Names in the News – May 2010
Paul Upchurch is the new president and CEO of VISIT Milwaukee. Upchurch joins VISIT Milwaukee after some 30 years in the hospitality and tourism industry, including five years as vice president of hotel operations with Milwaukee-based Marcus Hotels and Resorts. He most recently held the position of chief operating officer for Chicago-based TCA Holdings, operator of private sports resorts and clubs in the United States and Canada.
Jeffrey B. Beckelman, president and CEO of the Palm Springs Desert Resorts CVA, resigned at of the end of April. Beckelman is credited with unifying the eight desert cities under the CVA and helping to establish Business Improvement District assessment, which expanded funding for the tourist and conventions sales and marketing efforts. Judy Vossler, vice president, Silver Rock Resort/LandMark Golf Management of Indian Wells, will serve as interim president and CEO.
Ann Marie Maher is the new executive director of the Prince William County/Manassas Convention and Visitors Bureaus in Manassas, Va. Maher most recently was cooperative sales and marketing director at the Valley Forge Convention and Visitors Bureau in King of Prussia, Pa.
Laura Zacharias is now the director of sales and marketing for the Gwinnett Center in Duluth, Ga. Zacharias was the director of sales for the Hilton Garden Inn Sugarloaf, Ga., for the past seven years. She succeeds long-time Director of Sales and Marketing Cheryl Gee, who recently resigned from her position after 16 years to take a similar job at the new Mobile Bay Convention Center in Mobile, Ala.
William Pate, president and CEO of the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau (ACVB), has been named the 2010 Corporate Marketer of the Year by the Atlanta Chapter of the American Marketing Association. So far this year, Atlanta is outpacing every major competitive city in trade-show convention bookings over the next eight years and will host more citywide conventions than any year in the history of the city.
Tracey Kegebein, vice president of sales and services for the Syracuse CVB, received the 2010 New York State Hospitality and Tourism Association’s Tourism Executive of the Year award. Kegebein has worked at the Syracuse CVB for 23 years and is a Certified Destination Management Executive. In March 2010, she became the president of the Association of Convention Sales and Marketing Executives, a partnership of convention bureaus and destination centers.
Linda Johnson, executive director of the Tupelo Convention and Visitors Bureau, is retiring from the bureau after 13 years. Johnson was recently inducted into the Class of 2010 Tourism Hall of Fame by the Mississippi Development Authority.
Janice Jefferson has been named director of sales for Harrah’s, Horseshoe and Tunica Roadhouse Casinos and Hotels including Harrah’s Convention Center in Tunica, Miss. Formerly national sales manager at Greater Birmingham CVB, she plans to remain in Birmingham.
David Spencer has been named vice president of convention services and special events for the Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau. Spencer joined the CVB in 2004; before that, he was with what is now Bridgestone Arena.
Scott Blalock has been appointed general manager of the new JW Marriott Indianapolis. A 22-year industry veteran, Blalock brings extensive operational, sales and administrative experience to the property. He joined White Lodging in 2006 after more than 18 years with Marriott International. In addition to his position at the hotel, Blalock serves as the secretary of Indianapolis Downtown, Inc. and is on the board of the Greater Indianapolis Lodging Association.
Bob Conwell, the first executive director of the Corpus Christi CVB, has been honored by The Society of American Travel Writers with the Blake-Whiddon Award in recognition of his dedication to the promotion of Corpus Christi as a tourism destination. Conwell founded the Coastal Bend Tourist Association in the mid-1950s and led the CVB for 31 years until his retirement.
Vanessa Selva has been appointed director of social event sales at the JW Marriott Marquis Miami. In her new position, Selva will be responsible for attracting and managing large-scale events for the 313-room hotel, the first Marquis in the JW Marriott brand, and its 20,000-sq.-ft. Grand Ballroom, the largest ballroom in downtown Miami. Prior to this position, Selva served as senior catering sales manager at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables.
Ron Morin was promoted to vice president and managing director of The Grove Park Inn Resort and Spa in Asheville, N.C. Morin celebrated his 25th year with resort in 2009.
