DEI Advisors Podcast

Ashli Johnson, Executive Director, Marriott - Sorenson Center for Hospitality Leadership, Howard University

March 18, 2023 David Kong
DEI Advisors Podcast
Ashli Johnson, Executive Director, Marriott - Sorenson Center for Hospitality Leadership, Howard University
Show Notes Transcript

Ashli discusses having a plan for your career and how to find your voice and advocate for yourself.  As the inaugural Executive Director of the Marriott-Sorenson Center for Hospitality Leadership at Howard University, she explains one of the reasons black enrollment in hospitality programs has been low, and what her future plans are for Howard’s hospitality program.  She also encourages women and minorities not to delay, but to “just get to it” as there is “Power in Now.”  Her final advice is a challenge to young people:  whatever it is you want to pursue . . . 10X it!

Lan Elliott:

Hello and welcome to D E I Advisors. My name is Lan Elliot on behalf of D E I advisors, and I'm really thrilled today to welcome Ashli Johnson to our program. Ashli was recently appointed as the first executive director of Howard University's newly created Marriott Sorenson Center for Hospitality Leadership. Welcome,

Ashli Johnson:

Ashli. Thank you so much for having me Lan. Good to see. Thank you. Good to see you too.

Lan Elliott:

So I wanted to start, at the beginning of your career. And I know you let me describe a little bit about your current role. You've had a number of roles as a hospitality educator and you've been an equity and inclusion champion along the way. That's how I got to know you and your newest role is really exciting. Establishing Howard University's first ever hospitality program, which was founded. Honor of the late Arne Sorenson, Marriott International's, former c e o. And Howard University is really one of the most prestigious HBCUs or historically black colleges and universities in the United States. Yeah. And so I think with DC being such a hub for hospitality companies, it's about time that we had a great program at Howard University. I'm so thrilled that they appointed you to start the program and establish it. But can you share a little bit about your journey? Factors that contributed to your success along the.

Ashli Johnson:

Yeah, absolutely. So I have really been honored. I counted as a privilege to have known that this was the industry for me for a very long time. I grew up in a military family. My father is a retired Marine Corps officer. And in the latter part of his career, his m o s was food service. And I think the hospitality bug bit, not only myself, but also my older brother and so we both work in the business now, so I always knew that I wanted to do something in hospitality. And so that is what started carving out my pathway in hospitality. And so I studied hospitality resort in spa management at the University of West Florida in Pensacola, Florida. And I think early on in my career what was most beneficial to me was just saying yes to opportunities that presented themselves. And whenever there was an opportunity on campus we had guest speakers. If there was an opportunity to travel to a conference, I was always saying yes. To that. And that really afforded me the opportunity to be in rooms that a lot of young people were not finding themselves in particularly at that time. And I would say certainly saying yes to opportunities that presented themselves, but I also sought out learning opportunities. not only beyond the classroom, but also beyond my employer. And even once I was working full-time in industry, of course there are a plethora of resources likely made available to most folks through their human resource training and development departments. I was leveraging not only those resources, but I was also always looking out in industry for additional resources. So I didn't. Affordability stopped me. If I needed to save up money to make an investment in myself, to attend a conference or to be able to afford a certification I was gonna make it happen one way or another. And I would also say equally as important as those first two points is cultivating the right relationships. I made it a point to not just collect business cards starting early on in in my career. I wanted to make sure that I was. Being intentional about connecting with people, about adding value to whatever the relationship was or what it could be. And always made it a point to keep in touch with people even when I didn't need something from them. And so that served me well.

Lan Elliott:

That's wonderful. Saying yes to opportunities and just really understanding and being intentional about networking from a really young age. Not a lot of people do that. I know. I didn't do that. So that's really great advice. Let's talk about a little bit your early career, because. As you mentioned, you're a very intentional person and I've learned that about you. But early in your career you had you had a number of different roles and I, we talked about how people had labeled you a job hopper, which you didn't really like that label really because you had a plan and you were very intentional about the roles you took. Can you share a little bit about how you developed your plan and how those early roles fit into

Ashli Johnson:

your. Yeah, absolutely. So when I was maybe 19 years old, I attended my very first hotel owner's conference and it absolutely blew my mind, right? I had no clue that people owned hotels. Certainly had no idea that people that looked like me owned hotels. I think I had the normal assumption that, Own and operate each of the hotels that we see along the way of our daily journeys. And once that little door was open for me, I knew that that I needed to get to ownership, but I also recognized that likely no organization was gonna prepare me to be an owner. It's a bit counterintuitive. If they want you to work for them, but why would you be an owner? There really wasn't a clearcut pathway or a handbook that that was available at the time. And so I really just started taking copious notes on the owners that I did have access to. What skill sets did they have? What industries were they coming from? Where did they amass this? Where did they get this capital from and who were they being connected to at the time? And certainly early on in my career my first job out of undergrad, I was a corporate management trainee for Lowe's hotels. And I was fortunate to have a ton of offers coming. School. And so many folks asked, Hey, why didn't you go with company A or Company X? Or Didn't those folks say that they were gonna let you live in Hawaii for two years? Why wouldn't you say this today, And so I said yes to Lowe's Hotels because at the time they were preparing for a period of rapid growth. I knew that the company was gonna. Expanding, therefore, I knew that there had to be a development arm, that was going to be created sooner than later. And that's just one example of why I said yes to that opportunity is because I knew that if I could be in the room as this company was growing and expanding, I could start learning some of these principles of development, acquisition, conversion, et cetera, et cetera. And so every step along the way, I always walked into an opportunity. with a mindset of there is something in this role that I need. It's a skillset that I need to develop. Perhaps it's relationships that I need to develop. Perhaps it is a competency that I had not yet been exposed to, but I knew that I could get that from the role. And certain, most certainly in exchange, I knew that I was bringing my very best to the role too. So it was very much a win. Equation. But when folks wanted to label me as a job hopper wow, Ashley has a new job every, so often. I also became very keen in understanding when I had mastered a role. And unfortunately, certainly at that time, just because you mastered a role, did not equate to you were being promoted within the organization. And so in many instances I had to promote myself. And so if that meant me seeking out another opportunity or, fortunately in a lot of, in a lot of instances, those opportunities found me. I knew what the next step needed to be and what it needed to look like in order for me to say yes. And I think it's also important to note. Knowing and understanding those things also makes your know very strong as well. Although something can be tempting, like the opportunity to live abroad or the opportunity to travel a bit more, that was something that I really wanted to do. But if it did not fit the stipulations that I needed it to fit I was okay with saying no in that moment if it meant me saying yes to a better fitted opportunity.

Lan Elliott:

I love that. I love the idea that you developed a plan and every role fit a certain part of your plan, and that's what you're following through with. Let's talk a little bit about where you look for resources and guidance when you're looking to grow as a professional. You talked about using some of the resources at your companies and also other places, but as you continue to grow in your career, where do you look? Resources and guidance.

Ashli Johnson:

Yeah. So I often advise people to really look to your left and to your right. I think that there's an enormous amount of opportunity for growth that's overlooked because we don't look laterally, we don't look to our colleagues that are maybe where we are, but within other organizations. I am deeply appreciative of my friends that have amazing roles throughout the industry. And oftentimes just through conversations with them, we can identify, oh, hey, maybe there's a conference that I haven't heard of or, Hey, let me introduce you to someone who may share a different perspective on something. And I really find that super valuable. And of course, all of the amazing organizations in hospitality, right? all of the conferences that we attend, the organization. That are consistently publishing resources and information really on a daily basis at this point. That is of deep importance to me as well. And I would also say lastly, I draw a reasonable amount of inspiration. External to our organization, right? External or external to our industry, I should say. And so I draw a ton of inspiration from the tech industry. I I tend to pay attention to fashion. Oftentimes they are solving very similar issues that we have in hospitality. And that usually will spark a little something that makes me think, Hey, we could be doing something different on our side of the business. I love that. I love that

Lan Elliott:

looking to other industries as well, cuz we get so focused on just what hospitality is doing, but absolutely there're gonna be creative things happening

Ashli Johnson:

other places. Yeah, absolutely.

Lan Elliott:

Absolutely. Now someone doesn't get to where you are without having navigated a few challenges over time. And would you share with our viewers how you like to approach a challenge and maybe a story that illustrates your

Ashli Johnson:

approach? Yeah. Yeah. So I am all about teamwork, making the dream work right? And so if I am facing a mountain that seems a bit high and a bit wide I have no qualms of zero ego about calling friends to the table. In, in, in many instances I may have to quarterback that particular. But I know for sure that I don't know everything. But I am also very sure that there is nothing that we all can't solve collectively. And gosh, Lynn, there could be a million examples on this, but I, I think the greatest challenge likely that most of us have. In this industry has been the pandemic and particularly the past two years. And I think about my time at a hoa and when we were looking at bringing back our. Our, the, a HOA convention is the largest in the industry. How could we make this work? It really took not only all hands on deck internal to a hoa, but also calling in some other folks and asking, Hey, what were best practices from the last event that you all held. En engaging our members to understand what they were thinking and feeling really being boots on the ground and speaking with vendors and suppliers and making sure that everyone was safe to welcome back, seven or 8,000 attendees in one place. And I really can't stress that enough is that, we have, we do have limitations as amazing as we are ourselves and our teams. Sometimes it can be very easy to be almost too laser focused on one thing or the way that we've done it before. And so yeah, that's typically how I approach something. I try to get an external perspective that may not be so deep in it that they can't see above the issue.

Lan Elliott:

That's great. That's really fantastic. Related to that one of the concepts that we talk about on d e I advisors is having a personal board of directors to advise you, to guide you. Who do you identify that's part of your group of people that you turn to and when do you call on them? What types of things? Do you ask them for help on?

Ashli Johnson:

Yeah. Yeah. So I would say that my personal board of advisors is probably about 50 50 folks that work in the business. And they are independent owners. They work for brands, they work for other associations. I certainly have. Maybe two people that also work in higher education because this is a a very different flower to pick Very different from the business that we do in hospitality directly. And then also folks that are just really good friends that know me very well personally that draw off of their strengths from other industries. And These are the folks that I call when I am considering a new opportunity. These are the folks that I call when if I have a student that has a really unique need that's, I am, quickly jumping into the group chat to say, Hey, I'm looking for an opportunity for this particular student. Here's what their skillset is. Could someone be able to assist for support even when it comes down to, fundraising, all sorts of things. So I really don't think that there's a limit on what I call on them for or even what they call on me for. And that's what's really great about that. this sort of circle of people that really surround you and uplift you and celebrate you, even when I forget to celebrate myself. And it's it's really a blessing to have such brilliant minds surrounding me. So I'm grateful,

Lan Elliott:

That's wonderful. Let's talk a little bit about mentors and champions. who would you credit as being one of your mentors or champions that's had a big impact on your career, and could you share a time when they supported a crucial turning point in your career?

Ashli Johnson:

Yeah, absolutely. So I often am asked like, oh, who mentored you when you were coming up? And if I'm honest, land, I can't really say that there was ever, one steady, consistent person. And I actually think that's fine. I think as we grow and evolve our needs grow and change alongside with. And so I've certainly had I would probably count them more sponsors cuz luckily they worked internal to the same organization that I was working for. But I also think that I was like a bit of a wild child, right? And so my interests were very different than the average young professional. When I think back to, maybe. Anywhere between a year and five or six years of post-graduation. People looked at me like I was crazy when I said that I wanted to own hotels. And crazy. Their response a lot of the time was, okay I don't really know how to help you with that, but I can help you with something else. And and of course I welcome all of that because I think all of it has certainly made the. I would certainly count Likely my greatest champion over the course of my career is the late Ray Bennett of Marriott International. And so Ray was a very dear friend to me for probably close to 20 years. He just passed last year unexpectedly. Such a huge loss for our industry and just such a beautiful person. But I will certainly say that Ray has cheered me on every step of the way. And so when I think about those crucial sort of decisions alongside of ownership and that has taken I now have learned over the course of time that. Ownership looks many different ways, right? In my mind it's wow, how am I gonna raise 60 million to like on a hotel? But that really was what I was focused on as a young person, not understanding that there were opportunities for investment and collaboration and. Establishing jbs. I didn't know any of that. All I know is that all I knew is that I wanted to own a hotel. But alongside that, I would say, my purpose in this work has always been to establish equity and inclusion for people that looked like me in this business. Because even early on I noticed many of the rooms that I stepped into, I was often the only woman or the only, certainly the only black woman, right? And so from viewing this industry as a double minority, I think that sort of opened the door for. Oh, something could be done about this and maybe I could be the one to to contribute to changing what the face of this industry looks like. And you asked for an example of a crucial decision that had to be made. And I have always had a passion for education. And so when I got this phone call saying, Hey Ashley, we'd love for you to jump into the classroom and teach five classes, and we could really. We would really value someone who has industry experience coming into the classroom. And I thought, oh, this is great. I called Ray because frankly, my concern was Ray, I'm never gonna make any money ever again if I. And so it, it was really raised guidance that a, helped me understand that this is not the end all, be all that there is a purpose that's greater than me. And that it would all fall into place eventually. And he helped me dilute some of that fear that I had that was probably very surface level to begin with. why can't you do both? Why can't you be interested in investment, in ownership? But couple that with education. And so it was through many conversations, over many days, months and years that he helped me get settled with understanding. Starting at higher education, I knew that this, that change had to start earlier in folks' career. And so that made a lot of sense for me. And yeah, I would definitely credit him with where I am today for sure.

Lan Elliott:

It's a wonderful story about Ray. I love that. So you brought up, you alluded to something that I wanted to talk about a little bit and that is related to Advoca advocating for ourselves. So a common generalization is that women don't do a good job advocating for ourselves. And maybe that's part of the challenge in seeing women elevated to the C-suite, getting promotions that we're interested in or doing other things as a double minority, an African American woman. You've had to promote yourself to get ahead. What would you tell people who are struggling to find their voice to get something that they really want?

Ashli Johnson:

Yeah. I think before you can find your voice, you have to find your value, right? And so you have to understand that you have something super valuable to bring to the table and whomever you are, wherever you are listening to this. You do bring value to the table and it's really just a matter of you identifying what that is and being bold and strong in that. And so once you identify your value, you can certainly identify your voice. alluded earlier that, your yes should be as strong as your no. And I think a lot of times when it comes to. women leaders in this business we do not negotiate. whatever is offered to us, we, it's an immediate yes. But I do think that there at times there is power in walking away from from an opportunity that may seem so amazing. Again, if it's not aligned. With the pathway that you've identified for yourself, the direction that you want to go in tomorrow isn't promised. So we, I hear a lot of folks as they're talking through potential career opportunities. I'll just do this for another, Five years and then I'll see if I can jump into what it is that I really wanna do, where it is that I bring the most value. And so we don't have time for that man. It's 22 and we should just get to it. And the most direct pathway to that is what I encourage people to pursue. That's great advice.

Lan Elliott:

Let's talk about a little bit the d e I initiatives that you have been involved in. I mentioned that you're a champion for equity and inclusion throughout your career and in 2015 you founded Hospitality Leaders Today or H L T 100. Whose mission is to develop the next generation of exceptional leaders through 2020 and beyond. Can you share what h LT 100 does and why you started it and how you managed to do that on top of everything else you've been doing?

Ashli Johnson:

that is a question that the answer remains to be unseen. Lynn, I have no idea. I started HLT 100. Because throughout my travels across the country, I was meeting students in early career. That frankly had just hit a wall, right? The industry was not what was what was proposed to them. It was not this super rosy thing that they had read about in textbooks. And they did not have a clear pathway to doing much other than what they were currently doing. And so that was leading them to leaving the industry. Or moving to part-time. They were going back to school to study things that had nothing to do with hospitality. They were really searching for the next steps. And again, in identifying that, this journey to executive black, executive level leadership starts much earlier than I think most people assume. I said, I will make a personal commitment to developing a hundred new leaders across the country over the course of five years. And so this was pre Zoom and pre-video calls. We were on conference calls and and so I essentially created a professional development curriculum for these. That really was to be a supplement over what they were learning in their classrooms. And at the conclusion of the professional development cycle then I would host an in-person. H LT 100 Summit in which they would have the really awesome opportunity to connect with leaders that looks like them, that were doing extraordinary things in the hospitality industry. As you could imagine as a black hospitality student, to see a black, to actually meet a black hotel owner. Similar to me at 19. Mind blown, right? or if you're interested in food and beverage to meet someone that is doing really amazing things in the CPG space or in wine and spirits. It just, it's almost like what a student has dreamed of you now can see it. We often hear this old adage of if you can see it, you can be it. And that's why representation really does matter. And that's what LT 100 became. And so those students now are well on their way to the top of the industry. They are doing phenomenal work. Most of them still in, in hospitality if not hospitality adjacent. And so very proud of the work and all of my hgl, T 100 mentees that are out there and. Through the work of h LT 100 naturally bringing speakers into this summit every year. something else blossomed out of that. So many black hospitality professionals I discovered are really not connected with one another. And so if they're not connected with one another, they're also disconnected. From opportunity. And so out of that grew an organization called hospitality Hued. And so we host honor hours across the country in which we honor a black hospitality leader in various markets across the country several times throughout the year, and also host an annual, we'll start hosting an annual. In which just to provide a platform for black leaders in this business to be connected and stay connected with one another.

Lan Elliott:

That's amazing. If HLT 100 was not enough, you also had to start hospitality Hued. I think it's wonderful the work that you're doing. And now your your role is the first director of Howard. University's hospitality program here in Washington, DC I'm so happy you've moved to my hometown. What are the initial plans for the program and what are the long-term hopes for what you're establishing now?

Ashli Johnson:

Yeah. Yeah. All great questions. The Marriots Sorenson Center for Hospitality Leadership has been designed to create and sustain a pipeline of black executive level talent and entrepreneurs in the hospitality industry. So some quick history there. Once upon a time was a hospitality management major at Howard University Housing the school of Business. And so that hospitality program has been has been gone for quite some time. And in serving hospitality programs across the country. Against a lot of the research that the Casto project has published about the lack of black representation in this business. we knew that something different had to happen here and the Center for Hospitality Leadership. It will be unique in that it is not a hospitality degree program. We recognize that hospitality is the business of service, and as such, the students that participate in this center will major in all manner of things, right? So they can major in, in finance or international business accounting, architecture, engineering, because we know that our industry offers opportu. across the board, right? And so we know that if we can build strong business leaders these students will be well posed to lead this industry into the future. And so our goal is to identify the best and brightest. Howard does a great job at that already that are interested in leading the hospitality industry. And These students will really be emerged and submerged in all things executive level exposure and leadership. These students will have the opportunity to be connecting with C-suite level executives in our business on a very consistent basis. we wanna provide opportunities for international travel opportunities to engage in case studies to solve real life issues and create real life solutions for the issues that have plagued this industry historically. And we are super excited about what these students are gonna be able to produce as they step into leadership roles in this.

Lan Elliott:

That's amazing. Now, you mentioned that this is not going to actually be a hospitality degree that they're going to be getting. And you and I have talked about in the past that hospitality programs at HBCUs tend to be quite small. And one of the reasons is this perception that there are a lot, not a lot of. Executive opportunities in hospitality for her black leaders, it tends to be more low paying jobs, is the perception. And when you couple that with Howard University's students being the best and brightest, and they're not really first generation. College students, right? Their parents usually have been to college. These are, as you said, the best and brightest. So is that going to be a heavy lift for you to convince them and their p parents that looking at the industry through a hospitality lens is a good way to spend their time.

Ashli Johnson:

Yeah. Yeah, that's a great question. I'm not sure that it'll be a heavy lift. It will be a lift land. It will certainly be a lift because I think historically speaking, when you are when we're talking about hospitality opportunities particularly to black and brown families, their frame of reference for hospitality. My grandfather was a bellman at a hotel that he couldn't even sleep in. He was a server in a hotel that he could have never dined in. Or they have a grandmother, an aunt that was a housekeeper. And that is I. that's an important contribution to hospitality and also important for the context of this conversation because the work of those individuals is what made it possible for their parents to be able to go to college, right? And so now they're thinking, oh, there's no way in the world that I would maybe, want my child to study something. And it is frankly because the business of hospitality. Has not been something that has been presented to students of color as a viable career path. And so I think once parents sit down and understand and take a look at a p and l of of what a hotel is doing and more important. What, how these students will be contributing to that because most of these students will be working in in corporate level roles and in corporate functions. And so while they will understand what's happening at the property level I think helping not only the student, but the student's, parents and their families to understand. what they're contributing to. Or some of these are the largest organizations in the world in many instances. That are huge revenue generators, but also huge generators for job opportunities. and career opportunities. And so I think when they start thinking about it from that lens it makes it much easier for parents to say, oh, okay, this is a. Similar to any other business, But there is a pathway being carved out specifically for my talented my talented student to be able to pursue. And we're excited to have those conversations. We're excited to have examples to be shared with these folks because again, representation. For them to be able to see people that look like them that are making the decisions every day I think will be enormously impactful.

Lan Elliott:

Definitely. And if we wanna grow the representation of black leaders in our industry, we need a great pipeline of the best and brightest interested in our industry. So thank you for that. one of my favorite things that we talk about at d e I advisors is what advice would you give to your younger self? And I really like it cuz it speaks to the importance of self-reflection. As part of your career

Ashli Johnson:

growth

Lan Elliott:

what would you want 22 year old Ashley Johnson to know? Ooh

Ashli Johnson:

the 22 year old Ashley, I would want her to know that it's all. it's all possible. I think for there was a period of time early on in my career it wasn't necessarily a how do I go about doing this? It's is this even a thing? Can I even pursue this? And so I think some of the best advice that I could offer to any young person is that whatever it is that, that you believe you want to pursue I would challenge them to 10 x. Yes, it's possible and you can do 10 times greater than that. So Chase after the 10 X version of your current goal. I love that. That's wonderful.

Lan Elliott:

So at D E I advisors, our mission is to empower personal success, and you've given so much great advice to help people with their careers. Do you have one last nugget? One last piece of advice that you would offer to women and underrepresented groups to better prepare them for career advancement.

Ashli Johnson:

Oh, great question. Great question. So I'm gonna share some broad advice. I got this from my late uncle Robert Dale Tanner, Reverend Robert Dale Tanner of New Orleans, Louisiana would always say, uncle Rd would say, do it now. Whatever it was, do it. And I think about as a woman as as a black woman, I think oftentimes so many minorities get caught up in, when I finish the degree after I have the baby, after I get the second promotion. Let me wait this out for a few more years. I do think that their. is power in now. And not to create some unnecessary urgency for anyone but I do think that we all often are very guilty of casually delaying what it is that we want to pursue. And so do it now would be my final advice. That

Lan Elliott:

is wonderful. Really great advice. Thank you so much, Ashley, for being on our share today.

Ashli Johnson:

Thank you.

Lan Elliott:

And I'm going to put up our d e i advisors website, which is d e i advisors.org for our viewers in case you would like to check out other wonderful videos that we've put on our website and a final. Thank you so much to Ashley, it's been wonderful to have you on.

Ashli Johnson:

My pleasure, Lynn. Thank you so much.

Lan Elliott:

Thanks.