Tiffany Townsend has been appointed Executive Vice President, Global Communications at NYC & Company. She comes to NYC & Company from the Biden-Harris administration, where she served as a Senior Advisor with the U.S. Small Business Administration in the Office of Government Contracting & Business Development. She has formerly held positions at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, the New York City Council, the New York Wheel, the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey and the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, as well as with PR agencies Wander and Vine Communications. She previously worked for NYC & Company from 2007–2012, most recently as Vice President, Communications & Government Affairs.
Chad Netherland has been promoted to President & CEO at Gatlinburg Convention and Visitors Bureau. For the past 10 years, he has served as Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations. Netherland was chosen among 70 applicants provided by a collaborative partnership between the bureau and SearchWide Global.
In South Dakota, Visit Watertown has announced Anjelica Uthe as the new Executive Director. She joined the DMO in 2021 as Director of Marketing and Business Development; she will now replace Katherine Danforth.
On yer bike! Jeremy Maunder has been promoted to Director Content & Communications at Destination Toronto, which he joined in 2016.
Jacqueline Becker Danyluk has started a new position with Visit Seattle as the new Marketing Manager – Leisure. She joins following seven years with Laura Davidson Public Relations, based in New York.
Matthew Guillory is the new Manager Global Development at Choose Chicago. He had been Marketing Manager Sales at the DMO since 2021 and was previously with Visit Sacramento.
Allison Aguilar Bultman has joined the team at Destination Madison as Partnership Development Manager. Her background includes a recent role as Associate Director of the Wisconsin Latino Chamber of Commerce.
Oklahoma City Convention & Visitors Bureau has added three employees to its staff and promoted Kellie Myers to Director of Convention Services. The Bureau welcomed Mandy Holt, a 10-year veteran in the OKC hospitality scene, as Convention Sales Manager; Lydia Watkins, a recent Oklahoma State University graduate, as CRM Database & Sales Coordinator; and Randall Sweet, a recent University of Oklahoma graduate, as Communications Coordinator.
Rossi Ramirez is the new Social Media Manager at Visit San Antonio. She joins from a City Editor role role at 6AM City media.
In California, Visit Santa Cruz County has announced two staff promotions.
Denise Harris is the newly appointed Director of Operations and Jennifer Day has been promoted to Assistant Director of Marketing Communications.
In Northern California, Visit Rancho Cordova has added two staff members, bringing the total to eight people. Lisa Leonti-Nottingham, whose background includes 15 years at Visit Sacramento, is the new Sales Coordinator.
Greg Watry brings his journalism and marketing experience to fill another newly created position as Content Manager.
Seattle Southside Regional Tourism Authority has announced the hiring of Cydney Marks-Nicholes as their new Sports Business Development Manager. She brings experience in event operations, project management, marketing, university athletics, rowing, and coaching.
Coastal Mississippi has announced the addition of Brooke Gibson, who joins from the office of U.S. Representative Steven Palazzo, as Public & Media Relations Executive; Lauren Skelton, a recent graduate of Mississippi State University, as Digital Content Executive; and the internal promotion of Jessica Martin, who joined the DMO earlier this year, to Destination Services Executive.
“That’s WY.” Piper Singer has been promoted to Senior Manager of Communications at Wyoming Office of Tourism, which she joined in 2017.
Congratulations to Kathryn Shea Duncan, Director of Social Media at Visit Lake Charles for the Rising Star Award from Southeast Tourism Society at their annual conference in Concord, NC. She is also a 2022 Emerging Tourism Star, awarded by eTourism Summit. Kathryn writes, “Almost exactly three years ago, Kyle Edmiston emailed me about coming to work at VLC. He honestly could have offered me a job stapling papers and I would have said yes 🤣 I could not ask for a better leader the last three years. Kyle leads with trust. He challenges and supports me.”
In other STS news, Jill Kidder, newly appointed President & CEO of Visit Baton Rouge, has been named as chair for a one-year term. The Southeast Tourism Society was founded in 1983 and provides education, advocacy, recognition, and networking opportunities for travel and tourism professionals to best promote their destinations. Member states include Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, and the District of Columbia.
Zartico welcomes Nicole Brownell to the team. As of Nov. 1, 2022, she takes up her appointment as Vice President of Strategic Advisors. She departs a role as Senior Vice President-Accounts & Digital Innovation at Paradise Advertising & Marketing. Prior to 2021, Nicole was an Account Director at Miles Partnership.
Andi Thoreson has joined Zartico as a Strategic Advisor. She had previously spent three years as Director of Marketing at Fargo-Moorhead Convention & Visitors Bureau through October 2020.
Dan Roberts has joined Tourism Economics as Senior Economist. His previous role was as Director of Research & Market Intelligence at Virginia Tourism Corporation.
Andi Jaspersen has started a new position as Public Relations Director at Relic Advertising. She joins the team following four-plus years at Visit Cheyenne where she had most recently been Experience & Marketing Manager.
Brand USA has recruited Cat Reith as Senior Director, Partner Marketing Programs. She joined the organization from GutCheck, a Denver-based global online market research organization. Reith also spent 10 years at Phocuswright, a global travel market research company.
In Memoriam
Julie Schmitz Jensen, was the former CEO of Visit Rapid City, with “a heart as big as Mount Rushmore…” Jensen led Visit Rapid City until she stepped down last October. Her final working day was proclaimed “Julie Schmitz Jensen Day” by Mayor Steve Allender.
