Loudoun County business news and announcements

*Joseph Lane has joined the National Conference Center as director of food and beverage. 
Lane was previously with Wolfgang Puck Catering at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., where he was general manager. He was also previously employed by the American Red Cross where he worked for Aramark, the conference center’s management company.
“We are delighted to add Joseph to our food and beverage team,” said Kurt Krause, general manager at NCC.  “His extensive experience will be an asset to our meetings, banquets and events business as well as our farm to table initiative.”
*Julia Tetreault has been promoted within the National Conference Center from a conference planning coordinator to a conference planning manager. 
“We are so excited to be able to promote Julia to a manager position, particularly since she was part of our intern program,” said Kurt Krause, general manager.  “Her hard work at learning this business is demonstrated in her success. As we welcome another class of interns this summer, Julia will be a great role model.”
*Samantha J. Villegas has been hired as vice president of client relations at Bendure Communications Inc.
Villegas has more than 18 years of public relations experience. She was previously vice president of external affairs for American Water, the nation’s largest publicly-traded water and wastewater utility company. She was also with Loudoun Water for 10 years, where she created the company’s public relations department and developed a variety of community projects such as a 15-acre interpretive trail and a 3,500 square foot education center showcasing the value of water.
“We’re excited to have Samantha on board. Her broad background, which spans grassroots outreach to corporate public relations, was a solid match for our needs. As an accredited professional highly involved in PRSA, she will keep us current and serve as a great mentor for junior staff,” said Scott Stephens, executive vice president.