Description

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION
The Hawaii Lodging & Tourism Association (HLTA) serves as the statewide voice for Hawaii’s hotel and tourism industry. Its membership includes approximately 600 organizations, including roughly 175 hotels and more than 400 tourism-related businesses, allied organizations, and industry partners across the islands, united around a shared commitment to advocacy, education, workforce development, philanthropy, and a strong visitor industry.

HLTA’s community impact is highly visible through the Hawaii Hotel Industry Foundation (HHIF). Signature programs and events such as the Citizen-Scholar Awards, Charity Walk, Annual Scholarship Golf Fundraiser, scholarships, student recognition, mentoring, and other charitable efforts demonstrate the industry’s longstanding investment in Hawaii’s students, workforce, nonprofits, and communities.

HLTA is well positioned for its next chapter with committed membership, deep statewide relationships, a strong financial foundation, and a meaningful record of advocacy and community impact. The organization has an opportunity to further strengthen its focus on Hawaii’s hotel and tourism industry as a unified source of resources, advocacy, and member services, bringing the industry together around a clear, credible, and unified voice.

ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY
HLTA seeks a dynamic, credible, collaborative, and highly connected Executive Director to lead the organization into its next phase of growth and influence. Reporting to the Board of Directors, the Executive Director will provide strategic and operational leadership, strengthen financial and organizational performance, enhance member value, and advance the interests of Hawaii’s lodging and visitor industry. The next leader will have an opportunity to assess its structure, resources, staffing, technology, partnerships, and operating model while building on an established foundation.

Hawaii tourism is entering an important new chapter, shaped by evolving visitor expectations, workforce and economic pressures, changing politics, and growing attention to tourism’s impact on communities, infrastructure, and the environment. The Executive Director will serve as HLTA’s principal advocate with the State Legislature, Governor’s Office, county governments, agencies, elected officials, media, businesses, and community organizations. Success will require communicating tourism’s significant economic and community contributions, engaging effectively with community concerns, building coalitions around shared priorities, coordinating industry positions, and strengthening relationships with organizations including the Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau (HVCB), Hawaii Tourism Authority, and other public- and private-sector partners and peer organizations.

The Executive Director will work closely with the Board, staff, members, volunteers, and partners to strengthen organizational capabilities, enhance member value, expand engagement, and position HLTA for continued growth and influence. The Executive Director will have broad accountability for membership, advocacy, communications, events, education, partnerships, financial stewardship, and organizational strategy, while identifying new ways to deliver value and bring the industry together. The role also offers an opportunity to build on HLTA’s community impact through the Hawaii Hotel Industry Foundation’s scholarships, student recognition, Charity Walk, nonprofit support, and mentoring initiatives, elevating the story of the hospitality industry’s investment in Hawaii’s people, communities, and future.

The ideal candidate will be a senior leader with strong Hawaii knowledge and relationships, credibility in lodging, tourism, hospitality, business, government affairs, or a related field, and demonstrated success leading a team and working with elected officials, policymakers, industry leaders, community organizations, and Boards of Directors. Essential qualities include exceptional communication and public-speaking skills, coalition-building ability, strategic and political judgment, financial and operational acumen, relationship-building skills, diplomacy, resilience, consensus-building, and an entrepreneurial mentality. This leader will help shape the future of Hawaii’s visitor industry by positioning HLTA as a unifying force and leading voice for Hawaii’s lodging and tourism industry.

Requirements

HOW TO APPLY
Please submit the following, addressed to HLTA Search Committee, c/o Inkinen Executive Search, via email to executives@inkinen.com by October 9, 2026:

• Cover Letter – expressing the reason for your interest in HLTA, and how your skills and experience match the Executive Director role.
• Resume