Calina Williams
Calina Williams is a results-driven accounting professional currently serving as the Dual Accounting Manager for Atlanta Airport Marriott Gateway and Renaissance Atlanta Airport Gateway. Based in the Atlanta metropolitan area, she has built a career that bridges hospitality operations and finance, bringing precision, insight, and leadership to her work. Calina’s responsibilities include managing gross revenue reporting, labor control, vendor relations, credit meetings, account reconciliations, extensive auditing, and overseeing a dedicated accounting team she fondly calls the “A-Team.” She ensures financial integrity across all operations while supporting strategic decision-making for hotel leadership and ownership.
Calina’s hospitality journey began humbly as a housekeeper at a Courtyard by Marriott, her first-ever job. She progressed through food and beverage roles and discovered her passion for finance while working as a night auditor, where she realized accounting could be simplified and tangible. After that property suffered a fire, she transitioned to front desk duties at SpringHill Suites, where she worked for four years while completing her bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Administration at Georgia State University. She then advanced to Front Desk Supervisor at W Advent Hood downtown before pivoting fully into finance in 2022. Starting in an entry-level accounting role at Atlanta Marriott Marquis, she quickly mastered the position, earning recognition from her director of finance for her talent and drive, which inspired her to pursue a Master of Business Administration in Finance from Strayer University.
Over the past year as Dual Accounting Manager, Calina has continued to demonstrate exceptional leadership and financial acumen. She oversees daily reporting, clears miscellaneous accounts, conducts rigorous auditing, manages labor control, coordinates weekly credit meetings, and serves as a primary contact for vendors. Her growth-oriented mindset, paired with her hands-on experience from front-line hospitality to executive accounting, positions her for her next career milestone as an Assistant Director of Finance. Known for her diligence, mentorship, and strategic insight, Calina remains committed to operational excellence and fostering high-performing teams in the hospitality industry.
• Georgia State University - BBA, Hospitality Administration/Management
• Strayer University - MBA, Finance, General
• Dean's List Winter 2025
• President's List - Fall 2024
• Mental Health Advocacy
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to determination and never giving up. In undergrad, I swapped out of the education program because life was going on around me, and when I went back to school, I failed an algebra class. It was very discouraging because I did the work and hired a tutor, but I just did not understand at that point. I decided to take the course again because I got my bachelor's from Georgia State, and they have the retake to replace program. So I took it over, did my tutor this time from the very beginning, and I got an A, a 97 in the class the second time. It was because I just didn't give up. Persistence. You just don't give up until you get where you want to go. If somebody tells you no, you keep going until you find that person that's going to tell you yes. What motivated me was growing up in poverty. I grew up in a household where lights were off a lot of the time. My father, when he was not in jail, he was present. My mother is a paranoid schizophrenic. And I am the oldest of three siblings, so I was like their third mom, and I just wanted a better life for myself, for them, and also my children. That's what spearheaded me, that's what motivated me into being in my role, being dedicated, having the integrity in my role, and keeping me afloat and grounded. When days get hard, that's what I go back to, that's what I remember.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received is never tell yourself no. A lot of times, people will not apply for positions because they think that they are unqualified, where all it takes is for you to have that right manager that notices that you have a desire to learn and they are willing to show you. Never tell yourself no. If they're gonna tell you no, let them do it. But never tell yourself no.