Michelle Russo, CHAM, CHA, MAI, is the Founder & CEO of Hotel Asset Value Enhancement (hotelAVE) a leading hotel owner advisor and asset manager. She is a known industry leader, having been named one of 30 Influential Women in Hospitality by Hotel Management Magazine, one of 20 Women in Lodging by Lodging Magazine and one of 15 Women of Hospitality Finance by HFTP. Prior to founding hotelAVE, Michelle was VP, Senior Leisure Analyst for Deutsche Banc Alex Brown covering lodging and leisure stocks. Michelle managed a $500M portfolio for John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Company where she achieved 20% cash-on-cash returns and held VP positions at Pinnacle Advisory Group and HVS International. She is a regular guest speaker at industry events and has appeared on CNBC and CNN. Michelle serves on the Dean’s Advisory Board for Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration and the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business Leadership Council. She is a member of ULI’s Hotel Council, Marriott’s Distribution Strategy Advisory Committee, the AHLA’s Hospitality Investment Roundtable, and AHLA’s Global Finance Committee. She is also a two-time past president of the Hospitality Asset Manager Association, a Certified Hotel Asset Manager, Certified Hotel Administrator, and a Member of the Appraisal Institute.