Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/4253
Over the past 30 years, the former city alderman has amassed a $500 million business empire including television stations, downtown lofts, a historic theatre, the Roberts Hotel Group, the largest commercial office building outside of downtown St. Louis, strip malls, communications towers throughout the Midwest and a resort community in the Bahamas. He serves or has served on the Board of Directors of the following organi- zations: International Council of Shopping Centers, Trustee; National Association of Black Hotel Owners, Operators & Developers – Chairman; and National Associ-ation of Black Owned Broadcasters. JOHN ROLFE has been serving as president and CEO of Go Wichita Convention & Visitors Bureau (formerly the Greater Wichita Convention & Visitors Bureau) since October 1, 2001. Prior to his appointment, Rolfe was vice president of Economic Development at the Wichita Area Chamber of Commerce and served as deputy secretary of the Kansas Department of Commerce for five years. He also has more than 11 years of experience in the hospitali- ty industry, including serving as director of Finance and Administration for the San Jose, CA Convention & Visitors Bureau. Rolfe received his bachelor of business administration degree from Wichita State University and continues to be involved with various civic and profession- al organizations in the local area, across the State of Kansas, and regionally. BRENDA SCOTT , serves as vice president of Sales and Marketing for the Bryan-College Station Convention & Visitors Bureau. Her duties include over- seeing and managing the conven- tion 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 offi- cer 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 opera- tions of convention 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. FRANCES HARRIS SMILEY, CTIS, TMP, a 30+ year career Alabama State Employee is the supervisor of the eight Alabama Welcome Centers and serves as the coordinator of the State's Heritage Tourism Program. She has served as the assistant director of the Alabama Bureau of Tourism and prior to this appointment she served on the Governor's Cabinet for Tourism in the Siegleman Administration. She was responsi- ble for the state's group tour mar- keting initiatives for 22 years. She is the author of the nation's first Black Heritage Tourism Guide. In 1994, she received the Phoenix Award from the American Society of Travel Writers, a delegate to the Nation's First White House Conference on Travel and Tourism. In August 1997 she received the Nation's first "Trailblazer Pioneer Award for Multicultural Tourism," from the Multicultural Tourism Conference, and the award is henceforth named, "The Frances Smiley Trailblazer Award." Smiley was recognized by Black Meetings and Tourism mag- azine as one of the "Most Influential African Americans in Tourism" in the United States in '97-'08. In July of 1999 She was inducted in the Alabama Tourism Hall of Fame, in May 2003 into the West Alabama Tourism Hall of Fame, and in May of 2008 received the APEX Award for outstanding service to the industry from BM&T.. ROBERT L. STEELE, III has served as president and COO of the Educational Institute (EI) of the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Foundation, since November2008. EI is a sub- sidiary of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA). As president and COO, Steele oversees the day-to-day operations of the Institute, as well as develops the overall vision and strategies in conjunction with the board of trustees. Steele's responsibilities also include representing EI as its spokesperson and leader, formulating profitable and produc- tive strategic business alliances to enhance EI, increasing pen- etration of the international markets, and enhancing market- ing efforts within the industry. Prior to his present position, Steele had spent his entire 30+ year career with Hyatt Hotels Corporation, serving as general manager of the Hyatt Regency Baltimore, Baltimore, Md.; Hyatt Regency Washington, Washington, D.C.; and Black Meetings & Tourism October/November 2009: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 55