From Gettysburg, Taryn Blake plans luxury events both across the United States and internationally. As founder and principal planner of Blake Events, Blake has spent 15 years building a firm that brings clients from across the United States and internationally to Adams County.

She leads a team of 21 women planners, driving creative vision alongside complex logistics and detailed budgets to deliver what she describes as “bold, highly personalized events that are both visually striking and seamlessly executed.”

The firm’s events welcome more than 20,000 annual guests that generate substantial economic activity for local venues, vendors, small businesses and hotels throughout the region. Beyond client work, Blake launched a vendor education program that has helped more than 60 event professionals strengthen their operations and scale their businesses — an effort rooted in a sense of obligation to the field that shaped her.

In his current role, Stephen Hess leads revenue strategy, oversees sales team performance, and drives business across corporate, group, and leisure segments while aligning closely with operations to ensure exceptional service delivery. He said his position is essential to the hotel’s success, since it directly influences occupancy, profitability, brand positioning, and long-term client relationships.

He has been in the industry 20 years and said his proudest accomplishment is building strong relationships with team members who’ve grown into management roles both at the Harrisburg Hilton and at other properties.

One of the challenges Hess sees in the industry is AI. “AI is influencing how guests choose where to stay and dine, shaping search results, reviews, and personalized recommendations that drive decision-making,” he said.

John Lawn has run Hershey Entertainment & Resorts as president and CEO since June 2017, overseeing a portfolio that spans Hersheypark, The Hotel Hershey, Hershey Lodge, the Hershey Bears American Hockey League franchise and GIANT Center in Hershey, Dauphin County.

He came up inside the organization, joining in 2004 as food and beverage director at Hersheypark before moving through assistant general manager, vice president of operations and chief operating officer before his elevation to the top post.

Before HE&R, Lawn worked major hospitality accounts at Yankee Stadium, FedEx Field and the Men’s US Open Championships. He sits on the boards of the Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC and the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry.

Joe Massaro serves as the president and CEO of both the PRLA and its educational foundation.

In his role, he leads efforts to promote, protect, educate, and advance Pennsylvania’s hospitality and tourism industries. The PRLA supports 26,000+ restaurants, 1,700 hotels, and tourism partners around the state through advocacy, workforce development, and member resources.

Massaro said one of the most rewarding parts of his 42-year career in hospitality has been helping team members advance in their careers.

“Now, through the PRLA Educational Foundation, we create those same opportunities at scale; expanding our high school curriculum program, ProStart; working with community based organizations on job skill training and launching apprenticeship pathways have opened doors to long-term, family-sustaining careers in hospitality while strengthening the state’s hospitality and tourism workforce”, he said.

The timing could not be better for Sharon Myers. As president and CEO of Visit Hershey & Harrisburg in Harrisburg, Myers is heading into 2026 — the nation’s 250th anniversary year — with Pennsylvania positioned to host the FIFA World Cup, the MLB All-Star Game, the NFL Draft and regional events including NINJA games, all of which she said represent a singular opportunity to show the world what the Commonwealth offers.

Myers brings 39 years of tourism and destination marketing experience to shaping the region’s competitive positioning and advocating for tourism’s measurable impact on jobs, tax revenue and the economic vitality of Dauphin County.

The internal work has been equally important to her over a career spent dismantling silos in favor of genuine team culture. “No one has to take on the world and know everything independently — together we succeed,” Myers said.

Justin Shelton is owner and CEO of Springwood Hospitality in York, bringing 34 years of hospitality experience to leading the company’s vision, strategy and growth across hotel development, ownership and management.

Shelton oversees acquisitions and new development, drives operational performance and maintains relationships with investors, lenders and brand partners — all while cultivating a culture that creates long-term value for associates, guests and communities.

His most meaningful accomplishment, he said, has been growing Springwood into a respected hotel development and management company built on strong, enduring partnerships and a consistent record of quality projects and operations. That community-centered approach extends to how the company invests in Central Pennsylvania, creating jobs and supporting local economies through each development.

Heidi Svonavec runs one of Pennsylvania’s largest public event venues — the 24-acre PA Farm Show Complex and Expo Center in Harrisburg, a facility that draws more than 1 million visitors each year.

With more than 25 years in show management, including 17 spent at the complex in roles spanning assistant director to show manager for commercial and special events, Svonavec has spent nearly 22 years with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.

A Somerset County native, she built much of her expertise on the complex’s own floor, overseeing the logistics of a venue that hosts the country’s largest indoor agricultural exposition.

Jeffrey S. Vasser is the president and CEO of Discover Lancaster, Lancaster County’s official destination marketing organization.

Vasser joined the organization May 5, 2025, bringing what sources describe as a multi-decade career in hospitality and tourism.

Before joining Discover Lancaster, he served as executive director of the New Jersey Division of Travel & Tourism beginning in 2018, directing marketing campaigns the organization said advanced the state’s tourism industry domestically and globally.

In February 2024, he received a national industry honor from a hospitality marketing organization. “I’m truly honored for the opportunity to promote such a special place like Lancaster County,” Vasser said in a statement announcing his appointment.