Senior Leadership Team

ANDREW J. DOLCE

Founder and Chairman, Dolce Hotels and Resorts

Andrew "Andy" J. Dolce is founder and chairman of Dolce Hotels and Resorts, formerly Dolce International. This forward-thinking executive's big imagination and innovative ideas have made him a pioneer in the meetings and conference industry. Amongst Andy's many accomplishments, he is most widely known for elevating the meeting and conference center model to reflect clients' needs for environments that inspire creativity and learning. Andy also holds the distinction of being named one of the "25 Most Influential Executives" in the meetings and travel industries by both Meeting News and Business Travel News magazines.

Andy began his career in the meetings and hospitality industry at the American Management Association, where he managed 600 conferences a year throughout the U.S. During his tenure with the AMA, Dolce experienced the insufficient services and often counter-productive facilities that permeated the meetings and conference market. Shortly thereafter, Andy started working for Harrison Conference Centers as the executive vice president and improved the company's brand by pioneering the first "Complete Meetings Package" for the conference industry.

In 1981, Andy struck out on his own, founding Dolce International and turning it into the world's leading hospitality organization specializing in delivering an exceptional meetings experience. To prepare the company for even greater success, in mid-2008, Dolce International changed its name to Dolce Hotels and Resorts to more accurately reflect the breadth and caliber of services and amenities offered to its guests.

Past president of the International Association of Conference Centers (IACC) and Mel Hosansky Award recipient, the highest honor in the conference center industry, Dolce continues to be active in IACC and is also on the board of New York University's Center for Hospitality, Tourism and Travel Administration and serves on Iona College's Legal Board of Trustees.

Born and raised in the Bronx, NY, Dolce studied Economics at Iona College and later earned a Master's Degree from Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration, where he wrote and published a book on economics for the food industry. Andy is also a U.S. Marine Corps veteran.

Steven A. Rudnitsky

President and Chief Executive Officer

As president and chief executive officer of Dolce Hotels and Resorts, a meetings-focused hospitality company that manages a portfolio of hotels, resorts and meetings centers in the United States, Canada and Europe, Steven A. Rudnitsky is responsible for driving the company's growth worldwide.

Rudnitsky previously was president and chief executive officer of Wyndham Hotel Group, a business unit of Wyndham Worldwide (NYSE: WYN) and one of the world's largest integrated lodging franchise and management companies, representing approximately 7,000 hotels and 581,000 rooms in 65 countries.

During Rudnitsky's 30-year career, he also held leadership positions at Fortune 500 companies including Kraft, Nabisco and Pillsbury and held several domestic and international sales and marketing positions at PepsiCo. He began his career with McNeil Consumer Products, a Johnson & Johnson Company.

He has served the hospitality industry through the American Hotel & Lodging Association, Travel Business Roundtable, New York University Hospitality Industry Investment Conference, Advisory Board of the University of Delaware School of Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management, National Restaurant Association's Education Foundation, Multicultural Foodservice Hospitality Alliance and International Foodservice Manufacturers Association.

Rudnitsky, who received a bachelor's degree in accounting from Temple University and a master of business administration degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University, is based in the company's Montvale, N.J., offices.

DEBRA BATES

Chief Financial Officer

Debra Bates is Chief Financial Officer of Dolce Hotels and Resorts. In this role, she is responsible for corporate finance, risk management, treasury, accounting and reporting.

Bates joined Dolce Hotels and Resorts in 1996 as a consultant and assumed the position of Senior Vice President of Acquisitions and Development in 1998. After holding the positions of Chief Financial Officer and Chief Investment and Financial Officer, she was promoted to her current role in 2007.

Bates developed a successful track record in finance, acquisitions and development in a variety of real estate sectors during her career, in the roles of Chief Financial Officer and real estate financial advisor. In these roles she raised capital and managed more than one billion dollars in transactions for numerous hospitality, office, retail and multifamily properties and companies. Degreed in Economics and Managerial Studies from Rice University, Bates also holds a Masters in Finance and International Business from Rice.

 

RICHARD MAXFIELD

Chief Operating Officer

Richard Maxfield is Chief Operating Officer of Dolce Hotels and Resorts.  In this role, he is responsible to oversee the operations of our managed hotels, resorts and conference centers in North America and Europe.

Richard was Senior Vice President of Operations for Omni Hotels from 2007 until earlier this year, responsible for the strategic direction and execution of all field operations including oversight of the company's 43 first-class and luxury hotels and 10,000 employees in the  nited States, Canada and Mexico.

From 2005 to 2006, he served Omni Hotels as Regional Vice President, Operations, and General Manager of the Omni Interlocken Resort, Broomfield, Colo. From 1978 to 2005, he served the company in operational roles of increasing responsibility at Omni® properties throughout North America. During his tenure, Omni Hotels was among the three highest-ranked hotel companies in the J.D. Power and Associates North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Study, including 2005 and 2006, when it was ranked number one. Richard has enjoyed a reputation throughout his career for developing people and mentoring and promoting colleagues to leadership positions.

 

BARRY GOLDSTEIN

Chief Revenue Officer

Barry Goldstein is Chief Revenue Officer of Dolce Hotels and Resorts. In this role, he is responsible to oversee the sales, marketing and technology of our managed hotels, resorts and conference centers in North America and Europe.

Barry was the Vice President of Global Sales Strategy and Operations for Starwood Hotels & Resorts. In that role Barry led the sales transformation of the Worldwide Global and Field Sales Organization as well as the development of the 3 year strategic Customer and Sales technology roadmap. During his tenure Barry was responsible for leading various revenue-generating projects and managing a number of global initiatives aimed at the company's top customers across the group, transient and leisure segments. He also led the first ever implementation of an integrated sales & catering tool with integration to leading third party lead management companies.

Prior to joining Starwood, Barry held the position of Managing Director of the Hospitality, Retail and Consumer Product verticals at Cisco Systems. In that capacity, Barry advised customers on opportunities to accelerate their success by achieving alignment between the use of information technology and business process transformation. Before joining Cisco, Barry led the northeast consulting practice at Kurt Salmon Associates and was the Vice President of Information Systems at Panasonic. He started his career at Ernst & Young as a management consultant. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Columbia University and completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.

Sarah Woodfin Wynn

General Counsel

Sarah Woodfin Wynn is General Counsel of Dolce Hotels and Resorts.  In her new role, Sarah is responsible for all corporate legal functions.

She was Executive Vice President and General Counsel for Wyndham Hotel Group from 2006 until earlier this year, responsible for managing an 18-member legal team in Parsippany, London and Hong Kong that oversaw the legal needs of 12 hospitality brands and 7,000 franchised and managed hotels worldwide.  From 1987 to 2006, she served New York-based American Express Travel Related Services Company Inc. in a number of legal roles. She was Vice President and Group Counsel, Travel Divisions, from 1995 to 2006, responsible for managing legal issues related to the company's owned and franchised locations globally.

During that time, Sarah oversaw the acquisition and integration of several major travel agencies and tour operators. Concurrent with that   role, she was Vice President and Group Counsel for the company's Global Advertising Division from 2001 to 2006, responsible for overseeing all advertising, sponsorship and marketing initiatives.

Sarah joined American Express in 1987 as Counsel to the Corporate Card, Merchandise Services, Publishing and Insurance Products divisions. 

Sarah began her career in 1983 as an Associate Attorney in the Corporate department of Mudge, Rose, Gutherie, Alexander & Ferdon, a former New York law firm.

She received her doctor of laws degree in 1983 from the College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Va., and her bachelor of science degree in 1978 from Denison University, Granville, Ohio, where she graduated summa cum laude and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa.

 

Elizabeth Norberg

Senior Vice President, Human Resources

 

Elizabeth Norberg, who joined Dolce Hotels and Resorts as senior vice president of human resources in January 2009, is focused on the company's largest asset: its workforce.  Her mission is to establish the strategic direction for human resources and organize the function to attract, develop and retain outstanding talent and to provide employees with the knowledge and work environment to perform at their best.  

Norberg previously served Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide for 15 years in human resources roles of increasing responsibility.  As vice president of learning and development from 2006 to 2008, she led one of Starwood's most ambitious initiatives to "build 9 world-class brands" in that company's 500 North American hotels.  She also created its learning and development organization, which was focused on service culture and leadership development.

As Starwood's regional director of human resources from 2003 to 2005, Norberg developed, communicated and implemented people strategies to support company strategy and growth plans as well as key business outcomes.  Her responsibilities included human resource policy and activity oversight including talent acquisition, learning and development, executive coaching, support of the senior leadership team in operations, sales and revenue management.

She also served Starwood as area director of human resources from 1998 to 2002, director of human resources from 1995 to 1998 and human resources manager from 1993 to 1995.  Earlier in her career, she worked for Hall & Evans LLC as a legal assistant in the firm's employment law practice.

Norberg, who achieved a Six Sigma Green Belt certification, is pursuing studies at Fordham University, New York.

A resident of Newtown, Conn., she is based in the company's Montvale, N.J., offices.