CHLA Lodging News May/June 2019

14 CALIFORNIA LODGING NEWS www.calodging.com Scott Nowak HOTELIER PROFILE Senior Manager, State and Local Government Affairs, Hilton Scott Nowak is Senior Manager of State and Local Government Affairs for Hilton. Since joining the company in 2017, Scott has managed Hilton’s corporate legislative and regulatory advocacy priorities, as well as government and industry relations efforts, at the state and local level throughout the United States. His issue portfolio is broad in scope, encompassing topics ranging from taxation, labor, operations, corporate responsibility initiatives, and an array of policy efforts to ensure an overall business environment that sets Hilton’s industry-leading portfolio up for success. He received his B.A. in International Relations from Michigan State University and his Juris Doctor from Michigan State’s College of Law. While a non-practicing attorney, Scott remains admitted to practice law before the state bar of Illinois. DESCRIBE YOUR CAREER PATH SO FAR. Prior to joining Hilton, I was Assistant Director of State Government Affairs at the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), a national trade group representing the real estate finance industry. I spent five years managing MBA’s public policy efforts at the U.S. state and local level, as well as the association’s engagement with state mortgage banking associations across the country. Before MBA, I served as a law clerk for U.S. Senator John McCain, and prior to that I spent time as a law clerk at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. My career path has included diverse areas of focus, and I see this as a strength I bring to the hospitality industry, as I have had the privilege of working on policy and legal challenges across a wide issues spectrum and with a broad range of stakeholders. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN THE SENIOR MANAGER OF STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS FOR HILTON? August 2019 will mark my two-year anniversary with Hilton. WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT YOUR ROLE? I appreciate that the legislative and regulatory issues I get to work on—in conjunction with CHLA and other great associations in our space—can have an immediate positive “...I am proud that my efforts are helping protect our industry’s—more specifically, Hilton’s— ability to offer exceptional experiences to guests and meaningful opportunities for employees.” www.spnphotographer.com