GBTA Announces New Board of Directors Following 2015 Special Election

Christle Johnson to Serve as President, Mark Ziegler as Vice President

Alexandria, VA (September 25, 2015) — The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), the voice of the global business travel industry, announced the results of its 2015 Special Election. Christle Johnson, Vice President, Travel & Business Services Johnson Downie LLC, will serve as President. Mark Ziegler, Senior Travel Manager Americas, NetApp, will serve as the new GBTA Vice President. Johnson and Ziegler were elected by GBTA Direct Members (business travel buyers), and will serve two-year terms.

“I am honored and excited to take on the role of GBTA President. Whether it is education and professional development opportunities or industry research and legislative advocacy, the entire business travel industry benefits from the work of our Association. I look forward to continue working with and listening to our Members, ensuring GBTA’s position as the leading voice in business travel,” said Christle Johnson.

Johnson has been a GBTA Member for 14 years – 8 as an Allied Member followed by 6 as a Direct Member – serving most recently as Board Vice President. She also has previously served as a Board Member at Large, on various committees and on the Chapter Presidents’ Council.
Ziegler has been a GBTA member since 2000. He has been active in local chapters and has previously served on the National Business Travel Association Board as a Board Member at Large and on various committees.

The GBTA Direct Members elected Bhart Sarin, Global Procurement, Ingredion Incorporated; Cindy Shumate, Travel Program Manager, Princeton University; and Karin Thompson, Senior Global Travel Manager, ViaSat, Inc. They will each serve a three-year term.

The GBTA Allied Members elected Billy Bos, Associate Director of Group Worldwide Sales, Best Western International. He will serve a two-year term.

The GBTA Chapter Presidents’ Council (CPC) elected Gloria Gonzalez, Lhoist North America to serve as the president of the Chapter Presidents’ Council. Gonzalez will serve a two-year term, beginning today and will also sit on the GBTA Board of Directors. Also, John Hampton, Enterprise Holdings, was elected to serve as CPC’s Vice President and Samantha Bean, LTD Hospitality Group, was elected to serve as Secretary Treasurer.

The proposed amendment to the GBTA Bylaws passed.

Donna Kelliher will move into the role of chairperson and past president.

CONTACT: Colleen Gallagher, +1 703-236-1133, cgallagher@gbta.org

About the Global Business Travel Association
The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) is the world’s premier business travel and meetings trade organization headquartered in the Washington, D.C. area with operations on six continents. GBTA’s 9,000-plus members manage more than $345 billion of global business travel and meetings expenditures annually. GBTA and the GBTA Foundation deliver world-class education, events, research, advocacy and media to a growing global network of more than 28,000 travel professionals and 125,000 active contacts. To learn how business travel drives lasting business growth, gbta.org