New WACVB Officers Appointed for 2012-13 Program Year

Former WACVB Board President-elect Jennifer Wesselhoff, President & CEO, Sedona (AZ) Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau, has assumed the duties as President of the WACVB Board of Directors, replacing Lorene Palmer. Ralph Woellmer, Chairman of the Sedona Chamber of Commerce Board of Director says “the fact that Jennifer Wesselhoff has been positioned as President is a testament to her hard work and to the highest quality of professionalism of the Sedona Chamber of Commerce. This is one more example of the forward thinking used by the Sedona Chamber of Commerce to help promote and market to visitors not only in the tourism industry, but to trade, meetings, events and incentive programs.” The Western Association of Convention & Visitors Bureaus is a regional professional association serving more than 135 destination marketing organizations in the western United States and the western provinces of Canada.

Former WACVB Board President Lorene Palmer resigned from the Juneau (AK) Convention & Visitors Bureau and from the WACVB Board of Directors in early November. Palmer was recently named as the Division Director for economic development with the Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development.

The WACVB Board of Directors appointed former Secretary/Treasurer Bill Malone, President & CEO, Park City (UT) Chamber/Bureau, as WACVB Board President-Elect. The Board appointed former Director Wes Rhea, Executive Director, Stockton (CA) Convention & Visitors Bureau, as the Board Secretary-Treasurer.

Kathy Smits, Vice President-international tourism at the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board, serves as Past President.

The WACVB Directors include:

Tracy Farhad, Executive Director, Solvang (CA) Conference & Visitors Bureau

Anne Jenkins, Senior Vice President, Travel Medford (OR)

Aaron McCreight, CEO, Casper Area (WY) Convention & Visitors Bureau

Jim Kissinger, Vice President-convention sales, Anaheim/Orange County (CA) Visitor & Convention Bureau

John Reyes, CMP, Executive Vice President & Chief Customer Officer, San Francisco (CA) Travel Association

Sara Toliver, President & CEO, Ogden/Weber (UT) Convention & Visitors Bureau.