Kelly Drnec

Corporate Sales Manager

Days Inn Inner Harbor

In just two years, Kelly Drnec moved from front desk assistant to corporate sales manager at the Days Inn Baltimore Inner Harbor. How did she do it? “I listened, asked questions, and learned something every day,” she said.

When Drnec had the opportunity to pitch to her boss a vision of how to reshape the corporate sales manager position, Drnec jumped at it. “I was confident that I knew what worked, and what didn’t,” she said. “I have made it more of a brand development position, with more community involvement and social media.”

Each month, the hotel hosts two families with critically ill children for a “staycation,” as part of a partnership with the Casey Cares Foundation. “This allows families to enjoy time together without the hassle of financial obligations,” she said.

In addition to her work at the hotel, Drnec volunteers at college fairs for York College of Pennsylvania, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in mass communications in 2007. She has also organized a fundraiser at the hotel for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, which raised more than $7,000. The foundation named her among Maryland’s Finest Young Professionals in 2015.

“Everyone has a different definition of what fulfills and motivates them,” she said. “For me, I love what I do and I am proud of helping others.”