Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/57242
an overview of their property and its customized services and offerings for meeting and convention business. The planners heard from the Seagate Hotel & Spa, Jupiter Beach Resort & Spa, and Marriott and Hilton Singer Island hotels, and even par- ticipated in a culinary competition and dinner one evening at the Marriott West Palm Beach. Additionally, host hotel PGA National Resort & Spa led an educational session specific to planning golf tournaments as part of an event schedule, provid- ed insight on selecting the best course, creating tournament rules, and formatting and selling sponsorships, to name a few. FOX SCHOOL OF BUSINESS | GREGORY DESHIELDS | STHM Corporations and nonprofits inGreater Philadelphia and across the nation have a new access point to the Fox School of Business through a managing director for business development. Gregory L. DeShields, a native Philadelphian, joined Temple University's School of Tourism and Hospitality Management in 2001 and most recently served as its senior director of corporate relations and as an adjunct faculty member. He will continue engaging with the tourism, hospitality, sport and recreation communities as he expands his role at Fox. The Fox School and the School of Tourism are closely affiliated and share some academic programming, facilities and staff. Dean M. Moshe Porat also oversees both schools. "We want to ensure the range of opportunities at the Fox School of Business can be clearly presented to industry partners and, most important, can be easily accessed," DeShields said. "I plan to build on my decade of business engagement experience at Temple to provide even greater access to our outstanding resources. There's one entry door to take you to all of them." DeShields's professional experience in both corporate and nonprofit organizations provides GREGORY L. DESHIELDS a balanced understanding of various business priorities and needs. Additionally, his involvement on numerous boards, committees and councils illustrates his contribution to strategic initiatives and commitment to service. DeShields plans to expand current business relationships and create new partnerships both inside the Philadelphia region and in other cities, such as Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Washington. Deepening ties with corporate partners and developing additional national relationships will ultimately enhance career opportunities for Fox School of Business and School of Tourism students and complement alumni relations. DeShields will also serve as a point of contact for potential sponsorship agreements and corporate philanthropy. Corporate partners can connect to the Fox School through its Center for Student Professional Development (CSPD), guest speaking opportunities – including an ongoing Executive in Residence program – research initiatives, and collabora- tions with centers and institutes. The Fox School and the School of Tourism feature a wide variety of research and outreach centers and programs, includ- ing the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Institute, Enterprise Management Consulting (EMC) Practice, Center for Design+Innovation, Center for Neural Decision Making, National Laboratory for Tourism and eCommerce, and Sport Industry Research Center, among others. U.S. TRAVEL APPLAUDS FREE TRADE AGREEMENTS TheU.S.TravelAssociation recently applauded the passage of three FreeTradeAgreements (FTA) with Colombia, Panama and South Korea.As part of the Colombia FTA, new fees on inbound air travelers from Canada,Mexico and the Caribbean will be utilized to improve trav- eler facilitation at our ports of entry, including enhancements to staffing at U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). "The three FTAs have the potential to spur significant growth in international trade between the U.S. and each of our trading partners, and we expect bilateral travel to increase as a result of our closer economic ties," said Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S.TravelAssociation. "We congratulate President Obama and theAdministration for working with Congressional leaders, including Senate Finance ChairmanMax Baucus (D-MT) and RankingMember Orrin Hatch (R-UT), and HouseWays &Means Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) and RankingMember Sander Levin (D-MI), for bringing these FTAs to closure." U.S.Travel worked to ensure that the additional travel fees included in the Colombia FTA would be primarily designated to improve the travel process. "Any additional fees assessed on travelers must go toward our nation's travel infrastructure," said Dow. "In order to ROGER DOW ensure that an influx of arrivals at our airports will not result in passenger processing delays by CBP, we have been reas- sured that the new customs fees imposed onMexican and Canadian travelers will be reinvested in travel facilitation efforts and staffing needs at our nation's airports." U.S.Travel is also actively working toward Congressional approval of a package of visa reforms that would help facili- tate business and leisure travel to the U.S.These initiatives are as critical as FTAs in unlocking the power of international commerce to create jobs in the U.S. MASON JR. Black Meetings & Tourism January/February 2012: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 9