Looking for a job

Maria Lombardo

@marialombardo

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Chief of Staff and hotel operations leader who turns complex, high-stakes projects into on-time execution.

United States

Message

What I'm looking for

I’m looking for a role where I can be the trusted operator—owning high-stakes documentation, budgets, and vendor execution—while building smarter operational workflows. I want to grow into AI-enabled automation next, without losing judgment or discretion.

I’m a Chief of Staff who’s become the person a principal relies on when something complicated has to get done. I run offices day to day, take on projects nobody else has room for, and keep decisions moving by writing, negotiating, and holding the line on accountability.

Most recently, I took a $25M hotel renovation to the finish line through two architects, two owner’s reps, and two general contractors, delivering on the target date. I handled confidential, high-impact documentation—contracts, procedures, and correspondence—and owned budgets, vendors, and financial oversight across entities through reconciliations and reporting.

Before that, I built and sustained hotel operations as General Manager, and I moved into construction and owner’s representation to bring continuity through design and engineer of record transitions. I also built A2Z Assist, an owner-supported client services business, designing repeatable processes for one-person, multi-client operations—and I use Claude daily to pressure-test drafting and accounting decisions before I commit.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Chief of Staff

Current

Assouline-Busch Capital

Apr 2024 - Present (2 years 3 months)

Serves as right hand to the owner across capital and venture holdings, managing day-to-day decisions and confidential matters. Owns and drives high-impact projects including vendor draw procedures, engineer of record substitutions, insurance placements, lease drafting, and document writing/review for contracts and procedures.

Project Management Executive Support Vendor Draw Process Insurance Placement Budget Management Vendor Management Reconciliations Reporting Correspondence

Current

Owner

Current

A2Z Assist

Jun 2019 - Present (7 years 1 month)

Built and operated a client services business providing operational, administrative, and financial support for business owners. Designed scalable processes so one person can support multiple clients without dropping critical details.

Client Services Business Operations Administrative Support Financial Support Process Design Workflow Development

General Manager

Royal Club Hotels

Jun 2015 - Apr 2024 (8 years 10 months)

Ran full hotel operations, including staffing, budgets, vendors, financial reporting, and service standards. Wrote and enforced property procedures across departments and led teams through the renovation while rebuilding was underway.

Hotel Operations Staffing Management Budgeting Vendor Management Financial Reporting Service standards Change Management

Construction Manager & Owner Rep

Royal Club Hotels

Jan 2022 - Jan 2024 (2 years)

Led continuity for a $25M full gut renovation across multiple architects, owners' representatives, and general contractors. Built the vendor draw process from scratch and ensured the documentation trail during design and engineer of record transitions to prevent accountability gaps, delivering on the target date.

Construction Project Management Renovation Delivery Vendor Draw Process Documentation Control Design Coordination

Area GM / Operations / EA

My FL Management

Jul 2015 - Oct 2021 (6 years 3 months)

Started as executive assistant to the CEO and progressed to leading operations across multiple properties. Rebuilt front office and check-in/check-out procedures into systems the team could run without direct oversight and managed multi-family investment property operations, financial tracking, and reporting.

Executive Assistant Support Operations Management Front Office Property Operations Reporting

Liaison Officer

United States Department of Defense

Mar 2011 - May 2016 (5 years 2 months)

Coordinated communication, training, and reporting between organizational units. Handled sensitive information under strict confidentiality requirements.

Inter Unit Coordination Communication Management training coordination Reporting Confidentiality