The 2024 City Nation Place Americas conference in Houston brought together over 240 place leaders for two days to share ideas and inspirational examples of collaborative approaches to building more successful place reputations and place economies.
âš¡ Slow down. Take your time with place brand and marketing strategies to get it right as it takes time to build place reputation and civic pride effectively.
âš¡ Make sure you find the balance between quick wins for your partners and focusing on long-term strategic development.
âš¡ No one can solve every global challenge or even every challenge in your place. Understanding your place’s assets, and understanding your organisation’s capabilities and strengths means you can more effectively create opportunity for your community.
âš¡ Actions, rather than just words, create your place brand narrative.
âš¡ Technology is going to drive fundamental change in how places engage with their audiences - you have to pay attention.
âš¡ Collaboration [or perhaps we should call it co-creation] is worth the effort it takes to get it right.
#CNPAmericas24 is a wrap! Another productive, and fun experience. When I go to conferences I am happy to walk away with 2-3 ideas, at CNP conferences I leave with pages of ideas and inspiration. Thank you City Nation Place team for a wonderful experience.
City Nation Place’s Americas 2024 conference has been an amazing opportunity to convene local leaders, build/grow relationships, and reflect on how promising our Hamilton County, Indiana, future is working together.
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Caroline Beteta serves as president & CEO of the industry-led Visit California, a nonprofit organization created to market California as a premier travel destination to increase the state’s share of tourism-related revenues. She simultaneously serves as a strategic advisor for the Governor’s Office of Business & Economic Development (GO-Biz). She is responsible for implementing Visit California’s global marketing program on behalf of the organization’s more than 18,000 investors and serves as the lead spokesperson for California’s travel industry. In her tenure, she has overseen a decade of growth for California’s travel industry, peaking in 2019 with a record $144.9 billion in economic benefit to the state. She has shepherded the growth of Visit California into a global marketing franchise and helped restore travel and tourism following numerous natural and economic crises.
She has previously served as Chair of the Board, as well as Acting CEO for Brand USA, where she provided strategic direction for the $200 million global program, interfacing with national congressional leaders and the administration. 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 and the creation of Brand USA. Caroline was recently elected to the U.S. Travel Association Executive Committee and serves as Vice Chair. Caroline also serves on the Executive Committee of the World Travel and Tourism Council — Visit California was the first destination marketing organization invited to join the WTTC.
Caroline 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 holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the University of California, Los Angeles and a master’s degree in Public Administration/ Intergovernmental Affairs from the University of Southern California. She also completed the Stanford Graduate School of Business Executive Marketing Management Program.
Artur joined Brand Finance in 2018 after graduating from the King's College London in Political Economy. Artur is the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). Artur is fluent in three languages - English, Russian and Ukrainian. Artur has experience in valuation, strategy, market research analysis for clients including Chevron, Iberia, Etihad, and stc. Artur also has experience in Brand Finance’s sports services offering, in particular, measurement and return on investment projects with global clients like Formula 1. Currently, Artur leads place branding projects at Brand Finance, in particular, the Global Soft Power Index and Brand Finance City Indices.
Santiago C. Corrada officially began his position as President and Chief Executive Officer of Visit Tampa Bay in May of 2013 where he is responsible for providing oversight of all agency activities, managing day-to-day operations, and assuring a smoothly functioning, efficient organization. He serves as main spokesperson for the tourism and hospitality industry; ensures stakeholders coordinated efforts in collaboratively increasing visitation to the destination while maintaining open lines of communication with all industry stakeholders. A recipient of HSMAI’s Top 25 Award for Extraordinary Minds and recognized as Hillsborough County’s Hispanic Man of the Year, Corrada serves on numerous industry and attraction boards, including Destinations International and as current Chair of Destinations Florida. During his tenure Visit Tampa Bay has won dozens of marketing awards for cutting-edge campaigns and innovative ideas including platinum and gold HSMAI Adrian Awards, Henry Awards at Visit Florida’s Flagler Award Ceremony, Tellys, Emmys and more.
Jordan Cooley is an experienced economic development consultant. She leans into her background in design thinking and research to develop human-centered strategies that help propel communities towards economic resiliency and growth.
During projects, Jordan works with both the internal team and client to design a research and stakeholder engagement plan that can achieve the overall goal of the project. She has led over 100 hours of stakeholder engagement, conducted and visualized numerous economic analyses, and written strategies for statewide, regional, and local government clients. These strategies have varied in their focus including traditional CEDS, workforce development, tech transfers, and federal grant implementation (IIJA, IRA, CHIPS, etc.), among others.
Communities she has advised in her career include Austin, TX; Pflugerville, TX; Cincinnati, OH; several regions in New York, including Western, Central, Southern Tier, and Long Island; and Chattanooga, TN.
Prior to Resonance, Jordan was an economic development consultant and researcher at Ernst & Young, LLP.
David Cowan is the Chief Public Spaces Officer for the Downtown Detroit Partnership (DDP). He planned and launched the opening of Beacon Park, one of Detroit’s most contemporary public spaces and plans over 2,000 events and programs annually for Downtown Detroit’s internationally recognized and award-winning public space portfolio, including: Campus Martius Park, Beacon Park, Capitol Park, Cadillac Square, Grand Circus Park, Paradise Valley, and The Woodward Esplanade.
David was named Crain’s Detroit Business 20 in their 20’s honoree, was the winner of the 2020 International Downtown Association Award for Place Management and recognized with the 2022 Arts Achievement Award by Wayne State University. He is an advocate for placemaking, the arts, and urban planning in American cities and is the recipient of a Spirit of Detroit Award for service to his community. For three years in a row, Campus Martius Park was named top public square by USA Today.
David works to create lasting memories and one-of-a-kind experiences for
Downtown’s wide-ranging demographics, hosting over 6 million visitors annually. His dedicated and incredible staff designs experiences and venues that are flexible and versatile enabling over 250+ community partners and 500+ artists to present and produce programming free to the public.
In addition to public spaces, David also oversees DDP’s public space earned revenue activity, events, marketing, and corporate partnerships, which includes oversight of the markets at Cadillac Square, an annual fleet of 75 food trucks, two award winning restaurants, the Rink at Campus Martius Park, temporary public art program, major international festivals, headline concerts, and more.
He also collaborates with Visit Detroit and the Detroit Sports Commission to attract large-scale experiences to Detroit, like the NFL Draft coming in April 2024 and NCAA Final Four in 2027.
He earned his BFA from Wayne State University in Detroit and went on to American University in Washington D.C where he earned his MA in Arts Management.
Above all else, David is a proud father and husband. He grew up in the Green Acres and Midtown neighborhoods of Detroit and on Grosse Ile, an island in the Detroit River near the Canadian border.
As President of Resonance, Chris leads a team of leading global advisors on placemaking, branding and marketing for destinations, cities, districts, and developments around the world. Chris holds a Masters degree in Studies of the Future and specializes in trend analysis, visioning, strategic planning and marketing for destinations, cities, and communities.
In 2016, he designed the World’s Best Cities rankings to define and benchmark the performance of more than 400 cities around the world. The Best Cities rankings have become one of the most trusted and cited metrics on urban perception and performance.
Chris is also a frequent speaker and commentator on global tourism, real estate and urban development trends, and is a past Chairman of the Urban Land Institute’s Travel Experience & Trends Council, a member of the Project for Public Spaces Leadership Council, and instructor in Placemaking at New York University.
Patience Fairbrother is Vice President, Talent Attraction at Development Counsellors International (DCI), where she oversees the place-marketing agency’s Talent Attraction practice area, helping cities, regions, states and countries to attract the workforce of the future through custom research and targeted marketing campaigns. Patience’s work has been recognized in the Summit Creative Awards, AVA Digital Awards, Horizon Interactive Awards, International Economic Development Council (IEDC) Excellence in Economic Development Awards, and MarCom Awards.
She has been a featured speaker on place marketing research and best practices at conferences including Young Smart & Local, Destinations International, ECONOMIX, and the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) Annual Conference, and in communities from Buffalo to Birmingham. Based in Brooklyn, Patience is a graduate of Kenyon College and a native of the Berkshires in Western Massachusetts.
Jenell Fairman is the Director of Economic Development for Westfield, Indiana. She is passionate about building better communities by fostering the delivery of quality economic development initiatives. With over 25 years of experience in commercial real estate projects up to $500 million, Jenell focuses on quality, value, sustainability, and community connectivity. A professional engineer and graduate of Purdue University, Jenell is a creative problem solver who brings curiosity, collaboration and efficiency into project designs, deal structures and processes, optimizing the benefits of public private partnerships to stakeholders.
Jenell currently serves Urban Land Institute as the national Placemaking Council Membership Chair and the ULI Indiana Chair of Community Impact. Jenell formerly served on the IndyCREW Board of Directors and is a founding member of the Indiana Structural Engineers Association. She is a member of Leadership Indianapolis Stanley K. Lacy Leadership Series Class XXXIX and Hamilton County Leadership Academy Class of 2024. Her awards and recognitions include the Junior Achievement Best and Brightest Award, Indy CREW's Donna Hovey Award, CREW Network Impact Award, College Mentors for Kids Inspire Award, and the Urban Land Institute WLI Prologis Scholarship.
In her free time, Jenell is an amateur painter and also enjoys cooking, yoga, reading, and traveling with her husband and their four children.
GREATER MSP is the regional economic development partnership for the 15- county Minneapolis-Saint Paul region. As Chief Executive Officer, Frosch is responsible for leading the global strategy for economic development and job creation for the region, with its 3.6 million residents and Gross Metropolitan Product of more than $260 billion. GREATER MSP is a growing cross-sector partnership that includes over 350 businesses, universities, cities, counties, foundations, and nonprofit organizations. As a partnership, GREATER MSP advances inclusive economic growth and global competitiveness by executing strategies in the areas of job creation, talent, innovation, and capital.
Prior to taking on the role of CEO in 2019, Frosch served as Senior Vice President of Strategy at GREATER MSP. He earned a bachelor’s degree in History and American Studies from Northwestern University and earned a master’s degree in International Relations from Dublin City University in Ireland, where he studied as a George Mitchell Scholar.
In his leadership role with the CRDA, David works closely with the region’s top business, academic and political leaders to shape and execute a comprehensive regional economic development strategy. He also leads the organization’s day-to-day efforts, and is directly involved with global business development and global marketing initiatives.
David has been with the CRDA since its inception, serving as the organization’s executive vice president and project director before being named President and CEO in 2000. A Certified Economic Development professional, he maintains a comprehensive awareness of current issues in economic development, thanks in part to affiliations with the International Economic Development Council and as past president of the S.C. Economic Developers Association. He has also held professional economic development and industrial marketing positions in Atlanta and Savannah.
David grew up in the Atlanta area, and holds a degree in economics and international business from the University of Southern Mississippi. He also studied abroad at the London School of Economics. He and his wife, Jean, live in Mount Pleasant with their two children.
Combining her passion for marketing and expertise in leveraging data strategies to drive destination growth, Andria leads data-driven initiatives and guides implementation of future-focused analytics at Miles Partnership. Prior to joining Miles, Andria led the Travel and Tourism team at Epsilon, developing global advertising and data management platforms to support the travel industry. Throughout her career Andria has focused on developing data solutions and bringing them to the global industry to promote travel and economic development across destinations.
Andria has held senior positions with Longwoods International, ADARA, the Georgia Department of Economic Development and Travel Texas. In addition to her role at Miles, she is currently an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California where she teaches applied research and finance.
Stefan, an experienced professional in both brand and digital marketing, has led a remarkable career across multiple continents, working in renowned digital and ad agencies in Vancouver, San Francisco, Amsterdam, and Shanghai. This global experience has not only sharpened Stefan's skills in the marketing arena but also broadened his understanding of diverse market dynamics. In mid-2022, Stefan took a new direction, taking on the role as the Vice President of Global Marketing at Destination Vancouver. This position represents a synergy of professional expertise and personal passion, as it involves promoting Vancouver — Stefan's hometown and a city he loves.
Stefan's approach to marketing is characterized by a passion for creativity, innovation and adaptability, with a particular focus on integrating advanced technologies to revolutionize how brands connect with people. In his current role, Stefan is working to tell the Vancouver brand story whilst utilizing AI to create better, unique, personalized travel experiences. His insights into the use of AI in tourism are rooted in a deep understanding of both technology and the evolving needs of modern travelers, making him a valuable contributor to discussions on the future of tourism and destination marketing
Jessica has been recognized nationally for her work overseeing all marketing and communications at Visit Fort Worth and as a leader moving Fort Worth forward. Her team includes specialists in public relations, social media, video, content and digital strategies, research, brand activations, B2C, B2B, film, television and music marketing.
Jessica and her team established the Fort Worth Film Commission in 2015 with the goal of attracting film and television business to Fort Worth, driving economic impact and creating jobs for the region. The Film Commission has worked with hundreds of projects, driven over $655 million in economic impact and helped support over 20,000 local jobs. Prjoect highlights include Taylor Sheridan's TV shows 1883 and Lawman: Bass Reeves and films A Ghost Story, The Old Man & the Gun, Never Goin’ Back, No Future, Miss Juneteenth, 12 Mighty Orphans, The Senior.
 Jessica was instrumental in developing the Fort Worth Film Collaborative, a film workforce development certification program developed by the Fort Worth Film Commission, Tarrant County College and 101 Studios. The program will address the growing need for trained film industry crew in the greater Fort Worth area.
 Jessica joined Visit Fort Worth in 2011 from FOX Broadcasting Company in Los Angeles, where she worked on marketing campaigns for Prison Break, 24, Glee and The X-Factor.
She earned a Lone Star Emmy for her work as a producer with FOX Broadcasting in Texas.
Mr. Hunden and his Chicago-based firm offer extensive experience in the economics of placemaking, primarily via transformative real estate projects. He has provided economic development, market and financial feasibility, impact, developer selection and planning expertise for more than 600 projects and studies over the past 20+ years, totaling more than $4 billion in developed real estate. The firm completes approximately 60 assignments per year with its 12-person professional staff. Hunden’s background in economic, real estate and tourism development combine to make him a unique resource for communities looking to develop their destinations and projects in a viable, transformative and sustainable way.
Segun is a proud product of the Boston Public Schools. Following his graduation from Boston Latin Academy, he earned his Bachelor of Arts in History at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia and honors from the Phi Beta Kappa and Golden Key Societies.
A lifelong advocate, Segun organized the Boston Police Camera Action Team (BPCAT) with his colleague, Shekia Scott, which fulfilled its mission by securing the permanent use of body-worn cameras by Boston Police. From 2018 to 2021, he also served as the first President and CEO of the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts, Inc. (BECMA), the chief advocacy organization for Black businesses across the Commonwealth. In this role, he helped transform the organization by growing its budget, membership, and staff exponentially; expanding the footprint of the organization across the Commonwealth; establishing dozens of partnerships with key stakeholders; and advancing key pieces of state legislation that secured millions more in contracts as well as grants for Black businesses.
Every year since 2021, Segun has been recognized by Boston Magazine as one of the “100 Most Influential People in the City of Boston.” In 2020, the Boston Globe recognized him on the front page of their Sunday edition as a “Man of the Moment” and as a “Bostonian of the Year.”
Segun stepped down from his role as BECMA’s CEO in December 2021 in order to join the Administration of Mayor Michelle Wu as the Chief of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion. In this position, he manages five city departments and over 100 full time employees who are focused on making Boston a resilient, economically equitable, and vibrant city that centers people and creates opportunities to build generational wealth.
Natalie is passionate about the unique opportunities and challenges destinations face in an increasingly data-driven world. Prior to joining Zartico, Natalie spent six years at Visit Baltimore, most recently as their Director of Destination & Business Intelligence, where she led with a data-first approach. While jobs, taxes, and the total economic impact of tourism remain critical to monitor, Natalie believes destinations need to shift their focus from monitoring to optimizing their unique data sources.
Kian Kamas serves as the Executive Director of PartnerTulsa, leading Tulsa’s comprehensive community and economic development strategy and a team of talented professionals dedicated to increasing economic opportunity for Tulsa residents. Prior to this role, she served as Mayor G.T. Bynum’s Deputy Chief and then Chief of Economic Development. Before her work at the City, Kian spent six (6) years at the Tulsa Regional Chamber, in various roles in Economic Development and Government Affairs. Kian is passionate about creating long-term, institutional change in how Tulsa pursues its economic and community development objectives, and is committed to building a world-class and sustainable operating model that provides Tulsa with strong and stable long-term revenues for this work. She loves crazy ideas and tries to encourage out-of-the-box thinking and a collaborative approach to problem-solving among TAEO’s staff. Kian holds a Bachelors Degree in Political Science from the University of Oklahoma, a Masters Degree in Comparative Public Policy from the University of Edinburgh, and has completed the University of Oklahoma’s Economic Development Institute. She and her husband Lathen have lived in Tulsa, Oklahoma since 2009, and are raising their son Leith as a proud Tulsan.
Steve Kean is President and CEO of the Greater Houston Partnership, the Houston region’s principal business organization. The Partnership focuses on attracting investment and trade to Houston, building a strong workforce, advocating for sound public policy, and convening a diverse set of Houstonians when major issues arise.
Prior to joining the Partnership in 2023, Steve was Chief Executive Officer of Kinder Morgan, one of the largest energy infrastructure companies in North America.
Steve has worked in the energy industry since 1985 in various commercial, operational and legal positions, primarily in the wholesale energy and energy transportation and storage sectors.
Steve is Chairman of the Board of the Saint Constantine School, a classical Christian school in Houston. Steve also serves on the Advisory Board of the Collaborative for Children. Steve has been an active supporter of the Saint Constantine School, Cristo Rey Jesuit College Preparatory School, KIPP Houston, the Collaborative for Children and the Houston Area Urban League.
Steve holds a bachelor's degree from Iowa State University and a law degree from the University of Iowa.
As the President and CEO of the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (FWHCC), Anette Landeros provides valuable programming to businesses, championing the importance of workforce development, and creating opportunities for economic mobility for all chamber members. Under Anette’s leadership over the last two years, the Chamber experienced tremendous membership growth despite the pandemic as her team works diligently to provide valuable business resources for their members. Through strategic partnerships and new programming, the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is making tremendous strides to support the economic trajectory of our city while highlighting the diverse talent within our business community. Anette also serves on various local boards including the North Texas Community Foundation, Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, Visit Fort Worth, Carter Bloodcare, and the Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas.
Anette holds a bachelor’s degree in public policy analysis from Indiana University and a master’s degree in public affairs from the LBJ School at the University of Texas at Austin. She was recognized by Telemundo as a “Heroe Hispana” and selected as one of HWNT’s Estrellas de Tejas in 2014. She was featured as one of 2015 Women to Watch and 2016 Forty Under Forty by the Fort Worth Business Press, and as a 2017 Woman of Distinction by the Girls Scouts of Texas Oklahoma Plains. Most recently, Anette received the 2021 Bold Woman Award by Girls Inc. of Tarrant County and the 2022 regional “Rising Star” by the North Texas Commission.
Alexandre Lemieux is a founding member of Creos, a leading agency for interactive installations that puts its know-how at the service of public space managers and promoters to offer original and powerful interactive installations that transform public spaces into must-see events and destinations. Alex’s work and mission is all about creating opportunities.
A master in the art of finding the best fit for each space, Alex has enabled the implementation of over 300 interactive digital projects in public spaces around the world.
In the past years, Alex shared his expertise in several conferences and expert panels worldwide such as IDA (International Downtown Association), GCDN (Global Cultural Districts Network), CODAworx, HUB Montréal, Guangzhou ILE (International Lighting Exhibition), to demonstrate the positive impacts of interactive art in the public realm. Within the scope of these interventions, he invites each individual to reflect on the links that exist between art, public spaces, community and economy.
Jillian MacKinnon is the VP Marketing Communications & Strategic Initiatives at Envision Saint John: The Regional Growth Agency with a mandate to attract people, visitors, business, and investment. With over 25 years of marketing experience, Jillian is a versatile leader recognized for driving results in a collaborative and inclusive manner. Her team recently launched the inaugural place brand for The Saint John Region - Always Moving Forward. And in 2018, she won a Seatrade Global Cruise Award for Marketing Initiative of the Year for the creation of a tidal mural in the heart of the city depicting the world’s highest tides produced by well-known street artist Sean Yoro (Hula) shared millions of times worldwide.
Nick describes his work as designing better spaces for humans. With a robust roster of public art, placemaking, and tech-enabled experiences—as well as a Masters in Integrated Design, Business, and Technology—he specializes in immersive spaces that foster deeper appreciation of community, environment, and each other. His ventures have garnered press from The New York Times, Scientific American, Vox, and University of Southern California, among others.
As a director at Fourth Economy, Nicole serves as project manager on many of the firm’s strategic planning projects, helping clients access their unique financial, natural, and human capital assets to create robust, sustainable, resilient local economies that increase quality of life for all. With more than ten years of economic development experience, Nicole specializes in designing meaningful community engagement to build a shared understanding and vision for the future. A pragmatic leader, Nicole uses her skills and experience managing projects and teams to effectively inspire collaborative action. She brings a systems approach to analyze situations, develop strategies, and design new processes, and she thrives in entrepreneurial environments where she can continuously learn and solve problems creatively.
Before joining Fourth Economy, Nicole worked at a regional start-up incubator, where she led social enterprise and impact investing initiatives to support entrepreneurs building triple-bottom-line companies, helping them to assess market opportunities, prove their concept, and test assumptions. She currently serves on the board of the Union Project, a local arts organization and community gathering space.
Areas of Expertise
Cultural Planning
Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development
Food Systems
Housing Analysis and Strategy
Innovation-Based Economic Development
Main Street Strategy
Outdoor Recreation Economy
Placemaking
Program Design and Implementation
Project Management
Laurence is a brand specialist and consolidated marketing services business developer with 26+ years of experience directing client engagements in brand-building disciplines encompassing valuation, B2B and B2C research, strategy, corporate identity, and packaging across numerous sectors and markets. With experience throughout Latin American and North American markets, Laurence serves as Managing Director for the Americas Region of Brand Finance, the world’s leading brand valuation and strategy consultancy.
Laurence is a frequent contributor on marketing and branding topics in media outlets such as Bloomberg, and The Drum. Laurence is a representative for Mexico before the ISO Technical Committee responsible for reviewing the creation of a transparent, reconcilable, and repeatable approach to brand valuation, ISO 10668 on Monetary Brand Valuation, and participates in the US Marketing Accountability Standards Board (MASB), with Brand Finance.
Laurence holds an undergraduate degree from Southern Methodist University and a postgraduate degree from the University of Miami.
As the Senior Vice President of Innovation at MMGY NextFactor, Greg leads destination management and tourism strategy, and development of NextFactor’s destination master plans. He focuses on the convergence of global trends driving tourism, community, and economic development, and specializes in sustainable tourism strategy and equitable community growth, aligning public and private sector mandates to ensure the long-term social, economic and environmental viability of destinations worldwide. He also oversees the ongoing evolution of Destination International’s industry-leading DestinationNEXT framework. Prior to joining MMGY NextFactor, Greg led tourism research and brand partnerships at Skift, leveraging the industry shifts to reshape the global visitor economy. During his career, he has collaborated with many destination organizations of all sizes and budgets to help position them as thought leaders in their communities.
Karen has worked for Hamilton County Tourism, Inc. as its chief marketing and sales strategist for over 20 years. In her work, she successfully built tourism markets for golf, weddings, youth sports, weekend leisure, and small meetings. She led the organization through a 10-year vision and strategic planning effort, built a $2M marketing and advertising program that consistently achieves higher than industry average ROI, developed the strategic partnerships and research that led to building Grand Park Sports Campus—the nation’s most visited multi-sports venue—and most recently led the county’s effort to build a tourism capital fund that will influence new tourism development for the county in years to come. Currently she oversees the marketing, sports, sales, and visitor services departments for Hamilton County Tourism and informs strategic direction on special projects and long-range plans. Karen lives in Westfield, Indiana and enjoys yoga, hiking, live music, summer Jeep rides, and travel and adventure with her two sons.
Nathan Reigner, Ph.D., is Pennsylvania’s first Director of Outdoor Recreation. He was instrumental in the establishment of Pennsylvania's Office of Outdoor Recreation.
Prior to beginning his service with the Commonwealth in 2021, Nathan was a member of Penn State’s research faculty and Principal of Recreation Tourism Science, an applied outdoor recreation consultancy.
Throughout his career, Nathan has focused on helping communities, parks, trails, and tourism destinations deliver outstanding experiences while protecting their essential character.
Reigner has worked in and with more than 100 national and state parks, forests, trails, historic sites, and heritage areas in more than half the states and territories in the union and overseas in Europe, Asia, the Arctic, and the Middle East.
A native of Pennsylvania, Reigner has a bachelor’s degree in anthropology and sociology from Gettysburg College, a Master of Science in Forestry from Virginia Tech, and a Doctorate in Natural Resource Management from the University of Vermont.
After an early career as a writer and brand strategist, Jamie shifted her storytelling energy into multidimensional experience design, preferring to bring narratives to life in the built environment, through sensory and human touchpoints. Her work connects audiences through experiences that are empathetic, evocative, and emotionally resonant. She has created narrative solutions for municipalities as well as brands like Nike, Disney, and Google. She was also creative director of globally acclaimed “pop-up with a purpose”, That Lady Thing.
Martha J. Sheridan brings more than 30 years of destination marketing experience to her role as President & CEO of Meet Boston, formerly known as the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau (GBCVB). A seasoned tourism leader, she provides strategic direction to the 950-member organization in its mission to generate a robust visitor economy for the region. Annually, the tourism, travel and hospitality sector generates more than $20 billion dollars for the greater Boston economy.
Sheridan holds and has held leadership positions with several local, regional and national industry organizations. She is on the board and Executive Committee of the U.S. Travel Association (USTA) and currently co-chairs USTA’s “Meetings Mean Business” coalition. Sheridan was recently appointed to the Board of Trustees of the Destinations International Foundation, which focuses on research, advocacy, workforce initiatives, and DEI. She is a leading member of the Boston Soccer 2026 committee that worked to successfully secure FIFA World Cup 2026 matches to take place at Gillette Stadium. Sheridan also played a key role in the winning bid to host the 2023 Army-Navy Game at Gillette Stadium, the first time in the game’s 124-year history that it will be held in New England.
Sheridan chairs Governor Healey’s Advisory Commission on Travel & Tourism in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and is co-chair of the Advisory Committee planning the 250th Anniversary of the Boston Tea Party. She is past Chair of Destinations International, the world’s largest association of destination marketing professionals. In 2022, she received Destination International’s Destination Organization Leadership Award, which is among the association’s most prestigious honors for those who have made a significant impact on the industry and in their communities. In 2015, she was named one of the Top 25 Women in the Meetings Industry by Meetings and Conventions Magazine. In 2022 and in 2023, she was named one of The 100 Most Influential Bostonians by Boston magazine as well as a Boston Business Journal Power 50 Movement Maker.
Prior to joining Meet Boston in 2019, Sheridan was President & CEO of the Providence/Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau (PWCVB), where she was instrumental in driving group and leisure business to the Ocean State, solidifying Providence as one of the premier destinations for conventions in the Northeast. A recipient of the Rhode Island Hospitality Association’s (RIHA) Mary Brennan Tourism Award for outstanding achievement in tourism promotion, Sheridan was also named RIHA’s Woman of the Year. She is the recipient of the MPINE President’s Award and the MPINE Supplier of the Year Award. In 2014, she was presented with Junior Achievement of Rhode Island’s highest honor, the Morris J. Gaebe Profile in Excellence Award.
Since 2008, Ryan Short has been the CEO and co-founder of CivicBrand, an organization at the forefront of transformative place branding and community engagement. Ryan hosts the "Eyes on The Street" podcast, where he delves into discussions about the intersection of place, identity, and community, has been published on Forbes.com, and regularly speaks on topics of engagement, placemaking, and place branding.
With an unwavering passion for the profound impact of place on our lives, Ryan co-founded CivicBrand, dedicating himself to the mission of helping communities unlock their full potential. Ryan has cultivated a proficient team, fine-tuned processes, and developed cutting-edge tools that are tailored to fully engage communities. These resources are not just about attracting attention or visitors; they are instrumental in nurturing civic pride and facilitating the discovery and implementation of each community's authentic identity.
At the helm of CivicBrand, Ryan provides strong leadership, guiding the team toward realizing their shared vision of creating vibrant and meaningful places. His impressive portfolio of work spans diverse communities across the US. This portfolio includes comprehensive city and county-wide branding initiatives, district branding projects, as well as placemaking and activation strategies that breathe life into once-neglected areas. Furthermore, Ryan has been a driving force behind various planning efforts, including comprehensive plans, open space and trails master plans, parks and recreation master plans, and downtown master plans, all aimed at shaping sustainable and thriving communities.
Rickey L. Thigpen joined Visit Jackson (formally the Jackson Convention & Visitors Bureau) in 1987 as the Information Systems Manager. For the past 34 years, Thigpen has served in multiple management positions within the administrative and marketing disciplines. In October of 2018, the Visit Jackson Board of Directors named Thigpen the Interim President of Visit Jackson. Before being named the Interim President, Thigpen served as the official destination marketing organization’s Executive Vice President. He was responsible for governmental & community engagement, stakeholder relationships, signature event management, and new & untraditional market initiatives. On February 1, 2019, the Visit Jackson Board voted to remove “Interim” from Thigpen’s title and make him the official President & CEO.
Thigpen’s leadership has included implementing a strategy resulting in an internal organizational cultural shift and an external relationship and community positioning.
Thigpen is a member of numerous professional organizations, including Destination International. He serves as an Association Executive Board Member and a member of the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee, where he is co-chair of the CEO sub-committee. He is also a member of the U.S. Travel Association Board of Directors, the Mississippi Tourism Association’s Executive Board, an officer of the Capital Area Tourism Association, the Downtown Jackson Partners Advisory Board, and the Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership Board. He is an ex-officio member of the Capital City Convention Center Commission.
In 2019 Thigpen was named Mississippi Tourism Association’s Member of the Year. Thigpen has appeared in Black Meetings & Tourism magazine as one of the most influential African Americans in the tourism industry multiple times and, in 2020, received its coveted APEX Award and was recognized by the Events Industry Council, receiving its Social Impact Award lauding his work to bring attention to the tourism industry and its lack of diversity. In 2021 Thigpen appeared on the cover of Black Meetings & Tourism with a feature story entitled “A Conversation with Rickey Thigpen.” Under Thigpen’s leadership, in 2022, Visit Jackson was recognized by the Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership as the 2021 Business of the Year. Visit Jackson has also been named by the Mississippi Tourism Association as the Destination Marketing Organization of the Year ($3,000,000 and over budget) for four consecutive years. In 2023, he was chosen by the Mississippi Business Journal among Mississippi’s Top CEOs. In February of 2024, Our Mississippi Magazine named him one of Mississippi’s Most Influential African Americans in the state.
Thigpen is a native of Jackson, Mississippi. He holds a baccalaureate degree in Computer Science from Mississippi Valley State University, a master’s degree in Leadership from Belhaven University, and a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology, where his dissertation title was: Fraternity Member’ Affiliation with a National Pan-Hellenic Council Alumni Chapter after Leaving College.
Thigpen is engaged civically, including Rotary International – Jackson Chapter, 100 Black Men of Jackson, Inc., Mississippi Valley State University National Alumni Association (Life Member), Greater Leadership Jackson Alumni Association, Alpha Foundation, Inc. (Vice-Chairman), and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., where he served as the 10th Mississippi District Director and National Chairman of Life Membership. In 2023 he was inducted into the Mississippi – District of Mississippi Hall of Fame.
Thigpen is a member of Cade Chapel Missionary Baptist Church, where he serves as a member of the Music and Public Relations Ministry. Dr. Thigpen’s life mission is “to be a lifelong learner dedicated to imparting knowledge to, uplifting, and empowering those he is so fortunate to influence."
Mark Anthony Thomas is the President & CEO of the Greater Baltimore Committee, the first since the organization's spring merger with the Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore (EAGB).
Mark has served in public leadership roles in Pittsburgh, New York, and Los Angeles shaping economic development strategies and partnerships. Before entering the public sector, Mark worked in the media sector, shaping content and investigative journalism on social impact development, and effective governance.
He is a graduate of the University of Georgia (BA), Columbia (MPA), and MIT (MBA) and has served on several boards supporting college access, creative arts, and civic innovation.
Jen Valencic, who joined Destination Cleveland in 2013, oversees the organization’s community and stakeholder engagements. Her team manages relationships with local hospitality businesses, corporate partners and local government and economic development partners. The team also leads efforts to welcome locals and visitors at the Cleveland Visitors Center. Jen takes pride in knowing the work the organization does is changing perceptions of the city. She has served on the Local Organizing Committees for the 2016 Republican National Convention, the 2019 MLB All-Star Game, the 2021 NFL Draft and the 2022 NBA All-Star Game. In 2019, she also helped lead the effort to host ABC’s “The Bachelor” for a Cleveland-based episode, which put the city in front of a global audience. Jen holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and communications from Ohio University. Prior to Destination Cleveland, Jen worked for five years at Junior Achievement of Greater Cleveland. She gives back to the community as a member of the Northern Ohio Advisory Board of Make-A-Wish Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. Jen and her husband love exploring the Cleveland area through the eyes of their three children, whether it’s spending a day on the water or visiting the animals at the zoo. The family finds any excuse they can to visit Downtown Cleveland and appreciates that they are just a short drive from so many other cities and experiences.
Joe Veneto, Chief Experience Officer, Veneto Collaboratory, is a placemaking and experience design expert partnering with Destination Management Organizations, Economic Development Agencies, Travel Attractions and Corporations. Through the Experience Design Studio process, he creates innovative places as well as new customer experiences that transform tourism landscapes and convert customers into destination brand ambassadors.
The Experience Design Studio process has been implemented in multiple destinations throughout North America. Sample experiential destinations include Louisville, and Paducah, KY; Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, AL; Deadwood, SD; Madison, Green Bay and Eau Claire, WI; Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN. Scottsdale, AZ; Richmond and Columbia Valley, BC, Canada, and others.
Joe is also a highly regarded thought leader and professional speaker on tourism trends, destination placemaking and customer experience. He presents programs annually at Industry Conventions, Tourism Conferences, National Associations and Economic Development Agencies. His content-rich programs provide innovative ideas and insights that make him one of the industry’s most requested experts on Experiential Tourism and Destination Development.
Mia is a seasoned executive providing strategic leadership in destination marketing and business development for the town of Vail, Colorado. Mia is passionate about smart growth that benefits benefit community and culture. Fully committed to principles of stewardship, Mia recently completed the adoption of Vail's Stewardship Roadmap, a ten-year vision that strives to create a balance between the tourism economy, the environment, and the community in Vail. Mia believes in creative consensus with a strong focus on maximizing innovation, technology, and data. A passionate advocate for brand, loyalty, and customer satisfaction, Mia works collaboratively with private and non-profit partners to ensure a positive customer experience. Her global sales and marketing experience provides a unique perspective, having lived in three different countries for over four years.
Doug Warner has spent over 35 years in economic, trade, tourism and real estate development. He also has experience in non-profit management, fundraising and commercial construction. His area of expertise is community building and branding. A former U.S. Army officer, he was deployed to the Middle East during Operation Desert Storm and represented the U.S. Army at NATO in 1992. He is a licensed auctioneer and provides pro bono services to more than thirty non-profit organizations each year, raising more than $85 million in support of their missions. He is a graduate of Presbyterian College and The Citadel. Doug and his husband, Truman Smith, live in Wagener Terrace on the Ashley River.
Sean Washington is a results-oriented business professional who excels in attracting, retaining, deepening and developing business relationships in the Hampton Roads community. As Interim Director of Economic Development for the City of Norfolk, Sean provides leadership, innovative ideas and insight on new and/or emerging industries while managing complex real estate development transactions. Previously, Sean served as Assistant Director of Economic Development from November of 2020 to August of 2022.
Before joining the City of Norfolk’s Department of Economic Development in 2017, Sean helped small businesses grow as an Assistant Vice President with Truist (formerly BB&T) Bank. During his seven-year tenure at Truist (formerly BB&T), he managed a $34.5 million deposit portfolio and a $15 million lending portfolio.
Sean balances his passion for helping small businesses thrive while giving countless hours of his time to the community. Currently, Sean serves on the board for Volunteer Hampton Roads and Parents Against Bullying VA. He is the past president of the Urban League of Hampton Roads Young Professionals and past co-chair of Truist (formerly BB&T) Multicultural Committee. Sean has also volunteered with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Roc Solid Organization, THRive, Toastmasters International, and Norfolk’s Bank-on Your Success Program.
Sean holds a Bachelor of Science in business administration from Hampton University. He spends his downtime reading, exercising, and traveling with his wife of 8 years, Jessica Larché Washington.
