Angella Lopez has been giving warm welcomes for over 40 years. As a national sales executive at Visit Lauderdale - a position she has held for 28 years - Lopez prides herself on connecting multicultural and religious clients to the beauty, diversity and spunk of the Greater Fort Lauderdale area. She is also a proud member of the National Coalition of Black Meeting Professionals (NCBMP) and the Religious Conference Management Association (RCMA).

Her career in the hospitality and tourism industry began at the Doral Hotel in New York City, where she managed sales for several territories. After a few years, Lopez traded in Doral New York's four seasons for Doral Miami's year-round sunshine to manage travel agency and tour operator sales. Eventually, she would take what she learned at the Doral properties to Embassy Suites - Fort Lauderdale 17^th Street, where she worked with corporate groups and family reunions. Four years later, she found Visit Lauderdale - where she has been for nearly 30 years.

Lopez is most proud of her work developing the multicultural market in the Greater Fort Lauderdale area, including bringing in groups from the National Association of Colored People (NAACP), National Urban League, Jack and Jill of America, 100 Black Men of America, and the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE). When Lopez is not working, she enjoys volunteering with her church, gardening, spending time with her family, and traveling. Switzerland, Africa, and Turkey are some of her favorite destinations.