Names in the News – July 2010
Darrel C. Jones retired in May as president and CEO of Florida’s Emerald Coast CVB. Jones founded both the Okaloosa County Tourist Development Council and the CVB in 1990 and, during his tenure, increased tourist development tax revenues by 630 percent. Mark Bellinger, who has worked at Colonial Williamsburg, Palm Springs and Galveston CVBs, succeeds Jones as the new president.
Jason Outman is now director of sales for the Columbia Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center in South Carolina. Prior to joining the Midlands Authority for Conventions, Sports and Tourism, he held several executive positions, including most recently director of tradeshow sales with Cobb County CVB in Georgia.
Randy Parker is the new director of sales for the Cincinnati USA Convention and Visitors Bureau. Previously, he served as vice president of sales at Nationwide Meetings.
Leslie Mathews has joined the Pensacola Bay Area (Florida) CVB staff as convention sales manager after a three-year career in convention sales with Visit Lubbock (Texas) CVB.
Tom Bennett has been named vice president of sales for Visit Newport Beach Inc., the official destination marketing organization for the City of Newport Beach, Calif. Previously, Bennett was senior vice president, sales and services, for the Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Bill McMillan, formerly the director of marketing and business development for the Charlotte Regional Sports Commission, has joined Visit Charlotte (North Carolina) as senior director of sales.
Lina Cantillo has joined NYC & Company as regional director of national accounts for the New York City Convention Development team. Cantillo has more than 14 years of New York City hotel sales experience, most recently with the Millenniums of Manhattan.
Tammy Johnson is the new national convention sales manager for the Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority in Nevada. Johnson will be based in Chicago, Ill., and her territory will include Chicago and portions of the Midwest and Northeast. Johnson worked for the San Jose CVB and Lake County (Indiana) CVB.
Earl Nightingale is the new general manager of the Millennium Knickerbocker Chicago.
Jason Parsons has been named general manager of The Naples Beach Hotel and Golf Club in Southwest Florida.
Jim Tolbert and Wahid Razaqi have joined the San Diego North Convention and Visitors Bureau. Bringing more than 30 years of combined hospitality experience to the bureau, National Sales Managers Razaqi and Tolbert will be responsible for new group business. Tolbert formerly worked at luxury properties in southern California and Phoenix. Razaqi was sales manager for government accounts at the Doubletree Club Hotel in Mission Valley and the Hilton San Diego Airport/Harbor Island.
