Washington Gov. Jay Inslee appointed a new member to the board of directors at the Washington State Convention Center.
Serving on the nine-member board from Oct. 1, 2013 until July 30, 2016 is Craig Schafer, who replaces former board member Christopher Sullivan.
Owning several Seattle-based hotels over the past 15 years, Schafer is the owner of Hotel Andra in downtown Seattle and the Red Lion Hotel in Portland, Ore. Responsible for establishing the first of its kind hotel brokerage company throughout the U.S. and Canada, he served as founder and president of Colliers International Hotel Realty from 1985 to 2000. Prior to entering the hotel brokerage business, he was a manager of leisure time industry consulting for Laventhol & Horwath from 1980 to 1985. He began his career with Westin Hotels and Resorts in 1976.
Schafer is an executive committee member and a past chair on the board of Visit Seattle, the Seattle Convention and Visitors Bureau, as well as an executive board member of the Downtown Seattle Association, serving as chair of the Pike Pine Renaissance task force. Additionally, he is past president of the Tourism Alliance of King County.
After graduating from Washington State University with a B.A. in Hotel Administration, Schafer earned his MBA from the University of Puget Sound in 1980.
