Jay Gray has left his post as vice president, global market development, for Brand USA. Gray, who joined the agency in 2011 from the U.S. Travel Association, is moving to Moscow, Russia, where he his wife was transferred as a part of her job. Gray, who also has a firm called Gray Matter, will continue to consult for Brand USA until the organization finds a replacement for his position.
Patricia Denny is the new international tourism development manager for the Port Of Seattle. She takes over for B.J. Stokey, who retired last October to Santa Fe, N.M. after 31 years of promoting Seattle. Denny comes to the post from her work as an active member and former vice president of the Utah Tour Guide Association. She also served as manager, travel trade program in the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development.
Tui UKand Ireland has promoted Jill Carter as the new director of retail, where she leads the transformation of the retail business across the 649 shops in the UK and Ireland. She will report into customer operations director, Fraser Ellacott. Carter joined Tui UK and Ireland in 1991 and moved quickly through the retail leadership team first as a regional sales manager, then as a divisional sales manager and, most recently, as head of sales.
Lauren Himle (何乐伦 ), has left her position as a tourism account executive at Mall of America, where she worked on the attraction’s APAC marketing initiatives and represented it at international travel shows in China, Japan, S. Korea, Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand, and has joined the Shanghai office of Ecolob—it is headquartered in St. Paul, Minn.—as sales development manager.
Jessica Banchs has been named vice president of sales for Orlando-based Globo International Tours. She comes to the job from NuWorld Events, where she served as vice president, sales and sponsorships consultant. Previously, she had been manager of international sales for JetBlue Airways.
Patricia S. McNally has left her position as director of partner services at Brand USA, returning to her eponymous consultancy business, which she has tended to for more than six years. McNally is a long-time veteran in communications, public relations and strategic planning in both the private and public sector, especially with travel and tourism industry issues. Her CV includes a five-year tenure with the old U.S. Travel and Tourism Administration, where she served as an international tourism market and promotion specialist.
Matt Gaffney president and CEO of Capital Region USA, has been named to a 21-member LGBT Tourism Task Force appointed by Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe to develop marketing strategies that will strengthen the state’s share of the LBGT market. The task force will be reviewing successful campaigns—both domestic and international—in developing its strategies and proposals. Gaffney, who has headed Capital Region USA for nearly 14 years, had previously served for more than decade as vice president, worldwide sales and marketing, for the Virginia Tourism Corporation.
Kuoni Group Travel Experts has appointed Rodrigo Ferreira as commercial director for Latin America. Based in Sao Paulo, Ferreira joins Kuoni from CVC, where he had served as international product manager for Asia, Africa, Middle East, Oceania and European Circuits.
