Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/187632
•pg_3-12__BMT_pg3-58 9/25/13 1:27 AM Page 12 Speaking Of People Andrea Barker is a senior sales manager for the Hilton Columbus Downtown, a new luxury property with 532guestrooms and attached to the Greater Columbus Convention Center. She is responsible for securing Ohio State associations, educational, religious, fraternal and multicultural organizations needing guestrooms and/or conference space. In this capacity, Barkert also works in conjunction with Experience Columbus Convention Visitors Bureau and the Greater Columbus Convention Center to help promote Columbus as a destination for conventions. Prior to assuming this role, Barker worked at the Doubletree by Hilton Columbus /Worthington as a sales manager, primarily responsible for state associations. David Ellis, who serves as assistant city manager for the City of Charlottesville, received a bachelor of science in Psychology from James Madison University and a Master of Public Administration from George Mason University. Charlottesville is located along the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Albemarle County, Virginia. Ellis is a member of VLGMA and ICMA and was recently designated a Certified Manager by ICMA. He came to Charlottesville in 2012 after serving 20 years in Fairfax County in a variety of positions including deputy director of the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority and as the assistant to the County Executive the last eight years of his career Visit Oakland, the official destination marketing organization for Oakland, is pleased to announce Brandi Hardy as its new senior sales manager. Hardy began her role at Visit Oakland in June and will be responsible for working with groups and meeting planners to bring their meetings and events to Oakland. In her role, Hardy will be working with SMERF, corporate, association, and tour and travel groups. She will also attend relevant conferences and tradeshows to network and promote Oakland outside of the destination. Prior to her role at Visit Oakland, Hardy served as a sales manager at the historic Sir Francis Drake hotel in San Francisco. Hardy has also worked in Oakland as a sales manager at the Oakland Marriott City Center. Donald Dwyer serves as director of Multicultural Sales for the Hilton New Orleans Riverside | Doubletree By Hilton Hotel New Orleans, a position he has held since September, 2012. He began his career at the Hilton in July 1995 in Banquet Stewarding prior to his senior year in high school. Dwyer held a number of positions at the property, including front office guest service agent, conference center sales manager, senior sales manager and complex sales manager, before assuming his present post. In his current position Dwyer is responsible for developing and implementing sales strategies to increase conversion and market share from the Multicultural Market Segment as well as meeting space on site at Hilton New Orleans, DoubleTree New Orleans and or Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Cecilia De Leon, senior sales manager at Hilton Americas-Houston, is a life-long hospitality ind-ustry veteran, having spent her entire career in the hotel business. Starting as a teenager as sales and catering assistant at Holiday Inn Reliant Park, De Leon was part of hotel's sales team for 14 years, working her way up to the position of director of Sales. Under her direction, the hotel won several prestigious awards including Sales Team of the Year and Hotel of the Year. Moving to Springhill Suites by Marriot Reliant Park as director of Sales, De Leon later was offered the opportunity to join the team at Hilton Americas-Houston, the city's largest hotel with 1,200 guestrooms, in her current position as Senior Sales Manager handling the multicultural, fraternity and entertainment markets. Kennith R. Cobbs currently works for the Kentucky State Fair Board as a convention senior sales manager. He is responsible for booking sports and the commercial trade business into two of the state's largest facilities. Combined they include over one million three hundred thousand square feet of prime space at the Kentucky International Convention Center and Kentucky Exposition Center. A veteran of over 35 years in the hospitably industry, Cobbs has worked at various local hotels such as the Hyatt Regency Louisville, Galt House, Sealbch, Executive Inn and the Brown and the Minneapolis Airport Hilton Hotel in Minneapolis Minnesota as director of Catering operations. 12 B M & T ••• September/October 2013 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com