Welcome to Marina Del Rey

Frederick Adriance is Regional Director of Operations for Pacifica Hotel Company, which manages 23 hotels, including six in the Los Angeles area. Adriance has spent the last six years managing hotels in Marina del Rey for the company, including the Marina del Rey Hotel and Holiday Inn Express. A seasoned hospitality professional with a career spanning 17 years, Adriance has managed hotels in Virginia, Rhode Island and California. He is a graduate of Johnson & Wales University and served in the Unites States Marina Corps.

With partner Bill Arnold, Chuck McGuire has owned and run the Foghorn Harbor Inn for 40 years. McGuire and Arnold supervised the hotel’s latest refurbishments, including the addition of flat screen televisions, updated furniture and wireless internet access. He has been an active member of the Marina del Rey Convention and Visitors Bureau Board of Directors since its inception. McGuire is a Los Angeles-area native. He makes his home in Rancho Palos Verdes.

Dusty Crane is the division chief of Community and Marketing Services for the County of Los Angeles Department of Beaches and Harbors. She also serves as the department’s public information officer, responding to the press inquiries and requests for information. Crane focuses on the promotion of Marina del Rey through programs and events that enhance the community. She has been with the county for 28 years and she has served on the board of the Convention and Visitors Bureau since 2001.

Beverly Moore’s distinguished career includes more than 30 years of experience promoting travel and tourism destinations. Since 2001, Moore has served as the executive director of the Marina del Rey Convention & Visitors Bureau, where she has implemented a complete overhaul of the community’s tourism promotion efforts. Previously, Moore spearheaded the City of Santa Monica’s efforts to promote tourism through the formation of their Convention and Visitors Bureau. She created the bureau and served as executive director for 18 years, helping to transform Santa Monica into an internationally renowned destination.

Founder of the law firm Baker, Oring & Inferrera LLP, David Baker has been practicing law in Marina del Rey since 1983. An active member of the boating community, he belongs to two area yacht clubs. Baker is also active in several local non-profit organizations in the Marina del Rey community. He has served as president of Pioneers Skippers Boat Owners Association of Marina del Rey, a group formed to protect the interests of the recreational boating community and the former sponsor of the Marina’s annual Holiday Boat Parade. He is also the founder and president of Friends of Marina del Rey, a non-profit group that was created to help guide the area’s redevelopment. Baker has served on the board of directors for the Marina del Rey Convention and Visitors Bureau since 2001.

Mary Banzon is general manager of Marina International Hotel & Bungalows. Before coming to the hotel she was the area manager for Pacifica Hotel Company’s properties in Marina del Rey and Venice, including the Marina International, Best Western Jamaica Bay Inn, Marina del Rey Holiday Inn Express and The Inn at Venice Beach. Banzon is a hotelier with 21 years of professional experience. Prior to joining Pacifica Hotel Company, Banzon held management positions with Hacienda, Hilton, Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza. She earned a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management from the University of Santo Thomas, Manila in the Philippines and began her career at the Century Park Sheraton Hotel in Manila. She has been actively involved with the board of directors for the Marina del Rey Convention and Visitors Bureau since 2006.

David O. Levine is the chief of staff to Jerry B. Epstein, a leading real estate developer active in civic activities in California. He is responsible for the day-to-day management of Mr. Epstein's property holdings in Marina del Rey, including ownership interests in Marina Harbor Apartments and Anchorage and Del Rey Shores Apartments. Levine is also the President of the Marina del Rey Lessees Association, a position he has held since 1998. He has been involved in many civic and philanthropic organizations at the community, city, and state levels, and has served on the Marina del Rey Convention and Visitors Bureau Board of Directors since 2001. Levine received his college education at the University of Pennsylvania, his Ph.D. in American Civilization from Harvard University, and was a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of History at UCLA for six years. He also earned a Certificate in Management from the Executive Program at the Anderson School of Management at UCLA.

Russ Lesser is the president of Body Glove International, a core watersports brand headquartered in Redondo Beach. Russ came to Body Glove in 1990 from the accounting firm of Windes and McClaughry, where he was a partner for 20 years, and served as managing partner from 1986 until his departure. A life-long Manhattan Beach resident, Lesser has been involved with numerous civic and philanthropic organizations throughout the South Bay. He served eight years on the Manhattan Beach City Council, including two terms as mayor. In the Marina del Rey community, he is a Small Craft Harbor Commissioner, a position he has held for five years. He has been on the Marina del Rey Convention and Visitors Bureau Board of Directors since 2007.

Murray Lowe has been the general manager of the Marina del Rey Marriott hotel since 2006. Lowe has held management positions with the Marriott company for 27 years. Before coming to Marina del Rey, he spent six years as the general manager of the Fort Lauderdale Marina Marriott in Florida, and worked in the food and beverage departments for both the Orlando World Center Marriott in Florida and the New York Marriott Marquis Time Square hotel. A career hotelier, Lowe is a graduate of Centennial College Toronto with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Hotel Administration. Lowe is actively involved in both civic and philanthropic organizations. A cycling enthusiast, he has raised money for the Children's Miracle Network riding his bike for charity. Lowe was appointed to the Marina del Rey Convention and Visitors Bureau Board of Directors in 2006.

Paul Medawar joined Marina del Rey Hotel as General Manager in 2008. A seasoned professional with over 13 years of hospitality industry experience, Medawar has held management positions in hotels in California, Michigan, Louisiana, and Missouri, including upscale Indian gaming properties, business hotels, golf and ski resorts, and convention center hotels.

Tony Palermo, the co-owner of Tony P’s Dockside Grill, is dedicated to philanthropic and civic community service. His restaurant has become a fixture in the Marina community, sponsoring everything from athletic teams to annual parades, and serving as a venue for local fundraisers that benefit area schools and organizations. Palermo is also an active member of the Marina del Rey Convention and Visitors Bureau Board of Directors, an appointment he’s held since 2003. He is on the board of the LAX Coastal Area Chamber of Commerce and serves as president of the Los Angeles Chapter of the California Restaurant Association. Palermo also served a term as the Honorary Mayor of Westchester and Marina del Rey from 2003 to 2004.

Robert Thomas joined The Ritz-Carlton, Marina del Rey as general manager in 2006. A hospitality executive with an extensive background in the hospitality industry, Thomas served as an executive with Marriott for more than 20 years. Before coming to The Ritz-Carlton, Marina del Rey, he was the general manager of the Marina del Rey Marriott Hotel for nearly three years. He has been actively involved with the board of directors for the Marina del Rey Convention and Visitors Bureau since 2003.