As much as we wanted to break this ADARA people news here in The Travel Vertical, well…LinkedIn got there first. We understand there could be another announcement expected shortly, so watch this space.
Who do you know that should be pictured here? Please send us your people news for sharing with the eTourism Community.
Leroy Bridges, formerly Vice President Digital & Communications at Visit St. Pete Clearwater has announced a move to ADARA after 9.5 years. His new position is Account Executive – Customer Success, Tourism.
A longtime friend and presenter at eTourism Summit over several years, Leroy has generously shared many insights with the community.
Jeremy Harvey, formerly Vice President of Communications & Marketing at Visit Savannah since 2013, has joined ADARA as Senior Industry Specialist – Tourism.
Jeremy’s previous executive roles in DMO marketing were in Virginia at Visit Loudon and the Alexandria Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Zeek Coleman, a former team member at Visit Savannah, joined ADARA as Senior Director – Product Marketing in April 2021, as reported here.
Julie Schmitz Jensen, President & CEO, Rapid City Convention & Visitors Bureau, has announced her retirement. She joined the bureau as executive director in 1983 following four years as assistant director at the Sioux City CVB.
Amy Olmsted is the new Associate Director of Development at Visit Napa Valley. A sales and marketing media executive with board member experience including Cal Travel, she joins from Wine Business Monthly.
Kelly Saling has been promoted to Senior Vice President/Chief Sales Officer at Visit Seattle. She joined the organization in 2009.
Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority announced three promotions and two new hires in a restructuring for future growth. Sue Barton is the Chief Operating Officer; Tony Lyle is Chief Marketing Officer; Stuart Maas is Director of Marketing and Conference Sales; Juraj Sojka has been hired as the Director of Leisure Sales; and Trent Unruh has been hired as a Marketing Communications Coordinator.
Pasadena Convention & Visitors Bureau makes two new hires, welcoming Karalee Adams as California State Association Sales Manager and Jacky Jabourian as Destination Services Manager.
Adams (left) most recently served as Sales Account Manager overseeing the Northern California and Pacific Northwest Region for San Mateo/Silicon Valley CVB. Prior to joining Visit Pasadena, Jabourian (right) served as Director of Destination Sales and Director of Client Services for Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board.
Visit Omaha has added three senior executives to the convention sales team.
(Left to right): Mark Rath, CSEE, who joined the DMO in 1997, will serve as the Director of Sports. Mattie Scheeter, joining from Sioux Falls Convention & Visitors Bureau is named as Director of Sales. Matt Heck, a six-year veteran of the DMO, is promoted to Senior Sales Manager.
Jake Wynn, Marketing and Communications Manager, and Tessa Joseph, Sales and Marketing Coordinator, are the newest team members at Visit Frederick in Maryland.
Wynn joins from the National Museum of Civil War Medicine, where he worked for eight years as Director of Interpretation. Joseph had previously served as executive director of Explore Naples, a DMO in upstate New York.
In Honolulu, Catherine Orlans fills a new role as Destination Manager – O’ahu at the Hawaii Convention & Visitors Bureau. She holds a degree in travel industry management from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and has work experience in hospitality, sales and marketing, and sustainability.
In Virginia, Halifax County Department of Tourism announced Ben Owen, a lifelong resident, as Marketing Assistant. After earning honors in recreation, parks, and tourism at Radford University, he worked for the Virginia Service and Conservation Corps at Staunton River State Park.
Rachel Tomlin is now an Executive Recruiter at Searchwide Global, assisting with director and C-level searches. Based in Charlotte, NC, she had previously been with the company in 2018 as a researcher and recruiter.
Bob Sacco is the Interim CMO at Arrivalist. He joined the visitation intelligence company earlier this year from Phocuswright Inc. where he was a research analyst.
