All members hold human resources positions in the hospitality industry

The Hospitality Human Resources Association of Broward County meets monthly – the first Thursday of each month.
Our first meeting was held in March 1998

Our mission is to educate and develop Human Resources professionals not only benefiting them, but also their organizations.

April has been in Human Resources since 1996. She has been in the hospitality business for the past 30 years working in Human Resources for hotels such as HEI Hotels- Sheraton Airport, Renaissance Cruise Port and Residence Inn Clearwater for 9 years. Prior to that the Pelican Grand Beach Resort, Hilton Hotels Corporation and the Ramada Plaza Beach Resort for ten years, five as Food & Beverage Director.

She has been a member of the HHRABC since it first began in 1998.

Vanessa Vasquez most recently took on the role of Corporate Director of Human Resources at Flanigans Enterprises overseeing Human Resources for over 24 restaurants and package stores from as far north as Stuart and as far south as Pinecrest.

Prior to joining Flanigans, she held the position of Director of Human Resources at the Pelican Grand Beach Resort, the Atlantic Resort & Spa, Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Airport, Sheraton Suites Plantation and Sheraton Suites Cypress Creek.  She began her HR career at The Westin Cypress Creek as a HR Coordinator.

During her free time, she enjoys working out, spending time with family and traveling. 

Born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., Freyda is a graduate of Brooklyn College where she met her husband of 52 years. She moved to South Florida shortly after getting married. Freyda is a founding member and past Treasurer for the Hospitality Human Resources Association of Broward County.

Freyda worked for the State of Florida for 35 years. Many of those years were spent recruiting staff for new hotel properties as they opened, and as liaison with the hospitality industry. Her last assignment was the Supervisor of the Business Services Hub of WorkForce One in Ft. Lauderdale. She is now retired and volunteered at The Humane Society of Greater Miami for more than 15 years until Covid shut the program.

Freyda is very active in the International Association of Workforce Professionals, having served locally, as State President, as District Rep. for Florida and Georgia, and on the International Executive Board. She has been the Secretary for the South Florida Hospitality Human Resources Association since 1989, and Treasurer since 2015. In addition, she has served as the Secretary of her Homeowners Association for the past 10 years and continues in that role.

Amalia, who was born and raised in Lima Peru, stumbled into the hospitality industry shortly after her arrival to the United States.

Her first job as a PBX operator at a hotel in Fort Lauderdale, opened her eyes to a business unknown to her. During the next 7 years, Amalia would work her way up through different supervisory and managerial positions until 2005 when she found her true home in the Human Resources Department.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management from Florida International University and earned her SPHR in 2014.