Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/3108
Sells in 1979 and later went on to serve under the Goode admin- istration from 1983 to 1985, until she joined the PCVB vention sales and services. She was also responsible for the tourism department of the bureau, and all visitor center activities and 35 volunteers. Her accomplishments include exceeding room night goals for 2008 by 11% by the third quarter of the fiscal year. W. BILL WILLIAMS, JR., CMP serves as vice president, Diversity/Sales of the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau. Williams, who was born in the Morgan Park Community of Chicago, has been with the CCTB for three decades covering the Social, Military, Education/Ethnic, Religious and Fraternal (SMERF) Market, and is a veteran of over 40 years in the hospitality industry. A graduate of Chicago State University with a business degree, Williams is a founding board mem- ber of the National Coalition of Black Meeting Planners, as well as a founding board member of the Chicago Chapter of the Society of Government Meeting Professionals (SGMP). He is a former Marine and a lifetime member of Kappa Alpha PSI Fraternity, (Williams became a member of Kappa Alpha Psi in 1981 and a life member in 1983. He was induct- BRENDA SCOTT serves as vice presi- dent of Sales and Marketing for the Bryan-College Station Convention & Visitors Bureau. Her duties include overseeing and managing the convention sales, sports market and tourism sales team in a marketing effort to meet and exceed room night target goals and promote and brand College-Station as a destination. Before entering the tourism industry, Scott enjoyed a successful 18-year career as a corporate officer in the banking industry. She served as vice president of Community and Member Relations for seven years at the Metropolitan Tucson Convention and Visitors Bureau and is the former president and CEO of the Mobile Area Convention and Visitor Bureau. Under Scott's leadership, the MACVB and Mobile were recognized as award-winning cities and convention and visitor bureaus. Scott assumed her position as the vice president Sales, Services and Marketing of the Arlington Convention and Visitor Bureau in October of 2006 where she led all operations of con- 64 Black Meetings & Tourism April/May 2008: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com GARY SIMON joined the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau in 1966 as a member of the Convention Sales/Services Depart- ment. In April of 2001 he was named director of the newly created Multicultural Affairs Department. The mission of the department is to promote the diversity and cultural heritage of the Sacramento region, while increasing Sacramento's share of the multicultural convention and tourism markets. Since 2001 Simon's department has coordinated Sacramento's Juneteenth Festival – A festival that celebrates the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Nearly 8,000 people attended last year's festival. In addition, the department created the "Ethnic Village" portion of the Gold Rush Days event ion Old Sacramento. The department supports many of Sacramento's ethnic festi- vals, these include: Mexican Independence Day, Meadowview Jazz Festival, Pacific Rim Festival, Chinese New Year, Hmong Festival, Chinese Mall Celebration, Native American Day and Festival De La Familia Simon is a member of the National Coalition of Black Meeting Planners, International Association of Hispanic Meeting Planners, National Forum of Black Public Administrators, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc, and Sacramento's Hispanic, Black and Asian Chambers of Commerce. He's been married to Latonia for thirteen years, they have a three year old daughter, Laylah Renae. CHERYL RICHARDS serves as vice president, Strategic Alliances, overseeing the corporate part- nership program and member sales and services. In this posi- tion, Richards' duties include setting the membership sales and service standard for the bureau, overseeing the production of all member-based publications and maintaining the day-to-day oper- ations of the member services department. Richards, who has been with the bureau for 20 years, began her career in the communications department, where she handled local, national, regional and international trade media. She is a graduate of the University of North Texas, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism/Public Relations and a minor in Business Marketing. Her affiliations include Public Relations Society of America, Dallas/Fort Worth Area Tourism Council, Dallas Community Police Awards Committee, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Dallas Zoological Society Board member and University of North Texas Alumni Association Board Member. As part of the Dallas CVB "Better to Best" program, Richards' goal is to reach out to traditional and non-traditional companies and educate them on the importance of travel industry in the North Texas area. She understands the correlation between collaborating with the Dallas CVB and increased visibility for the company in the business world and is an advocate for the bureau and local business.