ATLANTA, June 13, 2019—Castell Project, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the careers of women professionals in the hospitality industry, today announced that it has added three members to its board of directors: Fern Kanter, managing director and EVP, CHMWarnick; Catherine E. Morgen, partner, Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP; and Kirk Kinsell, principal, Panther Ridge Partners, LLC.

“As the Castell Project continues to expand its mission to help advance women within the hospitality industry, we have added three very well recognized industry names to our board of directors,” said Peggy Berg, president, Castell Project, Inc.  “Between Fern, Catherine and Kirk, we have gained true leaders with myriad connections and exceptional knowledge and experience throughout all aspects of the industry.  Each has demonstrated a commitment to our goals, and we have no doubt they will help shape our course for the better moving forward.”

Fern Kanter

With nearly 40 years of hospitality industry experience, Kanter currently serves as managing director and executive vice-president at CHMWarnick, the leading hotel asset management and owner advisory services company.  Her experience spans many facets of hotel operation and investment, with proven expertise in strategic planning, acquisition/investment and development programming for existing and planned visitor-based real estate.  Kanter continues to oversee the on-going development of a Business Intelligence platform for CHMW using the data to identify opportunities to improve hotel performance and asset value for hotel owners.  She received her master’s in business administration from University of Miami and her Bachelor of Arts from SUNY-Albany.  Kanter has been instrumental in promoting gender diversity within her company and throughout the industry, particularly within the field of hotel asset management.  She has championed multiple women to participate in the Castell Program, served as the former chair of Urban Land Institute’s Women’s Leadership Initiative for New England and is actively involved with several universities and colleges supporting the integration of gender-based training for hospitality professionals.  In 2018, Kanter was named one of Hotel Management’s 30 Most Influential Women in Hospitality.

Kirk Kinsell

Prior to his current role with Panther Ridge Partners, LLC, a private investment and advisory group, Kinsell was president and CEO for Loews Hotels.  Before that, he spent 19 years with InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), holding several leadership positions, including president, Americas; president, Europe, Middle East, and Africa; and, served as an executive director for IHG, PLC.  He also serves on the board of directors for the Georgia Aquarium and is a board advisor to Emadri and HP Hotels. Additionally, he is vice-chair and trustee for the AH&LA Educational Foundation.  Kinsell holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from the University of California, San Diego and a Master of Professional Studies degree from the Cornell University, School of Hotel Administration (SHA).  Kinsell also completed the Senior Executive Program at the London Business School.

Catherine E. Morgen

Morgen concentrates her practice on the representation of real estate clients engaged in the acquisition, development, leasing and disposition of commercial real estate.  She is experienced handling large multi-state transactions, hospitality properties, office, medical and industrial leasing, as well as complex restrictive covenant and easement transactions that deal with the operational aspects of projects which rely on shared facilities and amenities and fractional ownership structure transactions.  She has significant history representing developers, owners and managers of hotel properties in  effecting acquisitions, dispositions and mergers, developing their properties, structuring and negotiating operating and management agreements, arranging financing, reviewing franchise agreements and leasing. Morgen has written and spoken on a variety of real estate matters including easements, development and leasing.  She graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts from Florida State University and received her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Virginia School of Law.

ABOUT THE CASTELL PROJECT

Castell Project, Inc. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to the advancement of women to the highest levels within the hospitality industry.  With support from industry partners, Castell delivers impactful leadership development for talented, high potential women, including a workshop with professional trainers specialized in developing women executives, ongoing training and networking opportunities and performance metrics tracked by Georgia State University, an academic partner to Castell Project.  Castell Project also delivers innovative research on diversity in the hospitality industry.