Joe Amati is the Senior Executive Director of Global Market and Brand Intelligence at Destination Canada, where he has led transformative initiatives since 2022 to position the organization as an insights-driven leader in tourism. With over two decades of senior leadership in research and analytics, Joe’s work advances Destination Canada’s mission to enhance the quality of life for Canadians and enrich the visitor experience.

Lauren Bennett McGinty was appointed as the Executive Director of Explore Minnesota by Governor Tim Walz in November 2021. Recognized as one of Minnesota’s Top 100 People to Know in 2021 by Twin Cities Business Magazine and named to the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal 40 under 40 list in 2025, Lauren has developed considerable expertise as a strategic and dedicated advocate for Minnesota.

Throughout her career, Lauren has held various leadership positions in marketing, communications, project management, operations, and strategic planning. Prior to her current role, she served as the Executive Director of the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild, where she successfully drove membership growth and contributed to the visibility of Minnesota’s craft beer industry.

Lauren possesses a profound appreciation for all that Minnesota has to offer, fueling her commitment to leading Explore Minnesota, promoting the state through a robust public relations strategy, unique storytelling, and community-driven, inclusive marketing initiatives. She and her team are resolute in their vision to position Minnesota as the premier state for travel, quality of life, and economic opportunity.

Brisa Byford is Lead Strategist at CivicBrand, where she leads place branding projects and directs engagement and brand strategy for communities across the country. She hails from New Mexico, the “Land of Enchantment,” and understands how a strong place identity shapes people’s pride and sense of belonging.

With a focus on equitable engagement, her experience spans place branding, destination management, marketing, and planning efforts. She partners with communities to surface their distinct character, bring diverse voices into the conversation, and translate a shared vision into strategies that build momentum. Beyond her role at CivicBrand, Brisa serves on the board of the Downtown Las Cruces Partnership.

Alex Catterton is Director of PR & Content Strategy at Visit Fort Worth and has been with the organization for over 6 years and in this role for a year and a half.  Alex was born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas, and has a rich background in the hospitality industry. She has worked with notable organizations such as the Fort Worth Convention Center, Billy Bob’s Texas, Visit Fort Worth and most recently iProspect, a digital marketing agency, where she excelled in planning full-funnel marketing strategies before returning to Visit Fort Worth.

On a personal note, Alex lives in Fort Worth with her husband Chris, and two rescue dogs, Boogie and Sis.

Siobhan Chretien is a global leader in tourism brand strategy who has helped shape destinations through integrated marketing programs and the creation of new destination brands. She brings over 18 years of executive leadership and destination marketing experience to DCI, including her tenure with Destination Canada, where she led the U.S. and emerging market portfolios. Her work spans India, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, the U.S., Brazil, Canada, and Europe—expertise that enables her to craft strategies tailored to each market. Passionate about discovery and driven by curiosity, Siobhan shares insightful approaches to branding for success, helping destinations connect with and win the right customers.

With over 30 years of experience in the retail, hospitality and tourism sectors, Royce has focused the last 15 years of his career in senior leadership roles at the national, provincial, and now the civic level of destination management organizations. After spending 10 years at Travel Alberta, Royce relocated back to his hometown Vancouver to take on the role of President, CEO, and team leader of the newly transformed Destination Vancouver in July of 2020.

While at Travel Alberta Royce oversaw the development and launch of the award winning (remember to breathe) destination brand that resulted in increased awareness and visitation for Alberta. While at the Canadian Tourism Commission, Royce was part of the team that brought the Canada brand to life for millions of viewers and attendees of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics helping to put Vancouver and Canada on the global tourism bucket list.

Before that Royce developed extensive experience working in corporate, franchise and start-up business in operations, sales, and marketing in various leadership roles.

Royce volunteers on Destination British Columbia’s Tourism Marketing Committee, Expedia Media Select Advisory Board, Business Improvement Association Downtown Vancouver Board Member, and SAIT Dean’s Hospitality and Tourism Council.

Jamie Claudio is a seasoned travel and tourism marketing executive with over 15 years of industry experience encompassing leadership at both destination organizations and agencies. As Vice President of Marketing & Sales for Discover Long Island, she spearheaded marketing, meetings sales, and international travel trade efforts, and concurrently served on the Board of Directors for the New York State Tourism Industry Association from 2016 to 2020. Jamie also worked in strategic agency roles—first in public relations with Development Counsellors International and then at Madden Media, where she oversaw all East Coast client accounts. Based on Long Island, New York, Jamie enjoys life with her husband, their two daughters, and a pair of playful labradoodles.

Stewart leads MMGY Global’s brand strategy efforts. He has created brands for destinations, hotel companies, attractions and sports franchises around the world, including Vancouver, Cleveland, Bermuda, Los Cabos, Homewood Suites by Hilton, The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Prior to MMGY Global, he served as international creative director at Dentsu, Inc. in Tokyo. He has received awards at the most prestigious advertising competitions, including Best of Show at the HSMAI Adrian Awards, twice.

Emilie is a passionate and experienced tourism professional with over 20 years of leadership in the sector. Guided by her belief that welcoming visitors can enrich community quality of life, she is deeply committed to collaboration, community engagement, and data-driven strategies.

Emilie brings comprehensive knowledge of the tourism ecosystem, with experience spanning municipal, provincial, and national contexts. Her career has included leading destination growth strategies, strengthening industry and stakeholder relationships, and leveraging data and analytics to guide policy, marketing, and development initiatives.

Proud of her Acadian heritage, Emilie lives in Fredericton, New Brunswick, with her family and Rufus the cat.

Nicolas Dessureault is Co-Founder and Head of Sales, GeoIndicators at Propulso, where he leads the commercialization of location intelligence solutions that help place leaders make evidence-based decisions about tourism strategy, visitor management, and economic impact measurement.

With nearly 20 years of sales leadership across media, technology, and data sectors, Nicolas has built his career helping organizations transform complex data into actionable strategy. At Propulso, that means partnering with destination marketing organizations, economic development agencies, and municipal leaders across North America to answer critical questions: Where do visitors actually go? How long do they stay? What economic value do they generate? How does mobility data inform infrastructure planning and place activation?

Under Nicolas' leadership, Propulso has expanded from regional pilot projects to serving national-scale destination organizations and city brands. His approach is grounded in understanding the unique challenges place leaders face—tight budgets, accountability to stakeholders, and the need to demonstrate ROI—then delivering location data insights that support defensible, measurable outcomes.

Jamari Douglas, Vice President of Marketing, PR, and Communications at the Bermuda Tourism Authority, is a seasoned marketing leader with nearly 14 years of post-graduate experience and deep roots in his native Bermuda. A Morehouse College graduate with an MBA in Strategy and Management from NYU Stern, Jamari has held pivotal roles at both the Bermuda Tourism Authority and the Bermuda Business Development Agency, where he spearheaded brand launches, media partnerships, and digital strategies. Since rejoining the BTA in 2022, he has led high-impact initiatives such as the award-winning “Find the Time You Lost” campaign and innovative activations including 3D billboards and immersive digital experiences in key U.S. markets. A frequent speaker at global industry events and podcasts, Jamari is recognized as a thought leader on sustainable tourism and inclusive travel, bringing vision, innovation, and a profound passion for Bermuda’s culture and natural beauty to his work.

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.

B.A. Wheaton University; M.A. Georgetown; 36 years of experience
Bill brings a wealth of senior executive and leadership experience as C.E.O. and C.M.O. for leading companies in the technology, government, and gaming industries over a 34-year career. His experiences include serving as C.E.O. for B.M.M. Compliance, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing and Corporate Affairs for VeriSign, Vice President of Global Communications at Compaq Computers, Managing Director and Chairman of the Technology Practice of Burson-Marsteller/Young & Rubicam, and Global Government Affairs and Communications Director at Apple. Bill has spearheaded multiple award-winning marketing campaigns, including VeriSign's award-winning "Value of Trust" campaign. As a result of the campaign, Bill was named "Marketer of the Year" by Adweek for building the year's best cross-discipline, multi-agency integrated marketing campaign — and the campaign was also recognized as the Online Campaign of the Year by B2B magazine.

Meaghan Ferrigno is Destination Canada’s CFO & Chief Data and Analytics Officer (CDAO), a role which positions Destination Canada as an Insight Driven Organization, curating industry data to optimize both supply- and demand-side decisions.

She leads Destination Canada’s data strategy to help maximize the competitiveness and resilience of the Canadian tourism sector, making good information and analysis broadly available to tourism partners, businesses, local communities and government.

From her past roles, Meaghan brings an exceptional range of expertise in data-enabled competitive strategies and business agility. She is a certified CPA, CMA who holds an MBA in Management Technology from SFU’s Beedie School of Business as well as PMP and agile designations.

One of her most important and current priorities at Destination Canada is to build and launch the Canadian Tourism Data Collective, in partnership with Statistics Canada, other major data providers, and many industry businesses. This national platform harnesses the power of tourism data, to generate a source of long-term collaborative advantage, drive innovation for Canada's hosting economy, empowering decision-makers across public and private sectors.

Meaghan joined as the Crown corporation’s CDAO in August of 2021.

Since 2003 Mr. Torres has been advising Countries in the field of Nation Branding and City Branding, working directly with heads of state, directors of National Tourism Organizations and Investment Promotion Agencies.

His clients include Countries, Regions and Cities such as Australia, Brazil, Cleveland, Costa Rica, Finland, Jamaica, Oman, Poland, Riyadh, South Africa, Stockholm and many others spread across all five continents.

Mr. Torres collaborates directly with the World Economic Forum in the matters of Nation Branding and is a guest speaker in some of the most prestigious universities in USA and Europe, such as NYU, HARVARD, the London School of Economics, Stockholm School of Economics and many others, being interviewed by The Economist, BBC, Guardian and CNN.

He is the co-author of the recently published textbook Nation and Place Branding: An Applied Approach to Building the Image of Countries, Regions, and Cities, author of the Nation Brand Builders and co-author of several academic papers covering Nation and City Branding.

Bloom Consulting lead manager on the first-ever study on the impact of Nation Brands and City Brands on local and global economies.

Find out more on Bloom Consulting website: www.bloom-consulting.com

Neil Frauenglass has over 25 years of marketing experience with McCann Worldgroup, Ann Taylor Stores and most currently, VISIT PHILADELPHIA. Over the course of his marketing career, he’s led integrated, multi-channel teams across agencies and countries to yield award winning campaigns for his clients. His experience spans a broad variety of categories, including travel, retail, consumer package goods and financial services. He is adept at building partnerships, understanding the demands of businesses that run at retail speed, and the power of branding to rise above deals and promotions. His clients over the years have included Qualcomm, OppenheimerFunds, HomeGoods, Coca Cola, Johnson & Johnson, Verizon, Kohl’s, and MasterCard.

At VISIT PHILADELPHIA, Neil leads advertising, social, web and paid media, and is currently leading efforts to build programming and marketing for America’s semi-quincentennial in Philadelphia throughout 2026.  

Neil currently resides in Old City, Philadelphia on Elfreth’s Alley, the nation’s oldest continuously residential street. He oversees the preservation and programming for this National Historic Landmark as president emeritus of the Elfreth’s Alley Association.

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.

Julie Gilbert is the Chief Marketing Officer for Explore St. Louis, where she leads the organization’s marketing, brand, communications, and destination storytelling efforts to elevate the St. Louis region as a premier place to visit, meet, and experience.

Prior to joining Explore St. Louis, Julie served as President & CEO of Destination Door County in Wisconsin. During her tenure, she led the organization through a period of significant growth and transformation, advancing a nationally recognized model focused on sustainable tourism, community engagement, and data-driven marketing. Under her leadership, Destination Door County strengthened its brand positioning, expanded strategic partnerships, and launched innovative programs that supported both the visitor economy and local communities.

Julie has more than two decades of experience in destination marketing, brand strategy, and stakeholder engagement. She is known for her collaborative leadership style, her ability to align diverse stakeholders around a shared vision, and her passion for ensuring tourism delivers meaningful economic and community impact.

She is an active leader in the travel and tourism industry, serving on national boards and contributing to initiatives that shape the future of destination organizations.

For over three decades, David Goldstein has been dedicated to building bridges between the public and private sector to increase the global competitiveness of Canadian business.

Appointed CEO of Travel Alberta in 2021, David spearheaded the province’s post-pandemic tourism recovery strategy, achieving the fastest post-pandemic sector recovery in Canada and accelerating the long-term growth of the sector through the innovative Bootstrap Plan.

In 2023, he was named Deputy Minister, bringing private-sector and tourism expertise to the government of Alberta. He drove the development of Higher Ground: A Tourism Sector Strategy, with the ambitious goal to more than double annual visitor spend in the province to $25 billion by 2035. His leadership is central to unlocking the full potential of the $12.7 billion sector, which supports over 260,000 jobs across the province.

A respected strategist and collaborator, he is committed to advancing sustainable growth across Alberta’s tourism and sport sectors and growing the destination’s presence at home and around the world.

Prior to Travel Alberta, David held senior leadership roles across Canada’s tourism and media sectors. As President and CEO of Destination Canada (2014–2019), he led the development of the Federal Tourism Strategy, accelerated the modernization of aviation and visa policies, and launched the globally coordinated NorthStar 22 strategy. He previously served as President and CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (2010-2014), championing national tourism priorities and driving growth in the sector.

Fluently bilingual, David holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science from Glendon College. A graduate of the Institute for Corporate Governance (ICD), David is an acknowledged expert in Crown Agency governance and regularly guest lectures as part of the ICD program at the University of Calgary.

For his service to the sector and to the community, David has been honoured with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012), the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal (2023), and the King’s Coronation Medal (2025).

Jacquie is President of Invest Vancouver, where she leads the regional economic development service for Metro Vancouver. She is dedicated to attracting strategic investment, fostering collaboration across the region, and driving the economic growth essential to long-term prosperity.

As a founding member of Invest Vancouver, Jacquie served as Executive Vice President before becoming President, transforming the organization from concept to reality. Under her leadership, Invest Vancouver has expanded its global profile, forged strategic partnerships in sectors such as technology, life sciences, and clean transportation, and played a pivotal role in securing major multinational investments for the region. Jacquie is passionate about promoting the region and its incredible talent to a global audience.

Jacquie holds a Bachelor of Commerce from UBC’s Sauder School of Business and a Master of Arts, along with professional designations from the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD.D) and the Chartered Professionals in Human Resources (CPHR). With over 20 years of leadership experience spanning mining, banking, education, and local government, she has been recognized as one of Business in Vancouver’s “40 Under Forty.” She currently serves as the vice-chair for CPHR BC & Yukon, as well as the chair of the Consider Canada City Alliance. Jacquie is also a member of the World Trade Center Advisory Committee through the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade.

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

Jeff Hessel serves as Senior Vice President of Marketing and Destination Development at Tourism Calgary, responsible for stewarding Calgary’s place brand and leading its destination marketing and promotional strategy. With 28 years of experience, Jeff has delivered integrated campaigns spanning brand development, major events, and cultural marketing - including the Blue Sky City brand platform and Chinook Blast winter festival - reaching more than 8 million visitors annually. His work emphasizes brand consistency, narrative clarity, and promotion at scale to elevate Calgary’s destination profile. Jeff is a Certified Destination Management Executive with Destinations International.

Dan Holowack is the Founder & CEO of CrowdRiff, where he works with destination marketers to rethink how technology supports modern storytelling. Dan is passionate about scaling authentic storytelling so teams of any size can amplify local voices, without losing what makes them real. By day, Dan works between the tech and travel worlds, building solutions that help DMOs use AI naturally in their day-to-day work. By night (or on weekends!), you can catch him adventuring Vancouver Island with his family.

CrowdRiff is a visual marketing platform that helps destination marketers plan campaigns, draft content with AI, centralize visuals, source UGC and track partner coverage—all in one place.

With more than 15 years of experience in digital marketing and advertising within the travel & tourism industry, Daniel has built a career helping destinations turn complex data into clear, actionable strategies. He’s led award-winning campaigns for tourism boards, hospitality, and a wide range of industries—bringing a blend of analytical rigor, creative thinking, and a genuinely collaborative spirit to every partnership.

Known for connecting the dots between audience behavior, media performance, and real-world outcomes, Daniel thrives in bringing strategic solutions that not only reach the right people but inspire them to act. Daniel’s work is rooted in curiosity, continuous innovation, and a commitment to elevating results for the clients and communities he supports.

Megan Knott, CEO of Tourism Kingston, and proud mom of two daughters, has more than 25 years of experience in leadership and development, strategic marketing, media and public relations, and business and fiscal management. She holds an MBA in community economic development and is pursuing credentials as a Certified Destination Management Executive.

Megan led city partners in the creation and funding framework for its now established tourism organizations: a hotel association and the destination management organization. Kingston Accommodation Partners’ mission is to advocate for the industry. Tourism Kingston’s mission is to create economic return and visitor experience supports through sales, marketing, the creative industries, and visitor services. Under Megan’s stewardship, these organizations work collaboratively, along with other municipal and community partners, to deliver on the destination’s Integrated Destination Strategy.

Megan also led negotiations for instituting the Municipal Accommodation Tax in Kingston, in which all funds collected from overnight stays are reinvested into the city’s tourism efforts. Her proven capabilities in stakeholder engagement, ideation, and consensus-building have led to the development and implementation of many community investment partnerships and major infrastructure projects.

An active member of the Kingston community, Megan has participated on several boards of directors, including for Regional Tourism Organization 9, Kingston Economic Development Corporation, Downtown Kingston BIA, and the Greater Kingston Chamber of Commerce.

Under Megan's leadership, the Kingston brand has been recognized with more than 30 national and international awards since its inception in 2018.

University of Southern Maine; 30 years of experience
Matthew Kruchko is the Head of Global Operations for Gravity Global. Over a 30-year career, Matthew has progressed from owning and leading brand marketing agencies for 20 years to serving as a CEO and EVP of Global Strategy and Marketing for a publicly traded company. His expertise, honed in Silicon Valley's challenging environment, combines strategic growth initiatives with a disciplined, collaborative approach to sales, marketing, brand, and operations. He has partnered with clients such as Qualcomm, Warner Bros., Lexus, Smithsonian Institute, Sony PlayStation, the Toledo Region, the City of Detroit, the City of Calgary, UPS, Amway, Detroit Auto Show, and RSA.

A proud Winnipegger, Ryan’s career has spanned the public, private, and non-profit sectors in roles located around the world, with a consistent focus on supporting business growth, investment, and trade at the national, provincial, and municipal levels.

A former Canadian diplomat and trade negotiator, Ryan has been involved in bilateral and multi-lateral trade negotiations federally; supported Canadian businesses in complex environments exporting and investing abroad, while attracting foreign direct investment to Canada; and currently works to advance Winnipeg and Manitoba’s economy through his executive leadership as President and CEO of Winnipeg Economic Development and Tourism.

Ryan served on the Premier’s Business and Jobs Council, and recently Chaired the related Subcommittee on Trade with the US, while also advising Destination Canada as Vice-Chair of a national Taskforce on Investment in the Tourism Industry.

Ryan is a husband and father, and speaks English, French, and Spanish.

Walt Leger is the President and CEO of New Orleans & Company, the official destination marketing and sales organization for the tourism industry of New Orleans. Representing over 1100 member businesses, New Orleans & Company’ is the tourism and hospitality industry’s official destination sales, marketing, and trade organization, responsible for driving billions of dollars of diverse annual business to the regional cultural economy. By attracting leisure and cultural travel, business meetings conventions, sporting, and special events to New Orleans in a highly competitive global environment. Founded in 1960, New Orleans & Company is committed to celebrating the richness of our culture, while creating jobs, building careers, and enhancing the quality of life for every New Orleanian.

Walt is well-known in the state of Louisiana as a strategic thinker and fierce advocate. First as an Assistant District Attorney in New Orleans and later as an attorney with the law firm of Leger & Shaw, Walt has been a zealous advocate for his clients and victims of violent crime. Just out of law school, Walt served the people of the City of New Orleans as an Assistant District Attorney specializing in the prosecution of violent offenders and drug traffickers. He tried countless cases before Judges and Juries and earned the respect of his peers and opponents as aggressive, fair, and just.

Walt is a proud graduate of Louisiana State University. In 2018 he was inducted into the LSU Hall of Distinction and chosen as the Young Almnus of the Year. After graduating from Louisiana State University with numerous honors, Walt attended Tulane Law School, earning a certificate of specialization in Admiralty & Maritime Law and his Juris Doctor. At Tulane, Walt served as the Business Editor of the Tulane Maritime Law Journal, the Editor-in-Chief of the Tulane Environmental Law Newsletter, 1L Class President, and Student Bar Association Vice-President. He currently serves on the Tulane University President’s Council and on the Advisory Board of the Ogden Honors College at LSU.

Walt was elected by acclamation in 2012 and again in 2016 to serve as the Speaker Pro Tempore of the Louisiana House of Representatives, the youngest member to ever serve in this 2nd highest ranking position in the Louisiana House of Representatives. He was first elected to be the State Representative for District 91 with 65% of the vote in the fall of 2007 and re-elected without opposition in 2011 and 2015. In the Legislature, he represented parts of Uptown, Central City, the Lower Garden District, the Irish Channel, Broadmoor, Marleyville Gert Town and Hollygrove in New Orleans.

In the Legislature, Leger was a senior member of the powerful Appropriations Committee, and the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget, as well as the House Education Committee, House Judiciary Committee, House Criminal Justice Committee, House Executive Committee, House Select Committee on Homeland Security, The Energy Council, the Justice Reinvestment Task Force, Multimodal Commerce Advisory Commission, Executive Committee of the Southern Legislative Conference of State Governments, and the Council of State Governments Governing Board for 2017-2018. In October 2012, Leger was elected to the Chairmanship of the Southern Rail Commission formerly known as the Southern High Speed Rail Commission. For many years, Leger served as the Chairman of the Louisiana Juvenile Justice Reform Implementation Commission. On the National Level, Leger served a co-chair of the National Conference of State Legislatures Committee of Health and Human Services for two years. In 2015 he was awarded a Rodel Fellowship of Public Leadership at the Aspen Institute. The Fellowship seeks to enhance our democracy by identifying and bringing together the nation’s most promising young political leaders to explore, through study and conversation, the underlying values and principles of western democracy, the relationship between individuals and their community, and the responsibilities of public leadership; to support and inspire political leaders committed to sustaining the vision of a political system based on thoughtful and civil bipartisan dialogue; and to help America’s brightest young leaders achieve their fullest potential in public service.

Walt has been widely recognized and acclaimed as a problem solver, a consensus builder and someone who gets results. Between 2008-2020, Leger passed over 125 pieces of legislation. His support for tax, revenue and budget reform and stabilization, strategic infrastructure investments particularly for our Ports, rail and multi-modal facilities, Criminal Justice Reform and Reinvestment, Early Childhood Care and Education, Education Reform and Economic Development has been recognized nationally and across the state with dozens of awards naming him a legislative champion, legislator of the year, or advocate of year. 

Walt is regularly called upon to lecture at Continuing Legal Education programs for lawyers and Judges through the Louisiana State Bar Association, the New Orleans Bar Association and other organizations. Walt is a founding board member and Vice President of the Louisiana Institute for Children in Families, which focuses on foster youth and adoption as a method for ensuring every child in Louisiana is loved and cared for. Walt currently services as a board member of the U.S. Travel Association (Executive Committee), Louisiana Travel Association, Anti-Defamation League South Central Board, Goodwill Industries of Louisiana, Louisiana Appleseed, Early Partners, the Business Council of New Orleans, GNO, Inc., the New Orleans Chamber of Commerce, the Louisiana Children’s Museum, Agenda for children, PCMA, and the Audubon Nature Institute. 

He has served on the Board of Directors of the Louisiana Judicial College and has lectured regularly over the years at Tulane University School of Law, Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, LSU Law School, Tulane University, the Loyola University Institute of Politics, and at conferences around the country. Walt is also an adjunct professor of Law at Loyola University New Orleans, College of Law. 

Leger currently resides in New Orleans with his wife, Danielle and daughters Cate and Caroline.

Michael is a creative leader who has produced global brand campaigns across countless channels for Fortune 500 clients like EY, Pfizer. His expertise in brand identity and activation has supported award-winning rebrands for organizations like AmeriCorps, The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and The Greater Washington Partnership. He brings his ten years of creative leadership to DCI’s client roster.

Michael has guided the strategic creative direction of high-profile destination brands across economic development, talent attraction and tourism, including Charleston, Miami, Philadelphia and Winnipeg.

Directing an interdisciplinary team requires bringing the right people together to help a client create and execute a vision. Michael supports this mission and brings expertise in both traditional and digital advertising, from TV spots and digital billboards to UX/UI design and experiential activations.

Raised in the UK and Switzerland, Michael moved to the United States as an adolescent. He provides a multicultural perspective to his work, allowing him to adapt to international client needs. His adaptability makes him an efficient and compassionate leader. Navigating the creative rigor of ad agencies and harnessing the strategic smarts of brand consultancies has shaped how Michael approaches his work. Whether building a national brand identity or launching a global advertising campaign, he believes the best creative comes from fostering curiosity, confidence, and candor. His view is that the greatest creative ideas take bold moves, beautiful style and a big heart.

Trish McClean is the Chief Marketing Officer for Visit Baltimore, responsible for driving positive economic impact for the city through the attraction of leisure visitors and meetings and conventions. With over 25 years of experience in advertising and brand strategy for a variety of industries, she joined Visit Baltimore to help craft a more authentic story for the diverse city. Collaborating with agency partners, community stakeholders and hometown creatives, Trish helped launch a successful brand revolution and marketing strategy that have been embraced across the city and together serve as a platform for extensions into sports tourism, local ambassador programs, hospitality training and more.

Carly McCrory-McKay is the Executive Director of Champaign County Economic Development Corporation. She has been with the organization for over 13 years and is responsible for business retention and attraction, marketing Champaign County as a Brilliant place to do business, and supporting the county’s economic development efforts in partnership with stakeholders. She works broadly across the region to support economic development initiatives, programs, and events, including Champaign-Urbana AgTech Week, Make It Champaign-Urbana, and the iFAB Tech Hub. She oversees all talent attraction efforts in collaboration with Experience Champaign-Urbana.

Ms. Nowak has extensive work experience as Nation Brand and Place Analytics consultant for countries, regions and cities all over the world.

Ms. Nowak has had the opportunity to participate in Nation Branding projects and #Digitalidentity brand audits using big data tools. She also has a key role in the development of the Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking, a biannual research publication that analyzes over 180 nation brands in the world in the fields of Tourism and Investment attraction.

Since joining Bloom Consulting in 2018, Ms. Nowak has worked for the governments of Australia, Costa Rica, Uruguay, Andorra, Sweden, Finland, Norway, South Africa, Turkey, Brazil and for the European Travel Commission (ETC), as well the municipalities of Stockholm and Riyadh among many others.

Ms. Nowak has participated as keynote speaker in several summits hosted by the UNWTO and European tourism organizations.

Find out more on Bloom Consulting website: www.bloom-consulting.com

Lisa Nucci brings over 15 years of experience to Choose Chicago as the organization’s Chief Marketing Officer, with a background in sports, cultural, and non-profit organizations as well as creative agencies. Prior to joining Choose Chicago, Nucci served as Chief Creative Strategy Officer at the Chicago Architecture Center, where she built a new marketing team and established a digital strategy. Nucci was also the Executive Director of Marketing for the Chicago Bulls, where she directed marketing initiatives, youth engagement programs, retail marketing, and special events. As Chief Marketing Officer, Nucci is tasked with leading Choose Chicago’s strategic marketing initiatives across the organization to attract leisure and business visitors as well as meetings and events to Chicago.

Carolann Ouellette is the Director of Tourism, Film & Outdoor Recreation at the Maine Department of Economic & Community Development (DECD). Carolann was the Director of the Maine Office of Tourism from 2010-2016. In September 2018, she returned to DECD to serve as the first director of the newly created Office of Outdoor Recreation focused on leveraging Maine’s assets and outdoor recreation heritage to grow the outdoor recreation economy and build Maine’s outdoor recreation brand as part of a coordinated effort with partners from the public and private sectors. In her expanded role, she oversees the work of the offices of Tourism, Film & Outdoor Recreation.

A graduate of Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration, she has a strong background in tourism, hospitality and outdoor recreation having held positions from lodging manager and restaurant chef/owner to whitewater guide and outdoor recreation non-profit executive director. Carolann has been involved in many related organizations in board or advisory member capacity over the years including US Travel Association, Maine Tourism Association, Maine Sports Commission, Maine Gear Share, University of Southern Maine Muskie School of Public Service and Skowhegan Savings Bank. She is a ski, snowmobile, snowshoe, hike and paddle enthusiast, working on her fishing and hunting skills, and loves the exploration and discovery of travel.

As Director, Brand, Communications & Strategy, Jen is the strategic voice behind how Regina is positioned to the world. Jen oversees the organization’s corporate communications, media engagement, and brand strategy, ensuring alignment with EDR’s broader goals in investment attraction, talent growth, and community confidence.

Jen brings over 20 years of strategic marketing and leadership experience to her role and is passionate about building innovative marketing and business strategies that deliver on organizational objectives.

Prior to joining EDR, Jen held various marketing, communications, and market development roles in both the public and private sectors, including Agtech, Financial Services, Higher Education, Manufacturing, Public Utilities, and Workplace Safety. Outside the office you will spot Jen shuttling her family from the hockey rink to soccer pitch, and volunteering with several community groups.

Suzanne is a senior marketing and communications leader specializing in tourism and major events, including the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. At Destination Canada, she has led global communications and brand campaigns for key markets, all focused on promoting Canada for leisure travel and business events. She currently leads efforts to communicate the value of travel and tourism.

Terri Reifsteck is the Vice President of Destination Branding & Development for Experience Champaign-Urbana. She’s been with the organization for over 13 years and is responsible for promoting the greater Champaign-Urbana area as a brilliant destination. She oversees the overall brand, marketing & communications strategy and is responsible for community outreach and collaboration opportunities, and ensuring the story of our destination is consistent across all stakeholders. Terri oversees all talent attraction efforts in collaboration with the Champaign County Economic Development Corporation and has been instrumental in connecting industries outside of the tourism sphere to enhance the community as both a visitor destination and a desirable place to live. Additionally, she analyzes and shares visitor data to local municipalities and stakeholders to assist in economic development efforts. 

As Chief AI Officer and SVP of Innovation at Brand USA, Janette spearheads AI-driven

strategies to enhance tourism marketing, streamline internal operations, and foster innovation

for the benefit of both Brand USA and the broader U.S. travel industry. She joined Brand USA

from New York City Tourism + Conventions, where she oversaw the organization’s paid media

strategy, programs and media insights to drive visitation across the five boroughs. Prior to

joining NYC Tourism, she spent more than two decades marketing Broadway at organizations

such as Broadway.com and AKA NYC

Naomi Sargent Larrain serves as Executive Director of the OneSpartanburg, Inc. Foundation, a 501c3 launched by OneSpartanburg, Inc. to sustain and propel talent solutions, economic diversification, and quality of place efforts that elevate and evolve Spartanburg County, South Carolina.

A member of the OneSpartanburg, Inc. team since 2015, Naomi previously served as Chief Operating Officer/Chief Marketing Officer. In this role, she led Mission Support, a shared services team providing marketing, data, and operations support to our unified business, economic, and tourism development entity. She was responsible for developing place marketing efforts that attract investment, talent, visitors, and create community pride.

Naomi’s career has lived at the intersection of place marketing and talent solutions, including roles at Spartanburg’s College Town Consortium, the Columbia Chamber, Midlands Technical College, and the University of South Carolina.

Pamela Saunders is the Site Director for Microsoft’s R+D campus in Vancouver. With more than 25 years in corporate communications across a variety of industries, she joined the company in 2016 to shape regional investment through collaborative partnerships. Today, she oversees site strategy and employee engagement, with a continued focus on positioning British Columbia’s tech ecosystem as a global leader. Pamela is an advocate for the power of community driven innovation. She serves on the Cascadia Innovation Corridor Steering Committee, the Canadian Digital Marketing Sector Council and the Gastown Business Improvement Society Board of Directors. 

Katie Shorey serves as the Director of Engagement for Live + Work in Maine (LWM), where she leads strategic initiatives to elevate Maine as a premier place to live, work, and grow a career. A proud boomerang, she returned to Maine after building experience across the political, nonprofit, and consulting sectors in Washington, D.C. and San Francisco. Her previous roles include Business and Community Liaison at People’s United Bank and contributing to innovation strategy on WEX’s New Business Ventures team.

Katie is a recognized leader in statewide economic development, with a focus on fostering innovation, entrepreneurship, and talent attraction. From 2018–2025, she served as president of Startup Maine, guiding the organization’s work as a central convener and champion of the entrepreneurial ecosystem. She also lends her expertise as a board member of the Portland Community Chamber. Her leadership has earned statewide recognition, including Mainebiz’s NEXT List, PROPEL’s Maine Ambassador of the Year, and Mainebiz 40 Under 40.

Katie is a frequent speaker on ecosystem-building and talent strategies, most recently delivering the Central Maine Community College commencement address and presenting at the RoleCall Talent Attraction Summit on the role of entrepreneurship in workforce growth.

She is a graduate of St. Lawrence University and Fryeburg Academy.

Joe Veneto, Chief Experience Officer, Veneto Collaboratory, is a Tourism Industry expert specializing in destination development, placemaking and experience design. He collaborates with Destination Management Organizations which include Convention & Visitors Bureaus, state and provincial offices of tourism, and regional tourism associations as well as Economic Development Agencies, destination attractions and travel corporations.

Veneto Collaboratory partners with destinations throughout North America to design and develop unforgettable places and experiences that are the essence of place. They are marketed to leisure visitors, residents and groups to drive visitation, create economic development and innovate destinations’ tourism landscapes.

Joe created the Experience Design Studio process that converts the attributes, attractions and essence of a destination into unforgettable market-ready visitor experiences. The process has been implemented in multiple destinations throughout North America. Sample destinations include Richmond, The Columbia Valley and Surrey, BC, Canada; Scottsdale, AZ; Houston TX; Louisville, and Paducah, KY; Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, AL; Deadwood, SD; Madison, Green Bay and Eau Claire, WI; and others.

He 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, International Associations and Economic Development Agencies.

He is creator of The Experience Lab, an annual immersive placemaking event that showcases the Design Studio process in a destination in North America.  

Joe began his travel career as a tour director escorting busloads of beautiful, blue-haired, bingo card carrying women and a few men on tours throughout North America.

Nicole Vilalte is a seasoned advertising professional with a strong skill set spanning account management, strategic planning, creative development, broadcast and digital media, brand content production, and brand experience activations.

She brings over two decades of experience working with some of the world’s most recognized brands, including Fortune 500 companies such as IBM, Unilever, E*Trade, and Target. Her career includes roles at top award-winning agencies such as Ogilvy & Mather in New York and Wieden + Kennedy in Portland.

Currently, Nicole serves as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at Invest Puerto Rico, where she leads all marketing initiatives to position the island as a competitive and compelling business destination.

Known for her passion for brand building and a proven track record of delivering impactful work, Nicole is a respected leader within the advertising industry. She is a graduate of Universidad del Sagrado Corazón in Puerto Rico, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Communications and Advertising.

Rich brings over two decades of experience in economic development, having led efforts across the state of Colorado to attract investment, support small businesses, and build regional collaboration. Since 2015, he has guided projects creating over $2 billion in new investment and nearly 5,000 jobs across Weld County in Northern Colorado. These accomplishments earned Rich the 2022 Economic Development Achievement Award, the highest honor from the Economic Development Council of Colorado, recognizing his outstanding contributions to economic progress statewide. Rich has also overseen grant programs that have assisted hundreds of companies with disaster assistance recovery and initiated a workforce stipend program that has granted over $21 million in tuition assistance to area students.

Peter C. Yesawich, Jr. ‘PJ’ is Executive Creative Director of Miles Partnership. He is a lifelong travel, tourism, and hospitality professional. PJ is a branding, marketing, and advertising executive with over 20 years of experience shaping global brands. As a lifelong creative agency and hospitality industry veteran, PJ leads cross-functional teams to develop compelling brands and campaigns that resonate with audiences and drive measurable results.

PJ oversees creative for Miles Partnership, ensuring that every brand and creative initiative reaches its maximum potential online and offline. Previously, he served as VP, Executive Creative Director at Deloitte Digital, where he led the global Apple business from Cupertino, California. Over the past two years, PJ has also consulted as an executive creative director for multiple agencies and brands, further broadening his influence in the travel, hospitality, and tech industries.

Throughout his career, PJ has guided strategy, branding, advertising, and marketing for Fortune 1000 brands—most notably in travel and hospitality, with clients including the Government of Costa Rica, Hilton International, Marriott International, Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, and numerous other world-renowned organizations. His expertise lies in aligning creative vision with business objectives, crafting powerful storytelling, and delivering integrated multi-channel campaigns that solidify brand loyalty.

PJ translates ideas into iconic brands, content, and experiences. He crafts innovative creative, design, and digital transformation strategies that drive growth and build brand loyalty.