Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/52019
region's tourism and hospitality industry. She has expanded MAC's outreach to include visitors whose ethnic ori- gins stem from the African Dias- pora, Asian, His- panic and Native-American cultures. For the past five years, Hall and her MAC team produced Philadelphia's only multicultural arts and music festival. Themed Global Fusion, this free family event held at Penn's Landing, features musical and dance performances, food and merchandise representing the African, African-American, Caribbean, Hispanic, Asian and Native American cul- tures. The 2009, 2010, and 2011 event brought together more than 25,000 visi- tors and residents of all cultures and back- grounds from the 5-county region and has placed her on a short list of individu- als who have a passion for using culture as a tool for building a community spirit. Hall began her career in the hospitality industry while still a Philadelphia college student working as a front desk clerk at area hotels. After graduation from Drexel University with a B.A. in Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management, Hall fol- lowed her fervor for hotel sales and quickly moved up the ranks first as direc- tor of sales and marketing, and then to assistant general manager. SARA B. HAMLIN has been in the tourism industry for more than 20 years. She has been vice president of Tourism for the Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau for eight years. Hamlin is res- ponsible for pro- moting and book- ing motor coach business, family reunions, imple- mentation of the tourism division's marketing plan and budget for the greater Birminghamarea. She also super- vises the operations of three Birmingham area visitor centers. Hamlin serves on the Board of the American Bus Association. Hamlin serves on the Board of Governors of ABA Foundation. She is involved in the follow- ing organizations: Destination Marketing Association International, Bank Travel, National Tour Association, Ontario Motorcoach Association, African- American Travel Conference, YWCA, and The Women Network. CHARLOTTEHAYMORE, serves as both president of TPOC (Travel Professionals of Color), and program director of TPOC's annual minority travel agents conference. TPOC is an o r g a n i z a t i o n whose focus is on education, training and networking with and forminor- ity travel agency owners, managers, agents and sales staff with a special emphasis on the African-Americans, Hispanics, Asian Americans and Native Americans. Haymore formed TPOC with the help of Betty Jones of CB Jones Travel Service, another minority travel agent also located Denver, Co. Haymore hasmore than 30 years expe- rience in the travel industry, including 25 years as an airline employee and 14 years as a travel agency owner, and is passion- ate aboutminority travel businesses being run professionally and providing the very best in customer service. GLORIAM.HERBERT is the associ- ate publisher/editor of magazine, the award winning, international bi-monthly industry trade publication for the African-American meeting planner, incentive manager, travel agent and hospitality/tourism p r o f e s s i o n a l . Herbert serves as associate producer also of "Globetrotting," a television travel series that premiered in November of 2002 on BET on Jazz. Before creating alongwith her husband, Solomon Herbert, who serves as the magazine's publisher/editor-in-chief, Gloria was a part of their print and photo journalism team that produced over 800 articles which appeared in numerous regional, national and international publications. Herbert's early work experience was as an educational consultant for children with neurological deficiencies. She holds an undergraduate degree from California State University at Long Beach and a Masters of Science from the University of Southern California. Herbert was a mem- ber of the first graduating class of the Burklyn Accelerated Business School in Vermont; an innovative school with a high- speed, experiential entrepreneurship pro- gram that emphasized a noncompetitive, "win-win" approach to doing business. Also, Herbert has the distinction of hav- ing attained the level of "Sensei" (teacher) in the art of Ikebana (Japanese Flower Arrangement) with over 15 years of train- ing in this specialized area of floral design. SOLOMON J.HERBERT is the pub- lisher/editor-in-chief of magazine, the multi award-win- ning international industry trade pub- lication for the African-American meeting planner, travel agent and hospitality/tourism professional. He also serves as executive producer of "Globetrotting," a travel television series that debuted in April of 2002 on BET on Jazz. Before creating Black Meetings & Tourismwith his business partner and wife Gloria,Herbertwas self-employed as a full- time freelance print and photo journalist since 1981. During that period over 800 of his articles appeared in numerous regional, national and international publications. Herbert currently holds membership in several professional organizations, includ- ing the National Coalition of BlackMeeting Planners (NCBMP), National Association of Black Hotel Owners, Operators and Developers (NABHOOD), Meeting Professionals International (MPI), Travel Black Meetings & Tourism November/December 2011: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 49 B T o u r i s m lc a kM e e t ig n s& B l a c k M e e t i n g s & T o u r i s m B l a c k M e e t ig n s & T o u r i s m