MarK harMon

Founder and managing partner , Auberge Resorts Collection Mill Valley , California

Mark Harmon formed the boutique luxury hospitality company Auberge Resorts in 1998 to pursue the development of resort properties outside of the flagship Napa Valley Auberge du Soleil resort . Over the past 16 years , the company ’ s growth has been made up of resort management , development , real estate and residence clubs . Currently , Auberge Resorts operates nine resorts and residence clubs in the United States and Mexico .

Today , as founder and managing partner of Auberge Resorts , Harmon oversees all aspects of the company ’ s growth and strategy , including the concept , design and development of hotels , resorts , residence clubs and branded residences . Future Auberge properties include the Auberge Resort Sun Valley , VieVage Napa Valley and the Auberge Residences at the Aspen Club .

Harmon is a regular speaker at hospitality industry events and is a graduate of Princeton University and University of California , Hastings College of the Law .

Dr . richarD Kelley

Chairman of the board emeritus , Outrigger Enterprises Honolulu , Hawaii

Dr . Richard Kelley did not follow the typical path to becoming a hotelier . After finishing Harvard Medical School , Kelley spent a year at Massachusetts General Hospital researching heart-valve pathology before completing his residency at the University of California , San Francisco Medical Center . When the University of Hawaii opened its medical school in 1965 , Kelley was appointed assistant professor of pathology and spent nearly a decade teaching while continuing his work as a board-certified pathologist — even after he transitioned to Outrigger Hotels in the 1970s .

Kelley served as Outrigger ’ s president until 1988 , CEO until 1993 and chairman of the board until 2011 . During his tenure , Kelley designed software to manage room reservations and availability and led strategic management initiatives through management contracts across the Pacific , Australia and Asia .

Although Kelley ultimately left the medical field , he remains involved in health care by serving on several boards and speaking in support of a free-market approach to health-care reform .

10 HOTELS April 2015 www . hotelsmag . com