Movers & Shakers / In Passing

Movers and Shakers:

Brenda Moons

It is with great pleasure that we welcome Brenda Moons as Director of Operations, RCS Training. Brenda will join us June 1, bringing over 20 years of executive level experience in hospitality training sales, marketing and product development. She has successfully fostered high-level relationships with Fortune 500 companies, U.S. government agencies, and international government and educational institutions. She has overseen domestic and global sales efforts across five time zones, including offices in Beijing, Mumbai and Tunis. Brenda is highly experienced at closely engaging with her teams to monitor ever-shifting market demands and the competitive environment while working with internal stakeholders to ensure continual focus on organizational goals. Brenda’s background includes strategic planning, revenue and profitability responsibility, experience producing large online projects, management of multimedia teams, and operating under intense deadlines to ensure budget and profitability objectives were met. She enjoys growing long-term client relationships, and mentoring team members for professional growth and long-term organizational success. Brenda holds a B.S.B.A in production management from Florida Southern College, a certificate in interactive courseware development from the American Film Institute in Hollywood, California, and is a member of the Council of Hotel and Restaurant Trainers (CHART).

Welcome Nicolette Hoffman!

Nicolette Hoffman serves as the Legislative Analyst and Coordinator for FRLA’s Government Relations team. Hoffman creates and coordinates legislative and advocacy messaging, plans meetings and events, tracks and analyzes state and federal policy and legislation, and provides administrative support to the GR Team.

Prior to joining FRLA, Hoffman served as the Events and Marketing Coordinator for the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship, managing the Institute’s special events and implementing its marketing calendar. Hoffman served as Licensing and Marketing Manager for Citilabs. She has also held internships at the United States Senate Commerce Committee, The Hawthorn Group, a public affairs firm based in Washington, D.C., and Associated Industries of Florida. Hoffman is a member and spokesperson for the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America and received the Foundation’s 2017 Young Person of the Year Award. She holds a bachelor’s degree in public relations from the University of Florida. In her spare time, she enjoys outdoor activities including hiking and running.

Mary Rogers appointed General Manager of Montage Laguna Beach California

Mary Rogers has been appointed as the General Manager of the Montage Laguna Beach. With two decades of luxury hospitality industry experience, Rogers will oversee all day-to-day operations of the 30-acre beachfront sanctuary perched on a coastal bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

Rogers joins Montage Laguna Beach from Fontainebleau Miami Beach, where she was the first female general manager since the hotel’s opening in 1954 and was responsible for all operational components of the iconic resort. Rogers originally joined the Fontainebleau as vice president of operations, rooms in 2009 and was promoted to general manager in 2018.

Congratulations on this new endeavor. We will miss you, Mary!

In Passing: Denzil Noronha

Denzil Noronha, General Manager of the Holiday Inn Express & Suites was part of the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association’s Space Coast Board of Directors for the last 6 years, representing the industry he loved so much. He recently passed on and is survived by his wife, Freda Noronha and his children.

FRLA Regional Director Dannette Lynch noted “It’s not often that life brings us someone as special as him, and we are very grateful to have known and worked beside him. His love for life was second to none and his contagious smile touched so many during his lifelong tenure in the hospitality & cruise industry. Please keep his family and friends in your prayers, and may we pray that he has found comfort and peace.”

Godspeed, Denzil.