Leslie Hale made history in 2018 when Bethesda-based RLJ Lodging Trust tapped her to become the first African-American woman to lead a real estate investment trust.
While new to the CEO role, Hale is no stranger to the company. She joined BET founder Robert Johnson’s company in 2005 as director of real estate and finance, back when it was still called RLJ Development. She became chief financial officer in 2007 and helped guide the company through an initial public offering in 2011. She added…
