AS vice president of industry and stakeholder engagement for the AHLA Foundation, the charitable arm of the American Hotel & Lodging Association, Jennifer Clark Fugolo is at the forefront of driving change and fostering a culture of belonging within the hotel industry.
Jennifer oversees development of the foundation’s diversity, equality and inclusion programs. She also focuses on engaging people steeped in the hotel industry to learn about and support the foundation’s efforts.
In late 2023, Jennifer assumed the responsibility to expand and strengthen ForWard, an industrywide initiative to advance women leaders through community building, events, professional development opportunities and strategic partnerships.
Launched in 2018, ForWard’s annual conference is the program's pinnacle event. It gives attendees opportunities to hear from hospitality industry leaders, learn and grow with tailored sessions and network with peers. The 2024 ForWard conference in May attracted nearly 1,000 attendees. The turnout showcased Jennifer’s ability to galvanize industrywide participation.
The conference’s theme “Right the Narrative” focused on the power of storytelling in amplifying women's voices in the hospitality industry. Besides that, the foundation took its mission a step further and launched the “Move Hospitality ForWard” campaign, a six-week fundraising initiative to support women in the industry.
Jennifer’s path to leadership has been shaped by diverse experiences and a commitment to continuous learning. She grew up in a multicultural family that influenced her understanding of the world and helped shape her empathetic leadership style.
“I am biracial. My mom is from North Dakota and grew up on a farm, one of nine, and my dad is from the projects of Trenton, N.J. So, very different lived experiences, and I think that really shaped me and how I look at the world, how I empathize with others, and pick up on the little things, those little connections,” she has said.
From an early age, she was open to new opportunities and challenges. After finishing her undergraduate degree in journalism from the University of Maryland, College Park, she was working at a TV station but wanted to switch careers. There was an opening as administrative assistant at the global public relations and marketing agency FleishmanHillar in Atlanta. Jennifer saw it as an opportunity to get her foot in the door.
“I jumped at it because I saw the long-term payoff,” she said in an interview with DEI Advisors, a non-profit. This decision proved fruitful, as it allowed her to absorb valuable insights from industry leaders and develop a nuanced understanding of client relations and crisis management. “You never know where life will take you, so be open to opportunities,” she added.
It’s this mindset that propelled her through various roles in communications, DEI, and stakeholder engagement, ultimately leading her to the AHLA Foundation. At FleishmanHillard, she served a range of non-profit, government and corporate clients before moving to Sunrise Senior Living where she was a senior director, leading the company's corporate communications. In this role, Jennifer managed crisis and reputation management, employee communications, executive visibility, and various aspects of external communications. Notably, she architected the company's DEI roadmap and introduced new approaches to employee engagement through a DEI lens.
Her leadership philosophy is anchored in authenticity, ethics and continuous improvement.
“My true north will always come down to ethics. I think I'm very driven by that, particularly if we think about speaking up for others, righting wrongs, equity; and that's just ingrained in me,” she has said. “Overcoming obstacles is about reminding yourself that no one is perfect, and nothing is perfect, so accepting this idea of continuous improvement is really important as a leader.”
Jennifer stresses the importance of staying current with industry trends and leadership practices.
“I spend about 10 minutes every day reading the e-newsletter from Harvard Business Review and then a couple other consultancy firms that focus on leadership and how to do that from an inclusive lens, and the impact on the business,” she has said.
Her personal mantra of “Love yourself, mix it up, and keep it moving” encapsulates her philosophy on personal and professional growth.
“It starts with loving yourself, knowing yourself, celebrating those wins, recognizing what makes you special,” Jennifer explained. “Mix it up is a challenge to myself in the vein of DEI to ensure that I am continuing to grow, that I am forcing myself to be exposed to new ideas, to different people, to new content. Then keep it moving is, there are going to be those bumps in the road and you just got to keep it moving.”
In addition to her role at the AHLA Foundation, Jennifer is involved in boards and nonprofit organizations. She is treasurer on the board of Alliance for Hospitality Equity and Diversity, which focuses on catalyzing hospitality DEI action through a multifaceted approach, including recruitment, scholarship, advocacy, mentorship and partnership.
This involvement stems from a genuine desire to give back to the community. “I will reiterate and put an exclamation point on I want to give back. I think that's why everybody gets involved in nonprofits and boards. They also have that self-awareness where they know that they can contribute positively to the mission or to the bottom line.”
Her advice to others, particularly young professionals, is simple but powerful: “Keep learning. Challenge yourself to keep learning ... the more you know about lived experiences, other ways to approach things, being open to getting to an end goal. Maybe the way you get there is different than how you thought – that is what is going to propel you forward and lead you to success.”
