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The National Council of State Tourism Directors (NCSTD) leverages the collective strength of state tourism offices to provide leadership and a forum for information sharing on issues impacting tourism. Representing all 50 states, the five U.S. territories and the District of Columbia, NCSTD serves its members by:
- Providing a voice on critical public policy issues.
- Offering learning opportunities to increase the effectiveness of state tourism offices.
- Driving internal and external communication.
- Shaping and supporting coordinated domestic and international marketing efforts.
- Offering state tourism directors a forum for sharpening leadership skills.
NCSTD Highlights
In addition to their usual U.S. Travel membership benefits, NCSTD provides programs and services specifically for the state tourism directors and their office personnel. These programs and services are designed to enhance professional development, address common state tourism issues, provide resources and other tools to help state tourism offices perform mission critical activities.
EDUCATE and NETWORK:
- Offering learning opportunities to increase the effectiveness of state tourism offices.
- The NCSTD Leadership Forum, held in the fall, provides programming and training specifically for state tourism directors.
- Meet several times a year to enhance professional development, address common issues and provide resources to help state tourism offices perform mission-critical activities.
ADVOCATE:
- Advancing tourism and travel issues relevant to state tourism offices.
- NCSTD members are represented on U.S. Travel's Board of Directors.
- Leveraging the collective strength of the industry to influence policy on travel-related issues at Destination Capitol Hill, the U.S. travel industry’s premier legislative fly-in.
- Utilizing tools like the Travel Economic Impact Calculator to show the direct impact of a change in traveler spending on a state's economy.
INFORM:
- Gaining access to authoritative industry research on the latest travel trends and forecasts that affect marketing decisions.
- Participating in the annual Mercury Awards, which showcase creative accomplishments in tourism marketing and promotion.
- Nominating a colleague for the NCSTD State Tourism Director of the Year Award which recognizes excellence in marketing, promotion and individual leadership within the nominee's state.
Board Members
Chair
David Lorenz
Vice President, Travel Michigan, Michigan Economic Development Corp.
Vice Chair
Sara Otte Coleman
Director, North Dakota Tourism Division
MEMBERS
Duane Parrish
Director, South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism
Lee Sentell
Director, Alabama Tourism Department
Sarah Leonard
Alaska Travel Industry Association
Debbie Johnson
Director, Arizona Office of Tourism
Travis Napper
Director, Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism
Caroline Beteta
CEO, California Travel & Tourism Commission
Timothy Wolfe
Director, Colorado Tourism Office
Noelle Stevenson
Director, Connecticut Office of Tourism
Jessica Welch
Director of Tourism, Delaware Tourism Office
Theresa Belpulsi
Vice President of Tourism, Destination DC
Dana Young
President & CEO, VISIT FLORIDA
Carl T.C. Gutierrez
President & CEO, Guam Visitors Bureau
John DeFries
President & CEO, Hawaii Tourism Authority
Diane Norton
Tourism Manager, Idaho Department of Commerce, Tourism Development
Jan Kemmerling
Tourism Director, Illinois Office of Tourism
Amy Howell
Director of Tourism, Indiana Destination Development Corporation
Amy Zeigler
Tourism Manager, Iowa Economic Development Authority
Mike Mangeot
Commissioner, Kentucky Department of Tourism
Doug Bourgeois
Assistant Secretary, Louisiana Office of Tourism
Steve Lyons
Director, Maine Office of Tourism
Liz Fitzsimmons
Executive Director, Maryland Office of Tourism Development
Keiko Orrall
Executive Director, Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism
Lauren Bennett McGinty
Director, Explore Minnesota Tourism
Craig Ray
Executive Director, Visit Mississippi
Stephen Foutes
Director, Missouri Division of Tourism
Jan Stoddard
Marketing Bureau Chief, Montana Office of Tourism & Business Development
John Ricks
Executive Director, Nebraska Tourism Commission
Brenda Scolari
Director, Nevada Division of Tourism and Cultural Affairs
Lori Harnois
Director, New Hampshire Division of Travel & Tourism Development
Jeffrey Vasser
Executive Director, New Jersey Travel & Tourism
Jen Schroer
Tourism Secretary, New Mexico Tourism Department
Ross Levi
Executive Director of Tourism, New York State Department of Economic Development
Wit Tuttell
Executive Director, Visit North Carolina
Matthew MacLaren
TourismOhio, Ohio Development Services Agency
Jennifer Mullins
Travel Promotion Division Director, Oklahoma Tourism & Recreation Department
Todd Davidson
CEO, Travel Oregon
Carrie Lepore
Deputy Secretary, Pennsylvania Office of Travel, Tourism & Film
Brad Dean
CEO, Discover Puerto Rico
Mark Brodeur
Director of Tourism, Rhode Island Commerce Corporation
Jim Hagen
Secretary of Tourism, South Dakota Department of Tourism
Mark Ezell
Commissioner, Tennessee Department of Tourist Development
Brad Smyth
Director of Tourism, Travel Texas
Vicki Varela
Director, Utah Office of Tourism
Heather Pelham
Deputy Commissioner, Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing
Rita McClenny
President & CEO, Virginia Tourism Corporation
David Blandford
Associate Director, Washington Tourism Alliance
Chelsea A. Ruby
Commissioner, West Virginia Division of Tourism
Anne Sayers
Secretary, Wisconsin Department of Tourism
Diane Shober
Executive Director, Wyoming Office of Tourism
Joseph Boschulte
Commissioner, U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism
