Our Team

As President of Commonwealth Hotels, Jennifer Porter oversees the company’s strategic, operational, financial, and cultural expectations.   Jennifer most recently served as the company’s Chief Operating Officer. Before joining the company in 2020, she spent 25 years in the hospitality industry in key leadership roles with Winegardner and Hammons, Pyramid Hotel Group, and SunStream Hotels and Resorts.  Ms. Porter’s experience spans lifestyle, all-suite, conference-style hotels in urban, suburban, airport, and resort locations across the country. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Kent State University.

Dan's background encompasses over 35 years of experience in hotel management includes Stouffer, Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott brands. Dan's experience shows exceptional strengths in the areas of financial controls, sales and marketing, and food and beverage. Operations for which Dan is responsible typically have strong operational margins and lead the market in terms of occupancy and rate. Managing from an owner's perspective has brought inherent strengths to the forefront of the businesses he operates resulting in tightly controlled and profitable businesses.

Bryan joined Corporex in 2020 as Managing Director of Corporex’ s two hotel companies, Commonwealth Hotels, Inc and the Commonwealth Collection Inc. Prior to joining the Company, he spent over 35 years as an executive in the hospitality industry.  Most recently Bryan was the Chief Operating Officer on Northwest Indiana based White Lodging.  During his tenure as COO,  he successfully led the company to double its revenues and profits in a six year period.    Prior to White Lodging Bryan served as the Senior Vice President of Franchise Operations for Hyatt Hotels, where he successfully led the development and launching of the Hyatt Place and Hyatt House brands for Hyatt.  Mr. Hayes has also served on various advisory councils for Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt.  He has served on the Strategic Alliance Council of Purdue Universities Hospitality department and the Business Advisory Board of Edinboro University School of Business.  He is a graduate of Edinboro University’s School of Business with a degree in Business Administration.

Jon Gustin joins Commonwealth Hotels with a distinguished career spanning over 15 years in various senior leadership positions. Most recently, Jon served as the Senior Director of Operations for Placemakr, where he was instrumental in driving operational efficiencies and growing the company from a start-up. Prior to that, he held key roles including Director of Hotel Division for Blue Water Development, Regional Director for Dimension Development, and Area General Manager for TPG Hotels and Resorts. Jon has also held various leadership positions with White Lodging, contributing significantly to their operational success.

Shawn Kvernen serves as Vice President of Development at Commonwealth Hotels, where he plays a key role in driving the company’s growth strategy and expanding its hotel portfolio. With a wealth of experience in the hospitality industry, Kvernen brings a strong track record of leadership and success in both operations and business development.

Before joining Commonwealth Hotels, Kvernen was Senior Vice President of Operations and Senior Vice President of Business Development at Aimbridge Hospitality. In these roles, he led initiatives that enhanced operational efficiencies and supported strategic growth. Prior to his time at Aimbridge, he served as Chief Operating Officer at both Terrapin Hospitality and KPartners Hospitality, where he contributed significantly to their operational success and expansion.

Kvernen’s background also includes leadership roles at Sage Hospitality, where he gained a comprehensive understanding of hotel operations and development. He holds a degree in Criminal Justice from Moorhead State University in Minnesota.

In this capacity, Gordy supervises the day to day operations of our full service hotels. He has over 30 years experience in hotel and restaurant management. Gordy's strengths lie in his knowledge of the detailed aspects of operational systems and procedures. His track record is outstanding in all areas of sales, marketing, revenue, cost controls and food & beverage management. Gordy's general management experience includes Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, Embassy Suites, Hampton Inn, Courtyard, Residence Inn, Hyatt House, Hyatt Place and private business clubs. His in-depth knowledge and attention to detail contributes greatly to our team.

Paul brings over 35 years of experience in all aspects of the hospitality business ranging from luxury five star resorts both in the United States and overseas, Disney, Hilton, Choice and Marriott brands.  His operational expertise is key to establishing and managing a system of internal controls that consistently produce higher returns for owners. Integration of systems and the use of technology is a critical component of timely and accurate financial reporting and analysis. Working with owners to find and structure profitable hotel investments with the appropriate debt and equity.

As an accomplished certified professional in human resources, Kim has over 23+ years of HR leadership experience with Commonwealth Hotels. Areas of responsibility include building a culture committed to excellence, organizational development and training, performance management, succession planning, benefits and compensation, and recruitment. Kim, along with the human resources team strive to ensure that Commonwealth Hotels continues to be the employer of choice.

Barbara has over twenty years of hospitality experience with local and national hotels. In her role she is responsible for overseeing all marketing and sales opportunities for the entire Commonwealth Hotels portfolio nationwide. Willen brings experience in many areas of hotel management to Commonwealth Hotels, including food and beverage management, marketing, sales and daily operations. Most recently, Willen was the Director of Sales & Marketing for 21c.  Willen is a graduate of Miami University in Oxford, OH with a B.A. in Economics and International Political Science.

Debbie has over 25 years of accounting experience, 17 of which have been with Commonwealth Hotels.  Debbie has extensive experience with both full and select service hotels for multiple brands. Debbie works with developing best practices for our team in the preparation of financial statements and reporting, as well as supporting our hotels' management staff in areas of financial planning and budgeting. 

Linda has over 35 years of experience in both public and private corporate accounting.  Linda oversees financial reporting & analysis, accounts payable, internal audit, cash management and financial controls. Prior to joining Commonwealth Hotels, Linda was Vice President, Accounting for Macy’s, Inc. She brings extensive experience in leading teams and implementing best practices. Linda holds a BBA, Accounting from Adelphi University and is a Certified Public Accountant and active member of the AICPA.

Lisa has 22+ years of purchasing experience with Commonwealth Hotels working directly with architects, designers, general contractors, as well as brand design and construction teams, providing turnkey services. Lisa, along with the purchasing team, facilitates all aspects of budgets, procurement, delivery, installation and final budget reconciliation for each project while maintaining the highest level of quality with superior financial results.

Tom Joined Commonwealth as Vice President of Food and Beverage in May of 2021, Tom brings a diverse Food and Beverage background including private country clubs, fine dining restaurants and 20 plus years in full service hotel management that began with Commonwealth in 2000. His most recent position was Lead Executive Corporate Chef with Winegardner and Hammons.  In 2016 he achieved a lifelong goal and assisted Team USA in winning 3 gold medals at the Culinary Olympics in Germany.