Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/4253
new or advanced employment opportunities for young people. Mills is pleased to have been recognized by his peers in the industry. He was given the Hall of Leaders Award presented by ASAE, The Spirit of Hospitality Award given by the IACVB Foundation, numerous awards presented by the NCBMP, the Whitney M. Young, Jr. Award and the Ann Tanneyhill Award, both bestowed by the National Urban League, as well as many citations and awards presented to him by cities, bureaus and hoteliers. A graduate of Tuskegee University, Mills is experienced in all facets of meeting/conference planning, budgeting and nego- tiations. He has been singularly honored for his pioneering efforts and sterling contributions on behalf of Black meeting planners and promoting meeting planning as a career. MICHAEL MUNN was appointed chief of staff and director of Business Development for the Boston Convention Marketing Center (BCMC) in the Spring of 2004 by the Massachusetts Con- vention Center Authority. Munn is responsible for business manage- ment and developing programs in support of the BCMC and imple- menting diversity initiatives that focus on Boston's multicultural and multinational qualities. During his 20-plus years in the Meetings industry, he has held positions with the National Managed Health Care Congress; vice president of Sponsorship Programs, International Data Group (IDG); show director for ComNET DC and ComNET San Francisco and manager of Business Development & Partner Alliances at the Hurwitz Group, a strategic e-business marketing, research and consulting company. CURTIS MYLES serves as the president and chief execu- tive officer of the Las Vegas Monorail Company. A native Nevadan, Myles began his career in transportation after receiving a Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics from Colorado State University while attending on ath- letic scholarship. Upon his gradua- tion, he began work with a national shipping and cargo firm from 1986 to 1991. Returning to Las Vegas in June of 1991, he embarked upon an 11-year career in aviation manage- ment with the Clark County Department of Aviation. He served in several managerial capacities, including operations manager, as well as his final position there as assistant direc- tor of aviation. Myles departed the Department of Aviation for the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada in May of 2002, where he served as deputy general manager for three years. He accepted his current position with the Las Vegas Monorail Company in July of 2005. He holds both a Bachelor of Science and Masters degrees in Economics and teaches economics part-time at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. He is married and has two teenage daughters. BEVERLY NICHOLSON-DOTY serves as Commissio- ner of Tourism for the United States Virgin Islands, a cabinet-level posi- tion. She oversees the Department of Tourism's advertising and mar- keting plans, its national and inter- national tourism-related efforts and product development. Twenty-six years ago, while attending the College of the Virgin Islands, Nicholson Doty began her career in the hospitality industry as a reservations clerk at what was then the Virgin Isle Hotel. Quickly rising in the ranks, she served as front desk manager, front office manager, Room's Division manager, hotel manager, sales manager, and marketing & sales director. In March 1993, Nicholson-Doty joined the St. Thomas-St. John Hotel & Tourism Association as its executive director. In this position, her responsibilities included spearheading the implementation and development of the Association's strate- gic plan, focusing on four integral areas: Education and Training, Community Needs and Programs, Government Relations, and Marketing. She also formed the Cooperative Marketing Initiative, which encouraged tourism-related busi- nesses to actively and collectively promote their products. Commissioner Nicholson-Doty has served on many com- munity boards including the Small Business Development Agency, Boys & Girls Club of the Virgin Islands, and the Caribbean Society of Hotel Association Executives. She is married to Randall Doty and has one son, Paris O. Nicholson IV. R. DONAHUE PEEBLES, recognized as one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the nation, is the owner of The Peebles Corporation, the country's largest African-American real estate development company with a $4 billion development portfolio of luxury hotels, high-rise residential and Class A commercial properties and developments in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Las Vegas and Miami Beach. The 49 year old, who has been featured in numerous publications and appears regularly on CNN, CNBC and FOX, is also a top- selling author. His first book, The Peebles Principles, distills the lessons he learned on the road to building his successful company and personal fortune. His first-person accounts of Black Meetings & Tourism October/November 2009: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 53