We’re grateful for the time he’s spent at AAHOA and wish him nothing but continued success as he transitions to another opportunity.”
While at AAHOA, Greene oversaw the association’s return to in-person events, helped the organization build upon its strategic plan, and made strategic hiring decisions—impacting company culture that will last well beyond his tenure at AAHOA.
“When I made the decision to come on board at AAHOA, I came with every intention of helping carry the great tradition of the association,” Greene said. “If it weren’t for this career-changing opportunity with IBF Hospitality, I would not be leaving this great organization. At IBF, I will be focused on potential acquisitions and building ou a hospitality REIT.”
Since June 2021, Greene invested much of his time and resources into restaffing the organization, after several key departures presented an opportunity to strengthen the culture to focus on member priorities.
“We now have an incredibly strong and capable leadership team in place at AAHOA, and I know they’ll all continue to lead the organization through this transitional time,” Patel said. “I want to thank Ken for all he has done for the association and our members during what has been a period of transition at AAHOA. Because of his efforts in building out our new Executive Leadership Team, AAHOA will not miss a beat as we continue to prepare for another record-breaking year, including our 2022 AAHOA Convention & Trade Show in Baltimore.”
“I’ve found my time spent at AAHOA invaluable, and I’m grateful to our incredible team, Officers, Board, members, and vendor partners for their support,” Greene said. “I would like to thank Vinay Patel, Chairman of AAHOA, for his leadership. I look forward to continuing to work with the AAHOA community in my new role with IBF, very much similar to my last 20 years spent in this great industry.”
