Speakers

A native of Wyoming, Ryan has also lived in Oregon, Colorado, New Mexico, and now Utah. During his most recent time in Casper, Wyoming he held the title of Director of Sales for Visit Casper. Here he oversaw the direct sales effort for meeting & conventions, group travel, FIT travel and sporting events. Most recently… Continue reading Ryan Hauck, Western Leisure

Christopher Pike is the Director of Impact Studies within Oxford Economics’ Tourism Economics division and is responsible for measuring the economic impact of tourism activity – both broadly and for specific initiatives and projects. With his expertise in economic impact analysis, Chris works on projects from local – the impact of individual events – to… Continue reading Chris Pike, Oxford Economics

Shannon Smith is the Executive Director and CEO of Wyoming Humanities, our state’s affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and one of 55 state and territorial humanities councils in the U.S. Wyoming Humanities was conceived by a group of University of Wyoming faculty and approved by the NEH in 1970 and has… Continue reading Shannon Smith, Wyoming Humanities

Jennifer has a sincere passion for all things hospitality and tourism. After receiving her B.S. in Business Management, B.A. in Psychology and Minor in Sociology from the University of Wyoming, she dove into hotel sales, marketing, revenue management, event management and hotel management-operations. Now currently working with Little America Hotel & Resort, Jennifer specializes in… Continue reading Jennifer Jennings, Little America Hotel & Resort

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 open Wyoming’s second Outback Steakhouse as… Continue reading Chris Brown, WAGAN

An Indiana native, Kelsey went to college at Ball State University, where she graduated from the Honors College with a double major in Travel & Tourism and Video Production. Before moving to Hendersonville in 2015, Kelsey worked at a major airport hotel in her hometown of Indianapolis and held a position at a small visitor’s… Continue reading Kelsey Waite, STR

As Chief Advocacy Officer, Jack Johnson manages the overall public policy operations at Destinations International including member advocacy education and training, development of destination tools and best practices, coalition work with peer organizations, industry research and related public affairs activities. Johnson brings unrivaled experience developing innovative strategies, policy solutions and civic consensus for government, not-for-profits… Continue reading Jack Johnson, Destinations International

A native of the Cowboy State, Diane is the Executive Director for the Wyoming Office of Tourism where she has led the state’s promotional efforts since June 2003. Growing up in Gillette, Diane understands the importance of the travel and tourism industry to Wyoming and has a firm understanding of how to strategically market the… Continue reading Diane Shober, Wyoming Office of Tourism

Kellen Kruse leads AirDNA’s Travel & Tourism practice, advising businesses across the globe on the trends, tax revenue opportunities, and visitor experiences presented by the growth of Airbnb and the broader home-sharing market. His team partners with 250+ DMOs worldwide, from Discover LA to Visit Berlin, helping them explore the impacts of the sharing economy… Continue reading Kellen Kruse, AirDNA

Andrew T. Levine, Chairman, Development Counsellors International (DCI) Andy was introduced to the world of marketing places at birth (his father Ted Levine started DCI in 1960). Since joining the firm in 1991, Andy launched the company into a new era, advancing the quality of client work performed, growing the number of staff and adding… Continue reading Andy Levine, Development Counsellors International

Currently, John T. Peters is Managing Director – Mercantile for Brush Creek Luxury Ranch Collection in Saratoga, Wyoming, one of the top resorts in the US as determined by Conde Nast, Travel+Leisure and USA TODAY. John is also the founder of Mind Mashery, a consultancy firm focused on the travel, hospitality, and travel technology arenas.… Continue reading John Peters, Brush Creek Ranch

A thirty-year veteran of the Travel & Tourism industry, Amir leads the entire team responsible for the development and execution of all facets of the organization from program development to customer acquisition and retention. He joined Longwoods in 2015 from his previous role as Vice President, Partner Engagement with Brand USA, the public-private partnership serving… Continue reading Amir Eylon, Longwoods

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… Continue reading Dan Spears, BMI

Tennessee native Kristin Luna got her feet wet in the travel industry by working in-house at several publishing companies in New York, which included Newsweek, Time Inc., Conde Nast, Bauer Publishing and Wenner Media, before transitioning to a freelance career. She has penned more than a dozen guidebooks for Frommer’s and written cover stories and… Continue reading Kristin Luna, Journalist