Angie Briggs is vice president of industry relations for the U.S. Travel Association. In her role, she is focused on engagement and growth across all member levels of the association. Briggs is a frequent traveler, spending time in-market collaborating with U.S. Travel’s national membership across all verticals of the industry.

She has served three decades in the travel industry and her experience ranges from meeting planning to destination marketing, in more recent years, she’s helped travel marketing and consulting agencies build their portfolios by establishing a strong track record of collaboration and identifying business opportunities to support national, state, regional and local destination marketing organizations, as well as hotels, airports, attractions and businesses in the international marketplace.

With a deep passion for travel, Angie has visited 5 continents, over 25 countries and 49 states with a bucket list of many more places to explore.

Andria Godfrey is the Senior Vice President of Longwoods International, leading the company in research development, client services and innovation. Previously, she led global enterprise initiatives at ADARA where she led company expansion into the European, Middle Eastern, and Asian markets. Andria has over a decade of experience leveraging data to enhance marketing efficiency, program operations and to promote industry advocacy. Previously she served in research roles at the Office of the Governor, State of Texas, and the Georgia Department of Economic Development.

Outside of her work at Longwoods Andria serves as an Adjunct Professor at University of Southern California. She earned a BA in communications and an MS in recreation, park and tourism sciences, both from Texas A&M University.

Dan Spears is the Vice President of Industry Relations and Licensing at Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI). In his capacity as Vice President, Mr. Spears works closely with BMI’s Licensing management team to create strategic, value-driven sponsorships and customer events. He serves as a pivotal bridge between the company’s Licensing, Writer/Publisher and Business Affairs teams. In this role, Mr. Spears continues to develop new customer initiatives and strategic partnerships that feature BMI songwriter performances and help educate key accounts, while providing new sources of revenue for affiliates and licensees.

As a Sweetwater County native, Jenissa Meredith has passionately dedicated almost 15 years of her life to promoting visitation to Rock Springs and Green River, Wyoming, as the Executive Director of Sweetwater County Travel and Tourism. She has been involved in three Sweetwater County lodging tax ballot initiatives, doubling the local tourism budget, which now alone generates over $100 million annually in visitor spending in Sweetwater County.
During her tenure Jenissa has developed the local tourism industry by creating various committees and boards including the Sweetwater County Lodging Association, Sweetwater County Event Recruitment Committee, and Rock Springs & Green River Beautification Committees. She has also served on the Wyoming Travel Industry Coalition for the past 13 years, and currently serves on the Sweetwater County Outdoor Recreation Collaborative Steering Committee, Sweetwater Economic Development Advisory Board, and the Flaming Gorge Promotions Committee.
Jenissa has also developed and grown many programs over her tenure. Such programs include the R.E.A.C.H. awards, recognizing front line hospitality employees in Sweetwater County, the Certified Tourism Ambassador program and the Proud Wyoming Woman Retreats. In 2020, Jenissa and the board submitted an application to the National Scenic Byways program that was successful in designating the Flaming Gorge - Green River Basin Scenic Byway as one of only 37 All-American Roads in the United States. This designation qualifies the byway for numerous funding opportunities to develop tourist amenities.
Recognizing the need for local ticketed attractions, Jenissa and the Sweetwater County Travel and Tourism Board recently moved into tourism product development. The Flaming Gorge bus tours were created in 2020. The tours launched in 2021 and 28 tours are scheduled for summer 2022. Jenissa and the board are also planning to launch sand board rentals in 2022 to help showcase the Killpecker Sand Dunes field in Sweetwater County.

Jim Pelley has been a professional speaker and seminar leader for 34 years. Prior to staring Laughter Works Seminars, Jim was a contributing writer for the original Saturday Night Live Show, and while at California State University, Sacramento; he developed a Graduate Level course entitled “The Role of Humor in Communication.”

Jim has 3206+ clients globally including hundreds in the travel and tourism industry, such as United Airlines, Disney, Marriott, NTA, IATDG, Qantas, Rocky Mountaineer. He has also been a featured keynote speaker for: BC Tourism, Oregon, South Dakota, Montana, Nevada, California, and New Mexico Tourism Organizations.

· Also, of interest seven years ago Jim added tour planning and the role of Tour Director to his resume...so literally Wyoming has a seasoned Professional Speaker, who is also a Tour Director and Planner on the stage ...oh this should be interesting ....

Shelly Blackburn is the Executive Director of the Columbia County Convention and Visitors Bureau, a non-profit Destination Marketing Organization located near Augusta, GA.
Shelly began her career with the CVB as a college intern and was soon after named the Associate Director of Sales and Marketing. She served in that role for six years before being named Executive Director in February of 2017.
Shelly is a graduate of Southeast Tourism Society’s Marketing College where she earned her Tourism Marketing Professional certification. She is also a recipient of the prestigious Forty for the Future- an award recognizing Travels Leading Talent. Shelly is a recipient of the GACVB Leadership Excellence Certification.
She and her team are the creators of the Serene18 Paddle Trail; which has gained regional and national exposure for Columbia County, including a Destiny Award from the US Travel Association.

Berkeley Young is no stranger to Wyoming having worked with WOT and most lodging tax boards in the state since 2005. He is President of Young Strategies, a Charlotte, NC company conducting customized research and strategic planning for destination management organizations. Young’s hands-on experience running a CVB/DMO and managing a golf resort community gives him a unique edge when analyzing research data. Berkeley has conducted research and strategic planning studies with destinations of all sizes in 35 states and is currently working with destinations in Wyoming, Mississippi, New York, Florida, Alabama, both Carolinas and Louisiana.
Berkeley is obsessed with understanding the behavior of travelers and how they make their destination travel decisions. Taking that research into a comprehensive plan to unify a destination’s leaders is his favorite part of client work. He is a highly rated speaker in the travel industry and is known for his clever approach when explaining even the most complicated data and trends. Look out for Madelyn Matlock who is traveling with Berkeley. She’s the brains on the team!

Donna Carpenter joined the Cabarrus County Convention & Visitors Bureau as President and CEO in 2009 bringing more than 14 years of experience in destination management, sales and marketing to the Bureau.
Prior to joining the Cabarrus County CVB, Donna served as the director of tourism and partnership development for five-plus years with Visit Charlotte. She was also executive director of the Stanly County Convention & Visitors Bureau, director of sports and public relations for the York County Convention & Visitors Bureau and was the executive director for the Fort Mill Chamber of Commerce. In 2010, Donna was named one of the area’s Top Women in Business by Business Today. The same year, she became a Certified Destination Management Executive (CDME) through Destinations International (formerly Destination Marketing Association International). She is also certified as a Tourism Marketing Professional through the Southeast Tourism Society (STS).
In September 2015, Donna received the Southeast Tourism Society Beacon Award, a prestigious honor recognizing an individual who best exemplifies outstanding leadership in the pursuit of excellence and who has advanced the tourism industry.
Donna has dedicated her career to the advocacy and advancement of North Carolina’s hospitality industry. As the Bureau’s leader and as a Cabarrus County resident, she is committed to enhancing the visitor experience and as a result, the quality of life and economic benefits generated by tourism.

Jesse Ryan is the Chief Brand Strategist at New Thought Digital in Jackson, Wyoming. With over twelve years of experience leading integrated brand and media strategies, Jesse has helped some of the Rocky Mountain region’s premier destinations and organizations identify their competitive values and communicate those messages to market. While away from his desk, Jesse contributes to the leadership of multiple Wyoming non-profits including the Grand Teton Association, and the Jackson Hole Center For The Arts.

LB Haney is the Senior Media Director at New Thought Digital in Jackson, Wyoming. Specializing in digital media strategy, inbound marketing, and cross-platform advertising, LB guides the online communication efforts for a multitude of regional brands and destination marketing organizations. With a digital marketing portfolio spanning ten years, LB is an expert in online media channels including Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and programmatic display channels.

Alyssa leads content strategy, creation, and distribution within the Destinations International Advocacy & Research Team. She creates and curates compelling content about destination organizations, the tourism industry, and Destinations International's tools and offerings. Alyssa also supports the development and growth of the Event Impact Calculator (EIC) to ensure an excellent user experience, robust training resources, and strong community support. With a deep background in destination development, she believes in the power of sustainable travel.

Cameron (Cam) Sholly assumed duties as the superintendent of Yellowstone National Park in October of 2018. Yellowstone is one of the largest national park operations in the world spanning 2.2 million acres and receiving over 4 million visits each year. The park has a team of over 1,000 employees and volunteers and an annual budget exceeding $60 million. Cam is a third-generation park service manager and began his National Park Service (NPS) career in 1990.
Cam holds a bachelor’s degree in management from Saint Mary’s College of California and a master’s degree in environmental management from Duke University. He is a graduate of the Harvard University Senior Executive Fellows Program and the FBI National Academy. He is a veteran of the U.S. Army and deployed to Operation Desert Storm in 1991.

Matt Clement is a Managing Partner at Madden Media where his focus is helping clients close the gap between strategic plans, marketing efforts, research, stakeholders and consumers. He has worked in the tourism industry for over 12 years, including at Arrivalist, Visit Fort Worth and Experience Fayetteville. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the U.S. Travel Association, and California Travel Association and has held previous board positions with the Destinations International and the Texas Travel Alliance. Matt earned his Certified Destination Management Executive certification in 2013.

Debbie Pummel was born in Madera CA. and grew up in Waimanalo, HI. She graduated from Hawaii School for Girls and went on to pursue a degree in Business Management at BYU-Laie. During the week she would dorm at BYU and on weekends go home to her family ranch where she worked and focused on her equestrian skills. She moved to the mainland in 1984, was married and became a parent to four beautiful children, Jerod, Bobby, Amanda and Kassie. Over the next twenty years the family experienced the Marine Corp way of life while Debbie continued her education and began her hospitality career in 1992. Instead of serving horses she now serves people and has held several positions for mainly IHG branded hotels. During this time Debbie's career took the family to the Holiday Inn Casper, Sheridan, Cheyenne and for a year to Lander, WY to be the Director of Sales for Shelli Johnson's Yellowstone Journal. Debbie is now back in Casper and has the opportunity to serve nine hotels for Timberline Hospitalities, LLC. as Director of Hotel Performance. She loves WY and enjoys spending time with her family including husband, Stu Pummel, seven grandchildren, with another on the way, in all the beautiful spaces Wyoming has to offer.

Diane Shober, Wyoming native, is the Executive Director for the Wyoming Office of Tourism where she has led the state’s promotional efforts for 16 years. Under her strategic leadership, Diane and her team have proactively expanded Wyoming’s brand and marketing programs and continue to work to grow the tourism and hospitality industry in the Cowboy State.

Chris is the President of Wyoming Associations and Government Affairs Network (WAGAN). He began his hospitality career at age 16 in Massachusetts as a dishwasher, working his way throughout the industry until coming to Fort Collins, Colorado with Outback Steakhouse in 1995. In 2001 Chris relocated to Cheyenne to pen Wyoming’s second Outback Steakhouse as Managing Partner.

He buildtthe Cheyenne Outback Steakhouse into one of the best OSI restaurants in the entire region, having been awarded “Partner of the Year” three times – 2004, 2007 and 2010.

Chris has served on the Board of Directors, and Executive Committee for the Wyoming Lodging and Restaurant Association and is the CEO of WAGAN.

Brown married his wife Shelby in 2003, and they have two sons – Ryder and Owen.

Palmer "Chip" Jenkins, Jr. has served as the superintendent of Grand Teton National Park and the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway since December 2020. He has more than 34 years of experience working in and leading national parks, most recently serving as the superintendent of Mount Rainer National Park. Jenkins has also served as superintendent of North Cascades National Park, superintendent of Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, acting superintendent of Yosemite National Park, and as a deputy regional director and acting regional director. He also worked as a natural resources specialist with the NPS’ Denver Service Center, the agency’s central planning, design and construction management office. He began his career as a seasonal ranger at North Cascades National Park.

Jenkins graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara with a bachelor’s degree in geography and environmental studies. He is a graduate of the Department of the Interior Senior Executive Service Development Program and received the Department of the Interior Superior Service award.

Hanna Berglund is an Account Director with Miles Partnership. With more than 8 years of experience in tourism marketing, she has worked a multi-channel approach to leverage city and state DMO marketing programs on behalf of their industry partners. From print visitor guides to programmatic media buying, she works with teams across Miles to ensure visitors are informed and inspired to visit our amazing client destinations. When not working with her clients, she finds every opportunity to get outside to go skiing, biking and hiking in the Colorado mountains.

Darren Rudloff is an experienced and inventive tourism leader with a wealth of experience in all aspects of destination marketing and management. Before starting Rudloff Solutions, Rudloff was CEO at Visit Cheyenne for 22 years and before that, worked in the Texas Tourism Office.

Barbara Anne Greene is a part time reporter at the Big Horn County Newspapers. In her "off" time she is the president of the Basin Area/South Big Horn County Chamber, and was just appointed by the Governor to the State Parks and Cultural Resources Commission. Since the chamber has no paid staff it is run exclusively by the board. Prior to working for the newspapers she was the director of Big Horn County Economic Development. While in that position she was instrumental in a large retail store coming to Greybull, assisting a company in securing railroad access & creating a guide to recreational opportunities in Big Horn County.
Through the chamber she spearheaded Wyoming Best coming to the county, writing Wyoming Business Council and SLIB grants, hosting Wyoming Office of Tourism film crews and site visits, and being on the committees that created the annual events in Basin, Greybull and Worland. She has also sat on the boards of the Greybull and Worland Chambers. She also created the FB page Wyoming Staycation, which encouraged Wyoming residents to spend time and money at the many travel related businesses that were impacted by travel restrictions due to Covid.
She is a graduate of Leadership Big Horn County 2 .
Barbara Anne wears many hats including an animal rescue (Felines and Friends of Wyoming), a board member for the Wyoming LifeLIne, Big Horn County Fire District 2, Big Horn County Libraries, Camp Bethel, South Big Horn County Senior Center and an American Legion Auxiliary Member, and serves as the Big Horn County Co-chair of the Big Horn County Outdoor Recreation Collaborative.

Bria is a career graphic designer, professional contemporary painter and Managing Creative Director at Madden. With a degree and experience in both marketing and design, she has found a passion around creating art with a purpose and using data to inform that creative conversation. Bria has been a Wyoming transplant for 13 years and continues to find inspiration through her love for the outdoors, as well as an ever-present enjoyment of travel. She is also a founding member of the WY/ART Coalition, advocating for more exhibition opportunities for western artists.

Seth Chalmers is an entrepreneur and digital strategist based in Los Angeles, California. With interests spanning from urban gardening to robotics to restoring vintage cars, Seth brings a unique perspective to interactive projects. For more than 10 years, Seth has been leading design and development projects in the hospitality, finance, arts and retail sectors – most recently becoming the Managing Media Director for a tourism-focused agency. His focus on agile project management and extensive concept planning has contributed to his success as an independent user experience consultant and team leader.

Shawn Parker has served as the Executive Director of Sheridan County Travel & Tourism since 2015. A former journalist and a reformed Canadian, Shawn fell in love with the rugged beauty of the Bighorn Mountains on his first visit, and decided that he would move to Sheridan as soon as he discovered what country Wyoming was located in. Shawn's office has found success with experiential storytelling, innovative partnerships, and hair-brained schemes, like the Sheridan WYO Winter Rodeo.

Originally from Nashville, Tennessee, Scott moved to Wyoming in 2019 to join Visit Laramie as the Executive Director. During his time there, he has rebuilt many aspects of the organization, including the marketing plan, the team, and the award-winning rebrand and website that launched in 2021. In his role, Scott is responsible for all things related to the promotion of travel and tourism in the Laramie area, and he has led the team to produce record breaking numbers for both revenue and visitation during his tenure.
Prior to joining Visit Laramie, Scott worked in sales and marketing in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, serving as the digital marketing and content manager for the Steamboat Springs Chamber and Visit Steamboat Springs. While there, he led the launch of their new website while assisting with their rebrand. He is a data driven marketer with a passion for creating innovative strategies and solutions. At Visit Laramie, Scott leads a group of young, talented, and dynamic individuals with a team first mentality who strive to use tourism as an economic driver to support small, local businesses in the community while balancing growth with sustainability.

Kermit C. Brown was raised in Casper, Wyoming, graduated from the University of Wyoming in 1965 with a degree in animal husbandry, and in 1966 with a degree in business administration. He spent four years in the U.S. Navy attaining the rank of lieutenant before returning to UW. He graduated from the College of Law in 1973, practiced law in Wheatland for two years and in Rawlins for seventeen years before moving his law practice to Laramie in 1966. He is the senior partner in Brown & Hiser, LLC, where his practice is concentrated in business, agricultural law and estate planning. He is a commercial pilot and was a flight instructor for many years.
He was President of the Wyoming State Bar for the years 1994-95. He is one of the founders of Wyoming State Bank with branches in Wyoming, Nebraska and Colorado where he is a director of both the bank and the holding company, First Wyoming BanCorporation. He served six terms in the Wyoming House of Representatives, serving as Majority Floor Leader in the 2013-2014 session and as Speaker of the House in the 2015-2016 session. In 2017, he was appointed by Governor Mead to a six-year term on the University of Wyoming Board of Trustees, and in 2019 he was elected Treasurer of the Board. He has been married to his wife Margaret for 55 years.

JoAnn Skeim-True spent twenty years working in the oil and gas ndustry. She graduated from the University of Wyoming with a BS in geology and an MBA. She recently transitioned out of the industry full-time and works currently as a geologic consultant and has other business interests. Although she has been fortunate to work in the oil and gas industry, she also sees the need for the state to diversify away from being completely dependent on the minerals industries for jobs and for state and local revenues.

She and her husband, Shane, live in Casper, and their six children, son-in-law, and daughter-in-law are all privileged to live in this great state! She is passionate about serving her community and sits on several boards – in Casper and statewide.

John Jonson was born in Warrensburg, Missouri and grew up in Casper, Wyoming. He graduated from Natrona County High School and Attended Casper College. At age 21 He bought his first business ..... a Daylight Donut shop in downtown Casper. This was the beginning of Johnson Restaurant Group which today owns and operates thirteen full service casual dining restaurants, one QSR restaurant and three retail liquor stores. The brands include both franchise and independent restaurants including Old Chicago Pizza and Taproom, FireRock Steakhouse, Wyoming Ale Works, J's Pub and Grill and Fuzzy's Taco Shop. These restaurants operate in four states and employ over 1000 people. He actively participates in the WLRA and is on the board of the Wyoming Office of Tourism. He and Shawna enjoy giving back to the many charities in their home town and he will tell you that "Wyoming has been a great place to build a business." In his spare time John enjoys golfing, traveling and spending time with his wife Shawna and their two standard poodles.

Rosie Berger has more than twenty years of experience in public service and government, serving in senior-level leadership positions in the Wyoming State Legislature, Council of State Governments, National Conference of State Legislatures, and the Congressional Conference on Civic Education. She served seven terms in the Wyoming House of Representatives as a member of the senior leadership team, serving as Majority Leader 2014-16. During her tenure in the Wyoming State Legislature, Berger championed economic development and education initiatives that benefitted Wyoming’s landowners, workers and families. Since leaving the legislature, Rosie has served on the Wyoming Judicial Nominating Commission, and the Economically Needed Diversity Options for Wyoming (ENDOW) Council.

Berger served six years on the Wyoming Parks and Cultural Resources Commission as well as on numerous local civic boards, including the Sheridan Chamber of Commerce, Dog and Cat Shelter, Sheridan Arts Council and WYO Theater, and the Wyoming Film Division Task Force, Wyoming Women’s Foundation, and Wyoming Women’s Legislative Caucus – which she founded in 2008. She spent decades working as a travel consultant and travel business owner, along with various business management, film location and event coordination positions. Rosie spends time as a facilitator and trainer for NICD (National Institute for Civil Discourse) and Leadership Wyoming. She currently serves on the Brinton Museum National Advisory Council, Healthier Democracies Advisory Council and the board of Climb Wyoming.

Dave Freudenthal is an American attorney, economist, and politician who served at the 31st Governor of Wyoming from 2003 to 2011. Freudenthal previously was the United States Attorney for the District of Wyoming from 1994 to 2001. Dave Freudenthal was born in Thermopolis, Wyoming, the seventh of eight children; he grew up on a farm north of town. He graduated in 1973 from Amherst College in Amherst, Massachusetts, with a bachelor’s degree in economics. Freudenthal received his J.D. degree from the University of Wyoming College of Law in 1980 and went into private practice. Freudenthal is married to Nancy Freudenthal and they have four children.