The Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. has promoted Deana Ivey as its president as the organization restructures its top leadership. Butch Spyridon remains CEO of the organization. Ivey has been with the bureau since 1997, previously serving as executive vice president and chief marketing officer.
Said Kevin Lavender, chairman of the board of directors for the CVC: “Butch continues to excel as a leader, putting Nashville in a position to reach record-breaking visitation and convention numbers and exceed expectations–from hosting the 2019 NFL Draft to being on the shortlist to host FIFA World Cup in 2026. The city is fortunate to have Butch and Deana leading the hospitality industry.”
Jane Cunningham has joined Destinations International as director of European engagement. She starts her new job on January 24, 2022. Residing in Stockholm, Sweden, she will be responsible for overseeing and developing a long-term engagement strategy for European destination organizations. Most recently, Cunningham was director of community engagement at BestCities Global Alliance.
The North Lake Tahoe Resort Association board of directors has announced Tony Karwowski as the new CEO of the association. A 20-year resident of the North Lake Tahoe region, Karwowski has, for the past five years, been a part of Northstar California Resort’s senior leadership team, serving as director of base area operations. Previously, Karwowski was transportation manager at Northstar Resort.
American Express Global Business Travel has appointed Rachel Tonge as UK vice-president & general manager. Tonge has been with the company for five years, most recently as director of strategic transformation, and will oversee UK operations and customer relationships in her new role. Prior to joining American Express, Tonge served for more than four-and-a-half years as a management consultant at Accenture.
Daniel Earle has been named director of global industry sales for Hard Rock Hotels & Casinos. A veteran of more than 20 years in the travel and tourism industry, Earle will report to Danielle Babilino, senior vice president of global sales and marketing. In his most recent role as director of sales and revenue management for Performance Hospitality Management, he oversaw the commercial teams to include sales, catering and revenue management for six owned and managed hotels.
Eleonora Penna is joining Hotel Trader as director – supplier partnerships. Most recently, she held the role of area manager, New York City, for Hotelbeds. Previously, she worked for nearly five years with Tourico Holidays, which was acquired by Hotelbeds.
Scott Peacock has returned to promoting the state of North Carolina with his appointment as director of tourism marketing at Visit North Carolina/Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina. Peacock joins from Bandwidth, a well-known communications platform. Previously, he served tenures with Visit North Carolina and the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Angela Westerfield has named as the new vice president of marketing and communications and Visit Savannah. An accomplished integrated marketing and sales professional with experience promoting major attractions and tourism, she has served in roles that include brand management, sales, promotions, and digital marketing. She worked for 17 years with SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment in Orlando, Florida. She has been involved in the marketing industry organizations for many years, including IAAPA (Global Association for the Attractions Industry) and others.
Scott Schult has joined Visit Music City (Nashville) as chief marketing officer. A veteran of more than two decades in the travel and tourism industry, Schult was with the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce for 12 years and was director of marketing for Visit St. Pete Clearwater for nearly 10 years.
Maria Henson is the new director of market research & insights at Visit Orlando. Maria is an 11-year veteran of Visit Orlando with over 20 years’ experience in the field. She was once senior research analyst at the Orlando/Orange County Convention and Visitors Bureau (now Visit Orlando). She also served for a number of years as corporate manager, consumer research, at SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment.
JetBlue has named Dave Clark as its head of revenue and planning. In his new role, Clark will oversee JetBlue’s network strategy, operational planning and analysis, and sales and revenue management. In addition, he will oversee JetBlue’s airline partnership portfolio–including the Northeast Alliance with American Airlines–as well as operational engineering and manpower planning. He will report to Joanna Geraghty, JetBlue’s president and chief operating officer. Since joining JetBlue in May 2009, Clark has lead teams across JetBlue’s commercial organization. Since February 2017, Clark has served as vice president, sales and revenue management.
Alison McKay has been named acting vice president, destination management at Destination British Columbia. In her new position, Alison will oversee Destination BC’s destination management programs, with a focus on supporting the revitalization of a strong and sustainable tourism sector. McKay joined Destination BC in 2006 as a member of the research department. During her 16-year tenure, she has taken on progressively senior roles, most recently as director of destination & industry development.
Chris Jennings has resigned his post as executive director of Discover New England. While its board of directors conducts a nationwide search for a new director, the board said that Maine-based Marshall Communications—a contractor for the organization since 2013—”will keep the lights on.” Jennings was selected for the position in March 2020. Previously, he served as director of special projects for the Spartanburg Convention and Visitors Bureau and as president of the Mystic Coast & Country Travel Industry Association, as well as tourism director of the states of Missouri and New Hampshire.
The Points Guy, well-known as an authority on maximizing travel using points and miles earned through loyalty programs and credit cards, has named Anka Twum-Baah senior vice president, customer loyalty and content. Twum-Baah brings 20 years of experience to the position. Her roles include that of senior director, Microsoft Audience & Product Marketing, general manager of consumer payments for Amazon.
Kenneth Morgan-Schleuning has been appointed as manager, public relations—trade at Universal Orlando Resort. He joins the company from Hospitality Narratives, an Orlando firm he founded and which he operated for several years. Previously, he was public relations manager—Disney Signature Experiences, and a public relations account executive/public relations manager at Visit Florida for eight years.
Cody Chomiak has taken on a new position as vice president of marketing at Travel Manitoba where, he says, he will be “helping to promote Manitoba to the world!” He joins the DMO from Bandwango, where he spent most of a year as vice president of industry engagement. Previously, he was director of marketing for Tourism Winnipeg, where he spent more than a decade.
David McKenna has been appointed as the new president and CEO of Vancouver-based Rocky Mountaineer, the luxury train company. Prior to joining Rocky Mountaineer, McKenna was president at the Banff Jasper Collection by Pursuit where he led notable tourism expansion and acquisition projects in the Canadian Rockies. He currently serves as the board chair of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada
Sarah Ryan has joined Protected Trust Services, returning to travel after a 15-month departure from the tourism industry working for an estate agency. Ryan joins Protected Trust Services as the company’s newest BDM, with the group targeting significant growth this year as agents and operators assess their financial protection arrangements in light of the challenges posed over the past two years by the Covid crisis. Ryan, who started her career as a travel agent, has held business development roles at The Global Travel Group, Rogers Hospitality, WebBeds and Advantage Travel Partnership
After almost 10 years, Tony Wong has left his position as senior sales manager at the 360 CHICAGO observation deck to join Big Bus Tours as head of sales, America. Prior to his role at 360 Chicago, Wong was event coordinator at The Ivy Room at Tee Studios in Chicago.
After nearly a year after returning to Visit Savannah following a pandemic-related hiatus and working with the organization’s convention sales team, Mindy Shea Frazier is back on the tourism side of things as director of international sales. She first joined Visit Savannah in 2006.
Lucimar Reis, a widely-known veteran of the travel and tourism in Brazil who has served tenures at United Airlines and CVC Corp, has joined P2D Travel, a startup less than a year old, as chief sourcing officer. She’ll be focused on managing purchases, relationships and negotiations with the main suppliers and service providers. According to published reports, the company has already surpassed the mark of eight thousand partners and is present in Brazil, Portugal and, now, in Mexico.
Also in Brazil, another industry veteran, Paulo Pimentel, has been named commercial director at online travel agency Hurb. Pimentel, who joins the company from Rio de Janeiro-based operator, Soul Traveler, where was director of competitive intelligence for seven years, previously worked for Hurb from 2012 to 2014.
APT’s head of sales, Jessica Shelton-Agar, is leaving the river cruise and touring specialist next month. She joined the group in 2012, taking a brief break to serve as sales manager at AMZCRO, and became national sales manager, then head of sales. Still owned and controlled by the McGreary family, the ATP group turns 95 this year, and sells product all over the world. Shelton-Agar, who is leaving the company in February, plans to emigrate to the Middle East.
Rezdy, a leading global online booking and distribution platform, has appointed Joe Robinson as head of channel management. Prior to his appointment, he spent his career in the experience industry with most recent roles in reservation technology, as chief growth officer at RocketRez and as vice president of revenue for Redeam. Robinson was also senior vice president at Big Bus Tours, where he spent more than four-and-a-half years. In operation for more than a decade, Rezdy is now in more than 130 countries.
Job Postings
From SearchWide Global:
—The Tennessee Hospitality Association is looking for an executive director. More details here.
—The South Padre Island Convention and Visitors Bureau is seeking a new CVB director. More details here.
—Visit Seattle is searching for a new president and CEO. More details here.
—The Cincinnati USA Convention and Visitors Bureau is seeking a new chief financial officer. More details here.
—Destinations International is looking for a manager of meetings and events. More details here.
—Visit El Paso is searching for a director of marketing and communications. More details here.
—The Abilene Convention and Visitors Bureau has an opening for the position of vice president. More details here.
—A world-wide hospitality group is looking for an executive director of hotel sales & marketing a position that would be based in San Francisco, Toronto or remotely. More details here.
—Visit Greater Palm Springs has an opening for a vice president of sales. More details here.
—Visit Annapolis & Anne Arundel County is looking for a director of marketing & communications. More details here.
—Visit Denver is seeking to hire a new vice president of tourism. More details here.
—The Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau has an opening for a director of marketing. More details here.
—There is an opening for the position of president & CEO at Visit Fort Wayne. More details here.
—Destinations International is searching for a vice president of equity, diversity & inclusion. More details here.
—The City of Tacoma has an opening for a director of venue & events. More details here.
—Visit Dana Point is looking for an executive director. More details here.
—Discover The Palm Beaches is searching for a director of events, tradeshow & strategic sales partnerships. More details here.
—Freeman is searching for a vice president, national graphics. More details here.
—In the Charlotte/Concord area of North Carolina, Great Wolf Resorts has an opening for a director of sales and catering. For details, click here
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From LinkedIn Jobs: Known to many across the board in the travel and tourism industry, the LinkedIn list (click here) has numerous job opportunities posted. Following is a brief sample of some of those jobs currently listed.
—Visit Detroit has an opening for a director of communications. More details here.
—The Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment Company is searching for a director of public affairs. More details here.
—Travel Oregon is looking for a destination development program manager. Salary $75,400 to $86,707 a year. More details here.
—Amazon Web Services is searching for a head of travel & hospitality industry marketing. Located in Seattle. More details here.
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From Indeed.com: We’ve taken a look at this site (click here) which says that it has hundreds of new jobs listed, including a fair number in the travel, tourism and related industries. A sampler of what to expect is below.
—The City of Virginia Beach has an opening for a convention and tourism representative. More details here.
—Las Vegas Outdoor Adventures is looking for an outdoor tour guide; salary is $100,000-$120,000. More details here.
—There is an opening for a sports tourism assistant at the City of Myrtle Beach. More details here.
—The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is looking for a vice president of guest experience. The salary range is $130,000 – $157,000 a year: More details here.
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Have a job to offer in the travel and tourism industry? Let us know and we’ll post your notice—no cost to you. Email tom@tomberrigan.com
