Courtesy Shari Chang
Shari Chang, SWC marketing president, is the new
chairwoman of the Hawaii Tourism Authority

Marketing exec
tapped as new
head of HTA

Shari Chang has been on the
panel since its inception a year ago

By Russ Lynch
Star-Bulletin

Shari Chang, operator of a hotel and resort marketing company, has been elected chairwoman of the Hawaii Tourism Authority.

Chang, a member of the HTA board since the 13-member panel was first appointed by Gov. Ben Cayetano in October 1998, is president of her own business, SWC Marketing.

She had been senior vice president of sales and marketing at Castle Resorts and Hotels. She resigned from Castle in late September after signing a contract with Aston Hotels & Resorts' international arm, to promote its properties in the Asian, Pacific and North American markets.

SWC Marketing also has been seeking contracts with other Hawaii hospitality businesses.

The authority's board picked her yesterday to replace Diane Quitiquit, who resigned from the board and the chairmanship at the end of October. Quitiquit, who became chairwoman in June after the resignation of the HTA's first chairman, John Reed, also resigned her post as research and development director of the County of Hawaii to become manager of a new hospitality division at the Big Island's Parker Ranch. Reed played a key role in getting the HTA moving as the state's tourism marketing and management arm.

The workload as head of the volunteer HTA board eased off after the board appointed Bob Fishman in March as $150,000-a-year chief executive of the HTA.

The HTA is still one member short, awaiting Cayetano's appointment of a Big Island representative to replace Quitiquit.