th more than 13 years of hotel experience, Christie Pienaar joined Preferred Hotels & Resorts in 2012 as Director of Group Sales for Southern California and Southwest. In her role, Christie serves as a liaison between hotel members of Preferred Hotels & Resorts in her region and meeting and event planners worldwide. She coordinates one-on-one meetings for member hotels with influential planners and also works with the company’s events team to host a variety of client events. Most recently, Ms. Weller served as Group Sales Manager for Leading Hotels of the World. Prior to that position, she spent five years supporting the sales efforts of two boutique properties in San Diego -- Estancia La Jolla and L’Auberge Del Mar. Ms. Weller holds a B.S. in Hotel Administration from Cornell University.