HODGE PODGE
Tennessee’s State Tourism Director Leaving Post: Susan Whitaker is stepping down from her position as commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development to return to the private sector. Whitaker has held the job for 12 years—an eon in the profession—under both Democratic Gov. Phil Bredison, who first appointed her, and Republican Gov. Bill Haslam. Whitaker, who was named the 2013 National Tourism Director of the Year by the U.S. Travel Association’s National Council of State Tourism Directors, is also a U.S. Travel board member, and is part of its executive committee, serving the association’s board as secretary. Before her appointment as commissioner, Whitaker, a native of Chicago, served as vice president of marketing for Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. ++ Victoria Cimino has been named as the new director of the Division of Travel and Tourism Development (DTTD) for New Hampshire. She had previously served as communications manager for the New Hampshire Division of Travel and Tourism, communications director for the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, and director of international marketing for the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism. Cimino succeeds Lori Harnois, who stepped down from the post this past summer to head Discover New England, the five-state organization that markets the New England region internationally. ++ Kuoni Group Travel Experts has appointed Mel Lorenzo as business development manager to lead its activities in Latin America. Based in Brazil, she is responsible for building and maintaining relationships with travel businesses interested in arranging group tours around the world. Before joining Kuoni, Lorenzo was international product specialist for Asia, Africa, Middle East and Oceania at CVC. ++ Ronald Williams has been appointed interim president and CEO of the Hawaiian Tourism Authority. He replaces Mike McCartney, who has joined the administration of newly inaugurated Gov. David Ige as chief of staff. Previously, Williams had been president and CEO of Atlantis Adventures and was HTA’s board chairman from 2010 to 2014. ++Former World Travel Market chief Fiona Jeffery has joined the London-based travel PR firm Brighter Group as a non-executive director. Jeffery, who worked for Reed Exhibitions for 26 years, was managing director, then chair, of WTM for more than a decade. Since her departure, she continued her work as chair of Just a Drop, an international water aid charity that aims to reduce child mortality caused by polluted water and poor sanitation. ++ Tryphavana Cross has been selected to direct sales, marketing and public relations efforts for NYC & Company in Ireland and Northern Ireland. Cross comes to the position from Celebrity Cruises, and takes the place of John Donohue‘s Aereps Travel Management. Donohue shuttered his firm last August to take the position of sales and relationship manager for CityJet airlines, which operates out of London City Airport.
