Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/533451
B M & T ••• March/April 2015 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 32 CLARA CARTER is the president and founder of the Multi-Cultural Convention Services Network (MCCSN), Inc. This San Diego-based destination/- meeting management company is focused on global site selection and contract negotia- tions for groups and organizations seeking exciting destinations for meetings, confer- ences and conventions. A 20-year veteran of the Hospitality Industry, Carter has distin- guished herself as the creator and producer of the nationally recognized Multicultural FAM tour. This tour is customized to give clients the unique view of a city by incorpo- rating its rich ethnic & cultural features for future meeting opportunities. MCCSN is the only independent meeting management company in San Diego County that has fully realized the significance of responding to the needs of an often-underserved segment of the market - the ethnic conference and its attendees. Carter is a highly sought speaker and industry expert on issues surrounding multi- cultural tourism and diversity. Carter contin- ues to lean forward with the recent launch of San Diego's first online digital magazine for the luxury, executive and incentive travel seg- ment – 'Destination Elite.' WANDA COLLIER-WILSON is president and chief executive officer of the Jackson Convention & Visitors Bureau, a position she has served in since 1998. She leads a 22-member staff that has included the management and staff of the Mississippi Telecommunications & Conferencing Center up till October 1, 2008, when the CVB handed over the management of the building to SMG. Collier-Wilson joined the CVB 27 years ago as receptionist and has held every position at the Bureau prior to becoming president and CEO. Collier-Wilson has been nationally rec- GREG DESHIELDS serves as exec- utive director of the Philadelphia Multicultural Affairs Congress – the first multicultural division of a Convention & Visitors Bureau in the nation. In his role as executive director, DeShields works to drive convention business to the City by promoting the multicultural fabric that helps make Philadelphia a global leader. DeShields is key in communicating this message, and further increasing the City's imprint in the multicultural meeting and convention marketplace. RONNIE BURT serves as president and CEO of the Kansas City Convention & Visitors Association (KCCVA). A seasoned sales and mar- keting executive with more than 23 years of hospitality and tourism indus- try experience, Burt previously held the position as vice president of sales and services for Destination DC (DDC). As president and CEO, Burt man- ages a staff of 40 and a budget of $10 million in efforts to attract visitors to the Kansas City region. In his role at DDC, Burt oversaw a team of 25 people that include leading strategic sales and service efforts, hous- ing and business development for the nation's capital and its growing conven- tion facilities, to include the new Washington Marriott Marquis. Burt's responsibilities included maximizing the use of the Walter E. Washington Convention Center and the hotel inventory to create maximum economic impact to the District of Columbia and the surrounding region. Burt's career with destination man- agement organizations began in mar- keting at Caesars Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City. He joined the Atlantic City Convention and Visitors Authority as an intern and quickly ascended the ranks to National Sales Manager. He joined the Baltimore Area Convention & Visitors Association in 1999 as direc- tor of national accounts, eventually leading its sales efforts in the role as vice president of convention sales and serv- ices. In 2006, Burt, a graduate of Richard Stockton College in Pomona, N.J., served as the interim president and CEO, where he managed a staff of more than 50 employees and a $9 million budget. ognized by JET magazine and Black Meetings & Tourism magazine for her lead- ership as a tourism professional, and recog- nized regionally and statewide by a number of other organizations including the Mississippi Development Authority- Division of Tourism, which inducted her into its Tourism Hall of Fame in 2006. She was a 2006 Recipient of the Phenomenally She award in the Business Leader category for The Dr. Jessie Bryant Mosley Award of Excellence Exhibit presented by Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center. Collier-Wilson has also been named one of Mississippi's "50 Leading Business Women" in 2006 by the Mississippi Business Journal. Under her leadership, the Jackson CVB was named "2005 Mississippi CVB of the Year" and won a Readers' Choice Award in 2006 from Convention South magazine as one of the South's top CVBs. The Mississippi Tourism Association recognized Collier- Wilson with an Excellence in Tourism Award in 2004. Collier-Wilson served as vice president of the Mississippi Tourism Association in 2007 and was president of MTA for 2008. In April 2008, she received the Black Meetings & Tourism Magazine APEX award for her achievement in tourism.