Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/244474
•pg_39-53_mj__BMT_pg3-58 1/8/14 10:40 PM Page 52 the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Minneapolis Downtown Council, as well as an advisory committee member of YouthLink, an organization that strives to build healthy relationships with youth and the community to address youths' urgent needs so that doors of opportunity are opened to futures of empowerment, connectedness and selfreliance. During his career Tennant has received many accolades, most notably the RMCA's President Award, MPI's Chapter Legacy Award – Carolina Chapter and Black Meetings & Tourism magazine's APEX Award. Tennant received his bachelor's degree from Rice University, master's degree in Christian Leadership Studies from Liberty University and holds an Association Executive Certification from ASAE. ALBERT TUCKER serves as vice president of Multicultural Business Development for the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau (GFLCVB), where he is focused on ensuring that organizations and families of diverse backgrounds select Greater Fort Lauderdale as the destination of choice for conferences and family reunions. It is Tucker's vision to expose ethnically diverse individuals and groups to Greater Fort Lauderdale so that GFL becomes the destination of choice for individuals of color. Over the past four years Greater Fort Lauderdale has been a magnet for Family Reunions, where that segment of the market has increased by more than 45%. Group business has expanded in a major way and the destination is primed to welcome prestigious organizations such as the American Tennis Association (ATA) 2013, Progressive National Baptist Convention (PNBC) 2014, National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) 2014, 100 Black Men of America in 2014, and the National Urban League (NUL) in 2015. 52 CAROL WALLACE, is president and CEO of the San Diego Convention Center Corporation, where she has led the bayside facility for over 20 years. She is responsible for the overall strategic direction, management and operation of the facility, oversees a full-time and part-time staff of more than 525 and an annual budget that exceeds $33 million. Under her leadership, the San Diego Convention Center has become one of the most successful facilities in the nation. In her 31-year career, Wallace has earned a reputation as a top industry executive working for the Dallas Convention Center as well as the Colorado Convention Center. When she came to San Diego in 1991, she played a pivotal leadership role convincing key constituents to expand the San Diego Convention Center, resulting in an expansion opening in 2001. She is currently working with local officials and community stakeholders on the Phase 3 Expansion of the Convention Center, which is expected to open in late 2016. Wallace's hard work and dedication have earned her numerous industry accolades and appointments. Currently she is serving on the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board, a group responsible for advising the U.S. Departments of State, Commerce and Homeland Security on ways to strengthen the travel and tourism industry and expand economic opportunities for American businesses, including domestic job creation. Wallace also serves as the North American representative on the AIPC (International Association of Congress Centres) board of directors as well as the Professional Convention Management Association's (PCMA) Education Foundation board of trustees. She is the past president of the International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM), the world's largest public assembly facility management association and past chair of the IAVM Foundation. In 2004 she received IAVM's highest honor, the Charles A. McElravy Award, for her exceptional leadership and extraordinary career-long accomplishments. ERNEST WOODEN JR., a veteran hospitality industry executive, was named president and CEO of the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board in January, 2013 to oversee the global brand marketing and meetings and convention sales strategy for one of the most-visited and most-famous destinations in the world – Los Angeles. Wooden was previously executive vice president, Global Brands for Hilton, based in Beverly Hills, CA, where he led all worldwide branding initiatives for the well-known hotel corporation, working with 3,000 properties in 80 countries. AHMEENAH YOUNG president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority, has been an influential voice in the tourism and hospitality industry for almost three decades. She leads the Center in developing its organizational policies to support providing the best cust o m e r- f o c u s e d experience in the convention marketplace. She oversaw the $786 million expansion project that has increased the site's footprint to more than one-million square feet, achieving a women and minority-owned business participation rate of 32 percent. Young was general manager of Philadelphia's Independence Visitor Center Corp. and vice president of corporate diversity for SearchWide, LLC. She sits on the boards of the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, Welcome America!, Temple University's School of Tourism and Hospitality, Philadelphia Academies, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, National Forum for Black Public Administrators, Philadelphia International Airport, Hahnemann University Hospital, Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation, Central City District, Reading Terminal Market and the Art Sanctuary advisory committee. Black Meetings & Tourism November/December 2013: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com