Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/52019
MCCSN is the only independent meeting management company in San Diego County that has realized the importance of adhering to the needs of an often-under- served segment of the market, the ethnic conference and its attendees. Prior to establishing MCCSN, Carter, a native San Diegan, was employed at a major San Diego corporation. The experi- ence with Corporate America prepared her well as she initially spread entrepre- neurial wings with Creative Visions Meetings and Events. Carter is a much sought after speaker and industry expert on issues surrounding multicultural tourism and diversity. National, state and local recognitions include: 2011 BM&T APEX Award for Distinguished Service in tourism; 2010 Small Business of the Year Award – Southern Region of California; named one of the Top 50 People to Watch in San Diego for 2010; 2009 Women Who Mean Business honoree; 2009 Special Star Award (dedication and service to African American Art in San Diego); 2007 the International Association of Hispanic Meeting Professionals named Ms. Carter Meeting Planner of the Year. And for three consecutive years (2009-2011), has recognized her as one of the most Influential African Americans in the Hospitality and Tourism Industry. WANDA COLLIER-WILSON is president and chief executive officer of the Jackson Convention & Visitors Bureau, a position she has served in since 1998. She leads a 22-member staff that has included the management and staff of the Mississippi Telecommunications & Co n f e r e n c i n g Center up till October 1, 2008, when the CVB handed over the management of the building to SMG. Collier- Wilson joined the CVB 25 years ago as receptionist and has held every position at the Bureau prior to becoming president and CEO. Collier-Wilson has been nationally rec- magazine and ognized by magazine for her leadership as a tourism professional, and recognized regionally and statewide by a number of other organizations including the Mississippi Development Authority- Division of Tourism, which inducted her into its Tourism Hall of Fame in 2006. She was a 2006 Recipient of the Phenomenally She award in the Business Leader category for The Dr. Jessie Bryant Mosley Award of Excellence Exhibit presented by Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center. Collier- Wilson has also been named one of Mississippi's "50 Leading Business Women" in 2006 by the Mississippi Business Journal. Under her leadership, the Jackson CVB was named "2005 Mississippi CVB of the Year" and won a Readers' Choice Award in 2006 from Convention South magazine as one of the South's top CVBs. The Mississippi Tourism Association recognized Collier- Wilson with an Excellence in Tourism Award in 2004. Collier-Wilson served as vice president of the Mississippi Tourism Association in 2007 and was president of MTA for 2008. In April 2008, she received the Black Meetings & Tourism Magazine APEX award for her achievement in tourism. She was given this award for her outstanding service and con- tributions that have not only enhanced the travel and tourism industry overalll, but also promoted diversity in all aspects of the industry as well. LEWISH.DAWLEY, III is an accom- plished veteran of more than 30 years in the convention center industry. He has been with SMG since 2003, where he serves as a senior consultant of convention center operations and labor rela- tions, and also currently as gen- eral manager of the Albuquerque C o n v e n t i o n Center. Prior to joining SMG he was general manager and CEO of theWashington Convention Center Authority, Washington D.C. Dawley is one of a handful of industry experts to manage the planning, con- struction and grand opening of four convention centers. Before Washington, he served as the Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority's general manager, where he developed a strategic operational plan for the opening of the 1.3 million-sq. ft. facility and directed day-to-day opera- tions. He also opened and operated the COBO Convention/Exhibition Center in Detroit, where he was general manager from 1977 to 1989, and the Minneapolis Convention Center, where he was director of Operations from 1989 to 1991. Dawley is a member of several profes- sional organizations including the International Association of Assembly Managers, the National Association of Exposition Managers, the Professional Convention Management Association, and the National Coalition of Black Meeting Planners. ELLIOTT FERGUSON serves as president and CEO of Destination DC, the official convention and tourism cor- poration for the nation's capital. A 20-year veter- an of the CVB industry, Ferguson leads Destination DC's efforts to generate econom- ic development for theDistrict through meetings and tourism, oversee- ing the organiza- tion's convention and tourism sales, mar- keting, finance and business development operations. Ferguson began his tenure with Destination DC in 2001 as vice presi- dent of Convention Sales and Services. Prior to working at Destination DC he served as vice president of Sales at the Atlanta, Georgia CVB. He has also served as director of Sales for both the Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia CVBs. Ferguson received a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing and Business Administrat- ion from Savannah State University. His many memberships in the industry include the American Society of Association Executives, National Coalit- ion of Black Meeting Planners, Religious Black Meetings & Tourism November/December 2011: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 47 M e e t ig n s&T o u r i s m Black M e e t i n g s a n d T o u r i s m B lc a k J E T