CUSA Has a Team of Professionals Ready To Serve You
Deborah Cannon
President
Ms. Cannon began with Hyatt Hotels and focused her career growth in the field of Sales and Marketing. From her start with Hyatt Hotels she progressed to Director of Sales and Marketing of the elegant Peabody Court Hotel in Baltimore. She then moved to Beaumont Hotels, as Regional Director of Sales and Marketing, and later Corporate Vice President of Marketing and Sales for Brookshire Hotels. She established her own company, Cannon & Associates, a full-service marketing company and later joined Cornerstone and served as its Vice President for over ten years. She then formed CUSA and serves as it's President. Ms. Cannon directs all hotel marketing and sales, and corporate contract development. Ms. Cannon's experience ranges from roadside, limited service inns and motels to full service convention and resort hotels.
Charles Taylor
Senior Operations Consultant
Mr. Taylor began his career with Hyatt Hotels Corporation working in four and five star hotels from 230 to 1200 rooms. Mr. Taylor accepted the position of Manager of the internationally recognized 1000 room Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C. after leaving Hyatt Hotels, and later the position of General Manager of the four star Whitehall Hotel for Lex Hotels of Great Britain. Joining Beaumont Hotels in 1979 as Regional Director, Mr. Taylor remained with Beaumont until 1986, at which time he became President and partner of the newly formed Brookshire Hotels. After five years of building Brookshire Hotels into a nationally recognized management company and completing a private placement with a Wall Street investment group, Mr. Taylor established Cornerstone Management & Development, a full service management company located in Columbia, Maryland.
Hotel Operations
Melissa Mancini
Vice President of Operations
Ms. Mancini joined CUSA at it's inception and is responsible for all operational and sales & marketing oversight of hotel properties. Ms. Mancini has an exceptionally diverse background including operational management, sales & marketing, human resources and training/systems implementation. She has worked with hotels from roadside inns to full service convention hotels and has both corporate and on-site operational experience. She has held a variety of positions from front office to sales to reservations to human resources to General Manager. She joined Brookshire Hotels in 1988 and was responsible for all sales systems and tracking programs. Ms. Mancini graduated from Towson State University with a degree in Marketing.
Ed Samson
Vice President & CFO
For the past twenty years Mr. Samson has been involved in real estate investment and property management operations with vast experience in accounting and finance, cash management, corporate strategic planning and analysis, portfolio development, syndications, limited partnerships, acquisition and disposition, asset management and real estate portfolio management. His experience has covered all aspects of property management and financial operations for multi-family, commercial, hotel, retail, conventionally financed, tax credit and affordable mortgage real estate. His responsibilities encompassed 25,000+ multi-family units and over 1 million square feet of commercial and retail properties. Prior to joining CUSA, Mr. Samson was the COO and CFO of at diverse national real estate investment and property management company. He has a Bachelor's degree in business with emphasis on Business Management and Finance and earned his Masters Degree (MBA) in Business Administration from Pepperdine University.
Paul Ehrlich
Director of Development
Mr. Ehrlich has associated with CUSA as our leasing manager and comes with a wealth of experience, having owned his own printing and graphics business, and worked in the real estate industry for many years leasing and managing multiple properties including retail, office, and medical space. Mr. Ehrlich is a licensed real estate agent in the State of Georgia and a member of the Atlanta Commercial Board of Realtors. a native from Atlanta, Paul attended the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting.
Hotel/Commercial Property Operations
Charles Hart
Director of Operations
Mr. Hart has over 20 years of operations management experience in both commercial and hospitality projects and is responsible for the oversight of operations in all CUSA hotel properties. Since joining CUSA in 2000, Mr. Hart has served in various roles for the company including the role of Regional Manager of Operations, as well as numerous managerial positions, including the General Manager of the Historic Boone Tavern Hotel and Restaurant in Berea, Kentucky. Mr. Hart has a solid background in Hotel operations, Sales and Marketing, Food and Beverage operations, hotel training, human resources, budgeting, front office, housekeeping, quality control and life and safety issues.
Dante Mancini
Quality Control Manager
Mr. Mancini has over 20 years experience in the service industry. His expertise includes: operations, sales & marketing, and risk management. Mr. Mancini has worked in Executive level positions for such fortune 500 companies as Pitney Bowes and Enterprise Rent-A-Car where he developed and implemented systems and programs to drive market share, customer loyalty, and bottom line profitability. Most recently, his tenure with Safeco Insurance developed and broadened his risk management skills, which have proven to be extremely valuable in his role as Quality Control Manager in identifying and eliminating potential Liability and Life Safety issues.
Louise Louthan
Human resources Manager & Hotel Operations Assistant
Ms. Louthan came to CUSA with Human Resources experience in both for-profit and non-profit companies. Using this varied experience, she manages the company’s benefits and takes an active role in our recruiting and employee relations functions. Ms. Louthan is the first point of contact for the hotel General Managers, assisting them with their day-to-day requests, and also assists with property openings and new transitions. An Atlanta native, Ms. Louthan graduated from Wake Forest University with a degree in English and a minor in Journalism.
Hotel/Commercial Property Sales, Marketing, & Leasing
Kimberly J. Houze
Regional Director of Sales and Marketing
Ms. Houze has over 15 years experience in the sales and marketing field. She began her career with Hilton Hotels Corporation, working there for ten years, then moving to Intercontinental Hotels. Her experience ranges from full service hotels, resort properties, convention centers, and limited service hotels. She is also well versed in catering, food and beverage, revenue, and yield management. Ms. Houxe is a graduate of the University of Florida with a degree in Journalism and Public Relations and a minor in Business. She has worked on numerous Hospitality Organizations, Chambers of Commerce, and Convention Organizations and Visitor's Bureaus.
Mark Stockwell
Leasing Director, Atlanta Properties
Mr. Stockwell brings over 20 years of real estate experience to the CUSA team as he heads up the leasing initiatives for our commercial properties. His experience is weighted heavily in the office and retail sectors, but Mr. Stockwell has also handled land and industrial real estate and completed over 100 transactions on behalf of wireless carriers. During his career, Mr. Stockwell has been a Director of Real Estate handling lease portfolios for large corporate firms as well as a Leasing Agent, Property Manager, and Transaction Manager. Prior to entering real estate, he was also in Sales and Marketing for a division of Armstrong World Industries and AT&T Media Services. Mr. Stockwell has a B.S. in Marketing from The University of Tennessee and is a licensed real estate agent in the State of Georgia.
Commercial/Office Financial/Accounting
Suzanne Richards
Accounting Manager
Ms. Richards has 23 years of accounting experience in both hospitality and real estate. She worked at the Hyatt Suites in accounting for 12 years before her most recent position at Sunshine Mortgage company. Ms. Richards has worked in many aspects of accounting including accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, and assisting the controller. She utilizes this experience to manage our Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable for CUSA’s hotels and Corporate office in addition to assisting in various other accounting functions.