Noelle Stevenson is appointed as the new Director of the Connecticut Office of Tourism, a division of the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development.
Stevenson, who is fluent in six languages, had served as Vice President – Film, Music, Fashion & Creative Culture at the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau since 2010. Previously, she held a similar role as Associate Vice President of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau, which she joined in 2003.
Stevenson succeeds Randy Fiveash, who retired earlier this year following more than a dozen years as state travel director. Fiveash is currently Interim President and CEO Fayetteville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau in North Carolina.
Jim Powell, formerly Vice President of Marketing & Communications at Visit Park City in Utah — and a Michigan native — is the new Executive Director of the Petosky Area Convention & Visitors Bureau. His appointment follows a nationwide search to fill the position upon the retirement of Peter Fitzsimons, who was 36 years in the job.
Ixzchel Salgado joins NYC & Company as the Director, Tourism Market Development, Latin America & US Hispanic Market. A first generation Mexican American, she was previously with New York Road Runners, the nonprofit that produces the New York City Marathon, where she led the international tour operator program.
Nik Pereira joins Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau as Vice President of Sales. He is a 20-year veteran of the hospitality industry.
Experience Columbia SC announced the hiring of two industry professionals, Beth Shaffer and Danna Lilly, as Sales Managers. Shaffer, CMP, is a hospitality sales expert and Lilly has also served as director of sales at Visit Myrtle Beach and executive director of Meet in South Carolina.
Leslie T. Bensley, Executive Director at Morris County Tourism Bureau based in Morristown, New Jersey, is retiring following 25 years of service.
Jessica Heslin has joined Visit Hamilton County as a part-time Sales & Sports Coordinator. She’s currently finishing up a degree in Tourism, Event and Sport Management with a business certificate from Kelley School of Business at Indiana University-Purdue University.
Salvatore Galati is joining Bandwango as Vice President of Sales. He departs his role as VP of Retail Banking with Financial Resources Federal Credit Union to join the travel and tourism industry.
Also at Bandwango, Vincenzo Vitale is now Regional Manager, Client & Community Relations. Since joining the company in October 2020, he had been Client Success Manager.
eTourism Summit Advisory Board is pleased to welcome new members:
Brett Laiken, (left) VP Marketing, Visit Florida, who joined the DMO in July. In addition to private industry roles at American Express and elsewhere, he had previously been with Discover The Palm Beaches.
Cody Gray, (right) President & CEO, Louisiana’s Cajun Bayou Tourism, who was named as an Emerging Tourism Star in 2021.
Maria Skrzynski, (left) Marketing Coordinator, Destination Ann Arbor, who was named as an Emerging Tourism Star in 2021.
Emily Zertuche, (right) Vice President of Marketing, Visit Corpus Christi, who was named as an Emerging Tourism Star in 2021.
More people and jobs, current events and fun facts on The Travel Vertical Podcast.
Episode #18 goes live at 7 a.m. ET on December 15th. Here’s the link.
Catch the chat on Apple or Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts. Drop a line if you want to join us in conversation in 2022.
