American Beverage Association announces leadership transition
The American Beverage Association (ABA) has announced that President and CEO Katherine Lugar will be departing at the end of March to return to the hotel industry as Executive Vice President, Global Corporate Affairs at Hilton.
The ABA Board of Directors will announce an interim structure in coming days as it undertakes the process to appoint its next president and CEO.
Lugar has served as President and CEO at the ABA since January 2019. During her tenure, she led one of the largest trade associations, representing the non-alcoholic beverage industry’s interests in the nation’s capital and across the country.
“Among her numerous accomplishments, Lugar oversaw the development of the industry’s first joint sustainability leadership effort, Every Bottle Back, and its front-footed advocacy for modern collection systems, including rallying support for Colorado’s extended producer legislation passed in 2022,” says the ABA.
“Lugar also successfully led the effort to secure federal infrastructure funding to modernize and improve recycling systems across the country. With Lugar at the Association helm, the industry oversaw transformative innovation that has resulted in nearly 60 percent of beverages sold today containing zero sugar. And during the COVID-19 pandemic, the association successfully advocated for industry frontline workers to be considered essential workers.”
Prior to joining ABA, Lugar served as President and CEO of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA).