BIO Page – Read about all of our winners!

Jenn Michaels, MGM Resorts International
Bio coming soon!
Betsy O’Rourke, Xanterra Parks & Resorts

Betsy O’Rourke, Chief Marketing Officer, oversees the company’s advertising, public relations, digital marketing, websites/e-commerce, regional sales offices, reservations, revenue management and other related functions. She and her team work with each brand within the Xanterra Parks & Resorts portfolio to maximize revenue through effective sales and marketing initiatives as well as drive synergy and cross-sell opportunities amongst brands.

Prior to joining Xanterra, she was Senior Vice President of Marketing at Royal Caribbean International, where she led the launch of their ships, Oasis and Allure of the Seas and the product development of Quantum class ships. During her time there she negotiated global strategic alliances with DreamWorks and Starbucks, restructured the Crown & Anchor loyalty program, launched a CRM with shared data across brands, created a robust social media platform and revised the website structure, content and booking path.

Prior to her role at Royal Caribbean International, O’Rourke served as SVP Marketing and Communications at Wyndham Worldwide. While at Wyndham she led the expansion of the Women on Their Way program and the evolution of Trip Rewards to the Wyndham Rewards loyalty program across all brands and businesses. She also led the creation of the philanthropy platform for the company, Wishes by Wyndham.

Before Wyndham Worldwide, O’Rourke was the SVP of Marketing and Communications for the Travel Industry Association, creating the See America program, a cooperative marketing program supported by all segments of the travel industry promoting travel to and within the USA which served as the basis of what is now Brand USA. In addition, O’Rourke was the General Manager of International Pow Wow (IPW), the largest United States travel trade show for international inbound travel.

A graduate of UC Berkeley, O’Rourke spent many years living abroad and speaks French and Italian. She is married with two children.

Georgette Blau, On Location Tours
Bio coming soon!
Anbritt Stengele, Sports Traveler

Anbritt Stengele is the founder and owner of Sports Traveler, a Chicago based sports tourism company (www.sportstraveler.net). The company sells and leads tours to sports events across the United States and around the world as part of the company’s full range of services, including providing event tickets, hotel accommodations and on-site hospitality. Anbritt and Sports Traveler have been featured in numerous influential media including the Wall Street Journal, National Geographic Traveler, Travel Weekly, the New York Times, Washington Post and Chicago Tribune, to name a few.
In 2014, Groups Today Magazine named Anbritt one of the ‘MostInfluential Women in Travel’.
She is the author of Sports Traveler® Chicago, a sports fans guide to traveling the Chicagoland area. The book was honored with two prestigious awards: The 2010 Illinois Woman’s Press Association Mate E. Palmer Communications Contest for Best Non-Fiction in the general category and The 2010 National Federation of Press Women Communication Contest for Best Non-Fiction. The book combines Anbritt’s extensive travel expertise and love of Chicago with her die-hard dedication as a fan to the city’s sports teams. In a continuing effort to give back to her community she has partnered with her former college
– St. Xavier University – to employ nearly twodozen students since her company started. She has also been a guest instructor for the DePaul University Entrepreneurial Program. She enjoys most the opportunity to speak to young children at local schools on the topics of becoming an entrepreneur in their community and her motto ‘Live the Life You Imagine’

Barbra Anderson, Destination Better
Bio coming soon!
Diane Moore, Paul Gauguin Cruises
Bio coming soon!
Ingrid Reisman, Las Vegas Monorail Company

Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer

Ingrid Reisman is the vice president and chief marketing officer for the Las Vegas Monorail Company. She is responsible for advertising, marketing, public relations, sales and government affairs activities, as well as strategic planning and corporate development. She has been with the company since 2006.

Before joining the Las Vegas Monorail Company, Reisman served as marketing, public information and Transportation Demand Management (TDM) manager for the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC). She was responsible for the strategic planning of all communications efforts, media relations, advertising and public relations, in addition to TDM planning and implementation activities for the agency. Reisman also worked as a consultant for the public relations/public affairs firm Katz & Associates. In this position, she won, created and managed several key accounts and numerous award-winning campaigns, including air quality, pedestrian safety and other transportation-related programs. She began her career in advertising, as both an account executive and media buyer. Reisman has won numerous awards for her work, including Addy Awards from the American Advertising Federation of Las Vegas, Bronze Quills from the International Association of Business Communicators, Pinnacle awards from the Public Relations Society of America and Electronic Media Awards (EMA), which included recognition as agency account executive of the year for the region.While at the RTC, Reisman received an Emmy Award in the Pacific Southwest Region for a public service announcement about ridesharing, as well as Emmy recognition for the “On The Move” television show which she hosted for several years

Bio coming soon!
Pilar Laguaña, Guam Visitors Bureau

Pilar Laguaña has successfully led the Guam Visitors Bureau’s Marketing Department for nearly four decades drawing from a wealth of over 38 years of leadership and managerial experience in international tourism and the travel industry. Pilar’s background also includes more than 30 years of Asia & Micronesia regional tourism marketing, experience in international advertising and public relations, global brand development & management, global media and trade relations, government procurement and contract negotiations, global event planning & management, multinational digital and social media management, and customer & industry relations.
She has held key roles in establishing and developing the foundation and building blocks for all of Guam’s tourism core market sources to include Japan, Korea, Taiwan, North America, Hong Kong, Philippines, Russia, Micronesia, and China. Ms. Laguaña is also a driving force of market diversification as well as international air routes development for her island. Her strength in developing strategic and tactical direction, visionary and proven leadership, team building, and her aggressive passion and commitment to the Guam Visitors Bureau, its membership, and the people of Guam have been the foundation of her continuing success.

Mimi Hahn, Monterey Bay Aquarium

Mimi Hahn is Chief Marketing Officer for the Monterey Bay Aquarium. She directs the Aquarium’s marketing, advertising, sales and events, strategic engagement (owned channels), PR and community relations departments. She manages the Aquarium’s predictive market research and is responsible for brand management and setting admission pricing and attendance projections. She serves as chair of the Marketing Committee and is on the board of the Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau and is on the board of the Monterey Jazz Festival as well as the Trends Committee for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

Mimi earned a BA in Communications at Stanford before joining the Aquarium in 1988.

Olga Ramudo, Express Travel

Stephanie Klett, Wisconsin Department of Tourism
As Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Tourism, her job is to show the world how fun is done by inviting visitors and residents to travel Wisconsin. After a quarter century of logging enough miles on Wisconsin’s state highways to circumvent the earth 83 times, she has first-hand knowledge of every nook and cranny of the state from Bayfield to Beloit.

Stephanie was the Emmy-winning television host of the long-running Discover Wisconsin when she was plucked to fill the Governor’s cabinet position of Tourism Secretary in 2011. Since day one on the job, she’s tirelessly promoted the state’s $20 billion tourism industry, one of the top economic engines in Wisconsin. The industry has grown 35% in the last six years alone, and today supports 193,500 jobs. Because Stephanie believes no idea is too big or too out there, the Tourism Department has managed to enlist celebrities including basketball legend Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Green Bay Packer Jordy Nelson, UW Men’s Basketball Coach Bo Ryan, and actors Henry Winkler and Tony Shalhoub to star in its TV ads. She cut the ribbon on a Travel Wisconsin Supper Club concession stand inside Lambeau Field, the first of its kind in any NFL stadium, and gave her stamp of approval to transform Chicago metro buses into virtual Wisconsin campsites. No surprise marketing and public relations awards for the Department have piled up. Many are national and international in scope and the total is at 93 and counting

Mary Kay Vrba, Dutchess Tourism, Inc
Mary Kay Vrba, President and CEO of Dutchess has more than 31 years of tourism experience. She works with over 600 tourism businesses in Dutchess County and has a responsibility for marketing Dutchess County as vacation destination. There have been many new programs initiated by Dutchess County Tourism including Farm Fresh Dutchess, Tourism Rally Day. Dutchess Tourism will also be using VR videos in there marketing efforts along with exclusive program with the Luxury Concierge Association promoting everything that is distinctly Dutchess.
Mary Kay served as President of Hudson Valley Tourism, Past President of the NYS TPA Council.
Mary Kay was cited by Hudson Valley Magazine in December of 2012 as one of the top 11 Women Leaders in the Hudson Valley
In September of 2013 Mary Kay will receive the 2013 Alumna Achievement Award from the College of St. Mary in Omaha, Nebraska
Mary Kay was a member of the Leadership Dutchess Class 2000
Mary Kay was one of 10 Athena Award honoree by Dutchess County Regional Chamber. The ATHENA Award® was created to raise up one outstanding role model each year in a community to put a familiar face and voice to the idea of leader. After 2½ decades of fierce advocacy on behalf of women leaders, ATHENA celebrates a global reach as this message resonates around the world.
Mary Kay has been with Dutchess County tourism for 23 years prior experience includes 5 years as Director of Tourism for the Hudson River Valley Association, she is former Commissioner of Parks, Recreation and Conservation for Dutchess County and has consulted for the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Mary Kay has a master degree from George Williams College in Downers Grove Illinois in Leisure and Environmental Resource Administration and bachelor in Recreation Administration from College of St. Mary in Omaha, Nebraska.
Mary Kay has served on several non-profit boards and has been involved in prison ministry in NYS women’s prisons.

Gretchen Hall, Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau
Bio coming soon!
Donna Allen, Visit Norfolk
Bio coming soon!

Jessica Blotter, Kind Traveler

Jessica Blotter, M.A, Ed., is CEO, Co-Founder, and Editor-in-Chief of Kind Traveler, a journalist, speaker, and advocate for the greater good. The moment she discovered that the love of travel can’t be separated from the state of the world after witnessing poverty on a trip to Belize in 2012, she wondered how the $7-trillion travel industry could be harnessed to benefit communities, the environment, and animals. This experience led her and her cofounder to create Kind Traveler after four years of research and development. Launched in August 16’ as the first socially-conscious ‘Give + Get’ hotel booking platform, travelers can unlock exclusive hotel rates in exchange for a small donation to local and global charities that benefit the community. With a 100 percent of donations to charities, this new way of traveling acts as a triple-win for travelers, hotels, and charities. Travelers can now travel kindly in in 30 cities with 70 hotels and 40 charities represented such as The Salvation Army, WildAid, American Red Cross, and The Arbor Day Foundation.

Ali Brewer, American Bus Association

Ali Brewer joined ABA as its Member Services Coordinator in July 2010. Prior to joining ABA full-time, she served the organization in a variety of capacities both as a temporary employee focused on editing and preparing the annual Motorcoach Marketer and as a Marketplace volunteer. Ms. Brewer is currently focused on sales and customer service. She holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Kentucky, Lexington.

Lauren Cleland, Visit Savannah

Named one of the Top 20 Most Influential Tourism Professionals on Twitter and one of Destination Marketing Association International’s 30 Under 30 for 2017, Lauren Cleland is a force to be reckoned with in ythe tourism marketing world. After putting the Georgia Tourism Division’s (Explore Georgia) social media accounts on the map, Lauren joined the Visit Savannah team. In her first 8 months on the job, Lauren created and implemented the Adrian award-winning social media strategy for Visit Savannah’s “Savannah Hauntings” social video series and revamped the organization’s digital and social media content strategy. This strategic shift led to an increase in social media traffic to Visit Savannah’s web assets by 101%. Lauren leveraged the extreme success of this new strategy to garner a promotion to Digital Content Strategist and the opportunity to build a team dedicated to digital content and social media. In January 2016, Lauren hired her first digital content coordinator. In April 2016, Lauren took over the digital content strategy for Visit Tybee, Savannah’s beach destination marketing organization and hired her second digital content coordinator. Today, she oversees Visit Savannah and Visit Tybee’s digital content coordinators, overall content strategy, social media advertising, sponsored content programs, eNewsletters, influencer programs and more.

Other accolades include a​ Travel + Leisure Best Use of Pinterest SMITTY Award, a Industry Leader of the Year Award from Georgia’s Historic Heartland Travel Association, a Tourism Partner Award from the Roswell Convention and Visitors Bureau Board of Directors, national & international speaking engagements and more.

She holds a B.A. in Mass Communications from the University of Georgia.

Annie Austin, Oregon’s Mt. Hood Territory

Born and raised in Portland, Annie Austin has spent most of her life exploring every corner of Oregon, including Mt. Hood Territory. After years of marketing and promotions efforts in the radio industry back when major promotions stunts reigned, Annie packed her bags for a new adventure in destination work and couldn’t be happier. Her social media and media relations strategies have earned her high fives from the U.S. Travel Association as DMO Rising Star of the Year in 2013 and PR News as a 2015 Rising PR Stars 30 and Under winner. She is also a member of SATW (Society of American Travel Writers), PRSA (Public Relations Society of America) and IFWTWA (International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association). Annie enjoys discovering hidden gems, Instagrammable food and farms filled with baby alpacas.

Julie Slagter, Creative Travel Connections
Bio coming soon!

Camille Hoheb, Wellness Tourism Worldwide

Camille is the President of Wellness Tourism Worldwide (WTW) where she helps governments, businesses, and entrepreneurs capitalize on the $563 billion wellness travel industry. WTW provides onsite assessments, market research, live workshops, online training and customized solutions to travel and tourism professionals. Camille is one of the most recognized and frequently quoted champions and speakers in the wellness tourism industry. She can speak to any audience about wellness-related travel trends, consumer motivations, branding, and community development. Camille is passionate about helping others live well. Featured in Forbes.com, Delta Sky Magazine, Huffington Post and Smart Meetings to name a few, Camille has received 8 awards for tourism marketing excellence and was recognized as a “trendsetter” by industry peers. This year (2017) Camille was awarded for “Outstanding Mentor in Travel & Tourism.” Camille loves writing about all things wellness + travel including eco-adventures, good food, local culture, and authentic healing traditions. Follow @camillehoheb.com on Twitter and Instagram and to learn more about her company, visit www.wellnesstouismworldwide.com

Denise Thevenot, Louisiana Tax Free Shopping
Bio coming soon!
Andrea Ross, Journeys Within Tour Company
Bio coming soon!
Melissa Bradley, Indagare Travel
Bio coming soon!
Dayvee Sutton, DN Media/USA Today
Bio coming soon!
Dr. Nancy McGehee, Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management Virginia Tech
Bio coming soon!
Ilene Strongin-Garry, KMWorld Knowledge Management & Sharing Culture Champion at IHG

Ilene began her career with IHG® (then Bass Hotels & Resorts) in 1999. She is currently Manager: Knowledge Management & Sharing Culture Champion at IHG. Starting out by creating an access database for primary research at IHG in 2001, Ilene has built a world-class knowledge management function, cultivating a sharing culture across the Enterprise and identifying and procuring market intelligence resources to meet the critical business research needs of IHG colleagues across the globe. She is the focal point of access to authoritative information by the business. She is also responsible for starting the competitive intelligence and trends functions for IHG. Her work has given her opportunities to travel extensively, including China and Singapore.

In her spare time, Ilene enjoys travel (of course), Disney World, watching classic films from the 1930s and 1940s, the beach, and spending time with her family.

Monique Wells, Discover Paris
Bio coming soon!
Rosemary McCormick, Shop America Alliance

Rosemary Rice McCormick is the President of SHOP AMERICA ALLIANCE, the travel trade association she co-founded in 1998, representing hundreds of North America’s premier shopping tourism destinations. She is the publisher and editor of SHOP AMERICA magazine, oversees development and international marketing of Shop America Tours and produces the annual ONE Travel Conference for Shopping, Dining and Cultural Tourism. She is the co-founder of the US Cultural & Heritage Tourism Marketing Council LLC and publisher of The Cultural Traveler guide. McCormick is the author of the award-winning book Marketing Cultural & Heritage Tourism. She is also a partner in OutletBound.com, the leading web site for US Outlet Shopping.

Michelle Fee, Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative
Bio coming soon!

Ann Tok, Philadelphia CVB

Ann Tok is the International Communications Manager at Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau (PHLCVB) responsible for leading all public relations efforts in key markets to grow the Philadelphia brand globally and increase visitation by international tourists.

Prior to joining the PHLCVB, Ann worked in various marketing communications roles in Australia and Asia. With 13 years of international experience, Ann brings with her demonstrated success, an international perspective and cross-cultural experience.

Ann holds a BA in Public Relations from RMIT University, Australia where she was awarded the Pacific Strategies prize for being the top student in the program. Additionally, she also holds a Diploma in Advertising, Multimedia and Broadcasting from LimKokWing Institute of Creative Technology and awarded the Best in Writing for Print award.

Ann is fluent in English, Mandarin, Cantonese and Bahasa Malaysia. During her free time, she enjoys traveling, reading and going for walks with her dog.

Kari Westlund, Eugene, Cascades & Coast: Travel Lane County
Bio coming soon!
Valerie Knoblauch, Visit Finger Lakes
Bio coming soon!

Michelle Revuelta, Choose Chicago!

Michelle Revuelta, currently holds the position of Vice President, Media Relations for Choose Chicago since September 2016. Revuelta is building and leading Choose Chicago’s media relations team, increasing visibility to media outlets worldwide in an effort to expand Chicago and its partner base’s growth on the global stage. She is a highly skilled, results-driven communicator with over two decades of experience in the development and implementation of strategic media relations plans for major destination marketing organizations. She is known as a dedicated brand champion and collaborative team player who is well regarded within the tourism industry.

Michelle most recently served as Director of Media Relations for Tourism Toronto from 2007 – 2016 (nine years). She led the organization’s media relations efforts to promote a leading international destination and generated more than $49 million in media coverage and exposure annually for Toronto. Revuelta and her team hosted more than 550 visiting members of the media annually. She was named Destination Canada’s 2013 GoMedia GoGetter Award Recipient for PR Excellence, voted by the international media industry.

Prior to her role with Tourism Toronto, Michelle was with the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau for ten years (1997 – 2007) where she last held the position of Associate Vice President of Media Relations. During this time, she and her team also helped shape the emerging brand and image internationally of another leading destination.

Michelle has also worked on public relations projects for Alonzo Mourning Charities, Miccosukee Zo’s Summer Groove Introducing D. Wade, Honey Shine Mentoring Program, Executive Chef Douglas Rodriguez, Tantra Restaurant & Lounge, Executive Chef Sandee Birdsong (contestant on Bravo’s Top Chef 3 Miami), St. Augustine Visitor & Convention Bureau, Las Brisas Acapulco, Petit St. Vincent Island and Resort, and Hotel Indigo Miami-Dadeland.

Michelle is a member of the U.S. Travel’s Communications Committee, Society of American Travel Writers (SATW), Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA), and Travel Massive.

Ann Liguori, Ann Liguori Productions
Bio coming soon!
Melissa Bradley, Indagare Travel
Bio coming soon!
Tonya Johnson Fitzpatrick, World Footprints
Bio coming soon!
Michal Alter, Visit.org
Bio coming soon!
Kelly Craighead, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Travel and Tourism. US Dept of Commerce
Bio coming soon!

Caroline Beteta, Visit California

Caroline Beteta serves as president & CEO of the industry-led Visit California, a nonprofit organization created to market California as a premier travel destination and to increase the state’s share of tourism-related revenues.
Caroline has served as the chair of the board for Brand USA, where she provided strategic direction for the $200 million global program. Before that, she served two years as the vice chair of Operations. During a two-year term as national chair of the U.S. Travel Association, she guided the successful merger of the Travel Industry Association with the Travel Business Roundtable (to form the U.S. Travel Association). Additionally, she has received numerous awards for her creative work and leadership in the travel industry, including induction into the U.S. Travel Association’s Hall of Leaders.
Caroline simultaneously serves as the Director of Tourism in California’s Governor’s Office of Business & Economic Development (GO-Biz).In her dual capacity, she is responsible for implementing Visit California’s $116 million global marketing program and serves as the lead spokesperson for California’s $125.7 billion travel industry.Caroline has shepherded the growth of Visit California into a global marketing franchise whose brand advertising alone generated incremental visitor spending returns of more than $11.7 billion in fiscal year 2015-16. Under her leadership, California’s share of U.S. domestic travel has grown by more than 1 percent, bringingtens of millions of additional visitors to the state every year.
Caroline holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the University of California at Los Angeles. She obtained a master’s degree in Public Administration/Intergovernmental Affairs from the University of Southern California. She has also completed the Stanford Graduate School of Business Executive Marketing Management Program.

Cathy Tull, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority – LVCVA
Bio coming soon!

Pam Inman, National Tour Association

Pam Inman is president of the National Tour Association, a member-based organization of travel professionals who serve the North American market — to, from and within the continent. The membership of NTA, founded in 1951, comprises tour operators, destination marketing representatives and tour suppliers (hotels, attractions, restaurants and transportation companies) from North America and 40 countries worldwide.

Julie Heizer, U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO)
JJulie Heizer rejoined the U.S. Department of Commerce in September 2003 as Deputy Director, Industry Relations for the National Travel and Tourism Office (formerly Office of Travel and Tourism Industries). She is responsible for industry outreach, partnerships, and strategic alliances for travel and tourism-related Commerce projects, and serves as the staff liaison for Brand USA.

For six years prior to that, she was Director, and then Vice President, of Tourism for the Washington, DC Convention and Tourism Corporation (now Destination DC). In this capacity, she was responsible for domestic and international tourism development and sales programs, as well as for the organization’s consumer inquiry and fulfillment programs.

Prior to her work for the WCTC, Julie served as Assistant Director of Development for the Maryland Office of Tourism Development, where she was responsible for the development and management of Maryland tourism product, as well as the necessary support programs needed to carry out the mandate of the job.

Julie spent four years as the Manager of Private Sector Marketing for the United States Travel and Tourism Administration, a former agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce. USTTA’s mission was to promote international tourism to the United States. julie’s responsibilities included industry outreach, partnerships and strategic alliances, managing new programs and products developed as a result of those partnerships, and liaising with national travel industry associations and organizations to keep them involved and informed about the importance of travel and tourism to the economy of the United States.

She previously served as Executive Director of the Virginia Peninsula Tourism and Conference Bureau and the Montgomery County, Maryland Convention and Visitors Bureau, both full-service destination marketing organizations. Her career in the travel industry began nearly 40 years ago at the U.S. Travel Association (formerly the Travel Industry Association of America), where she worked in the marketing, membership and national councils departments.

Julie loves travel, the theatre, good books, good movies, and good jokes – not necessarily in that order!
Angela Brav Europe at InterContinental Hotels Group
Bio coming soon!
Anne Madison, Brand USA

Anne Madison is chief strategy and communications officer for Brand USA, the nation’s public-private partnership dedicated to increasing international visitation to the United States through marketing and promotional efforts. In this role, Anne is responsible for leading the global communications strategies that advance Brand USA’s mission and funding, raise its visibility worldwide, and build engagement with industry and other business leaders. Her leadership includes oversight for external and internal communications, media relations, business-to-business (B2B) marketing, and public policy educational outreach and relations.