Andy Ingraham
Dr. Andrew “Andy” Ingraham is the founder and president of the National Association of Black Hotel Owners, Operators & Developers (NABHOOD) and tourism marketing agency, Horizon’s International Group Inc.. Born in the Bahamas and based in Miami, Ingraham has fused culture and commerce throughout his 30-year career, with a focus on African American, multicultural and Caribbean tourism.
Ingraham and his partners started NABHOOD in 2001 to promote black ownership, management and development of franchised and other hotels. At the time, there were no African American-owned franchised hotels. Today there are over 100,000 hotel rooms which are African American-owned or controlled and NABHOOD has forged partnerships with major brands including Marriott, Hilton, Choice Hotels and Wyndham to establish programs that enable African American, women and other minorities to participate in this large and growing business.
Ingraham has served appointments with the National Tourism Advisory Committee for the National Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the White House Conference on Tourism, and consulted with the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau, the US Travel Board, Vibe Music Conference, FUBU Y2G, Impact, Revolt Music Conference, the island of St. Maarten and the Semsamar Group. He was instrumental in bringing the American Tennis Association(ATA) and what is now the American Black Film Festival (ABFF) to Miami. He has shared his expertise as a speaker for many industry conferences including the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA), Governor’s Conference of Florida, Caribbean Ministers’ Conference and the National Association of Black McDonald’s Owners Association.
Ingraham studied at the Northern Caribbean University in Jamaica and at Miami Dade College and Florida International University in Miami, Florida.