Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/22095
RONNIE BURT,as the newvice pres- ident of Convention Sales and Services, sets convention sales and services strategies for Destination DC, the official convention and tourism corporation for the nation’s capital. He leads a team tasked with selling the Walter E. Washington Convention Center and hotel properties and meeting venues located in and around DC, including the Washington Marriott Marquis, which recently broke ground. Burt joined the Destination DC team in August 2010 after serving as senior vice-president of convention sales & services for the Indianapolis CVB. CLARA CARTER, a native San Diegan and 20-year business and hospitality veteran, is president and founder of the Multi- Cultural Convention Services Network (MCCSN), Inc., a San Diego-based for-profit destina- tion/meeting management organization. MCCSN’s focus is to market and promote the city of San Diego and other cities to diverse national associations and leisure travelers that primarily represent diverse cul- tures and populations. Additionally, Carter is the founder and executive producer of San Diego’s Multicultural FAM Tour. It is the first of its kind in the area and MCCSN is one of only a few independent destination management com- panies that specifically target this underserved market segment. Prior to establishing MCCSN, Carter spent 21 years with a major corporation in San Diego before launching into entrepreneurship to establish Creative Visions Meetings and Events, a full service meeting and event management company. Carter is amuch sought after speaker and industry expert on issues surrounding multicultural tourism and diversity. She has been recognized by BlackMeetings andTourismfor her leadership and professionalismin the hospitality industry, Local recognitions include: 2010 Small Business of theYear Award – SouthernRegion ofCalifornia;being 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). Numerous other awards and recognitions, include the 2007 Meeting Planner of the Year from the InternationalAssociation ofHispanicMeeting Professionals, and in 2009 and 2010,Ms.Carterwas a successful grant recip- ient from the San Diego Tourism Marketing Promotion Corp. She is charged by the SDTMDboard with facilitating 56 the city of SanDiego’smarketing outreach efforts and group bookings to themulticultural tourismmarket. WANDA COLLIER-WILSON is presi- dent and chief executive officer of the Jackson Convention & VisitorsBureau,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 & Conferencing 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 recognized by JET magazine and Black Meetings & Tourism magazine for her leadership as a tourism professional, and recognized regionally and statewide by a number of other organiza- tions 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 contributions that have not only enhanced the travel and tourism industry overall, but also promoted diversity in all aspects of the industry as well. LEWIS H. DAWLEY III,a 30+ year vet- eran of the convention center industry, serves as regional vice president of Convention Center Operations and Business Development for SMG. Prior to joining SMG he was general man- ager and CEO of theWashington Convention Center Authority, WashingtonD.C. Dawley is one of a handful of industry experts to Black Meetings & Tourism November/December 2010: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com