Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/4253
for the Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau for eight years. Hamlin is responsible for pro- moting and booking motor coach business, family reunions, imple- mentation of the tourism division's marketing plan and budget for the greater Birmingham area. She also supervises the operations of three Birmingham area visitor centers. Hamlin serves on the Board of the American Bus Association. She's also on the Board of the Transportation Review Board for the City of Birmingham. Hamlin serves on the Scholarship Foundation Board of the American Bus Association. She is involved in the following organizations: International Association of Convention & Visitor Bureaus, Bank Travel, National Tour Association, YWCA, Ontario Motorcoach Association, African-American Travel Conference and City Stages (a music festival). CHARLOTTE HAYMORE, serves as both president of TPOC (Travel Professionals of Color), and program director of TPOC's annual minority travel agents conference. TPOC is an organization whose focus is on education, training and networking with and for minority travel agency owners, managers, agents and sales staff with a special emphasis on the African-Ameri- cans, Hispanics, Asian Americans and Native Americans. Haymore formed TPOC with the help of Betty Jones of CB Jones Travel Service, another minority travel agent also located Denver, Co. Haymore has more than 30 years experience in the travel industry, including 25 years as an airline employee and 14 years as a travel agency owner, and is passionate about minor- ity travel businesses being run professionally and providing the very best in customer service. GLORIA M. HERBERT is the associate publisher/editor of Black Meetings & Tourism mag- azine, the award winning, interna- tional bi-monthly industry trade publication for the African- American meeting planner, incen- tive manager travel agent and hos- pitality/tourism professional. Herbert also serves as associate producer of "Globetrotting," a tele- vision travel series that premiered in November of 2002 on BET on Jazz. Before creating Black Meetings & Tourism along with her husband, Solomon Herbert, who serves as the magazine's publisher/editor-in-chief, Gloria was a part of their print and photo journalism team that produced over 800 articles which appeared in numerous regional, national and international publications. Herbert's early work experience was as an educational consultant for children with neurological deficiencies. She holds an undergraduate degree from California State University at Long Beach and a Masters of Science from the University of Southern California. Also, Herbert has the distinction of having attained the level of "Sensei" (teacher) in the art of Ikebana (Japanese Flower Arrangement) with over 15 years of training in this specialized area of floral design. SOLOMON J. HERBERT is the publisher/editor-in- chief of Black Meetings & Tourism magazine, the multi award-winning international industry trade publi- cation for the African-American meeting planner, travel agent and hospitality/tourism professional. He also serves as executive pro- ducer of "Globetrotting," a travel television series that debuted in April of 2002 on BET on Jazz. Before creating Black Meetings & Tourism with his business part- ner and wife Gloria, Herbert was self-employed as a full-time free- lance print and photo journalist since 1981. During that peri- od over 800 of his articles appeared in numerous regional, national and international publications. Herbert currently holds membership in several profes- sional organizations, including the National Coalition of Black Meeting Planners (NCBMP), National Association of Black Hotel Owners, Operators and Developers (NAB- HOOD), Meeting Professionals International (MPI), Travel Professionals Of Color (TPOC), Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), Africa Travel Association (ATA), Travel and Tourism Marketing Association (TTMA), Black Business Association of Los Angeles (BBA) and Greater Los Angeles African American Chamber of Commerce (GLAAAC). Herbert and his wife Gloria were the 2002 recipients of the National Coalition of Black Meeting Planner's Minority Business Award, the 2005 recipients of the Regional Black Chamber of Commerce of San Fernando Valley's Small Business of the Year Award, the 2007 recipients of Outstanding Entrepreneur Award from the Black Business Association of Los Angeles, and most recently, the 2008 recip- ients of California State Salute to Small Business Award. WILLIAM A. HOLLAND was named vice president – workforce planning & analysis for Hilton Hotels Corporation in 2000. In this position, Holland is responsible for affirma- Black Meetings & Tourism October/November 2009: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 50