Speakers

Chris Boggs has been leading SEO and Digital Marketing teams since the early 2000's, and brings a wealth of experience navigating the evolving Google landscape to produce client results across industries. Chris drives improved performance with ongoing strategy and content marketing, and implementing modern PR techniques to boost Brand authority. Chris is passionate about helping clients deliver the content that people are seeking, while keeping up-to-date with the latest changes in search engine algorithms to deliver always-current best practice SEO. About Chris' session.

‘Chez’ Chesak is an award-winning adventure travel writer, 30 year veteran of the outdoor industry, Executive Director of the Outdoor Writers Association of America and President-Elect of The Society of American Travel Writers' Central States Chapter. His works have appeared in The Los Angeles Times, Fodors.com, Good Housekeeping, Rachel Ray Every Day, Ohio magazine, Cincinnati magazine, Rails-to-Trails, Family Vacation Critic, and dozens more outdoor/adventure publications and websites... About Chez's session.

Kelly Ann Curtin has been in the tourism, sales, meeting & event industry for over 30 years. As part of the leadership team at New York City Tourism + Conventions, her current role includes oversight of the organization’s membership growth, retention, and programs in addition to the destination services strategy. Further responsibilities include working with New York City Tourism + Convention’s Board and various committees of the membership and as well as leading the fundraising for the New York City Tourism + Conventions Foundation. Curtin became a Certified Meeting Planner in 2002 and serves on several industry Boards including: the Javits Center Customer Advisory Board, the Broadway Association, Big Apple Greeter, the Live Events Coalition and is the Immediate Past Chair of the New York State Tourism Industry Association.

Sally has over 15 years of experience developing data strategies and conducting data analysis services for domestic and international marketing and data science teams. Sally has managed several Destination Insights platform implementations for many of our clients across New York State. She also manages relationships with our data partners including Azira, AirDNA, Visa, and others.... About Sally's session.

Mark Dorr currently serves as the President of the New York State Hospitality & Tourism Association (NYSH&TA), a not-for-profit trade organization representing 1,000-member businesses and individuals in the lodging, promotion and amusements industry. The Association’s mission is to lead and protect the state’s tourism industry by providing advocacy, education and resources. Prior to his role as NYSH&TA President, Mark served as the Association’s Vice President was an editor and publisher for several award-winning publications in the Northeast... About Mark's session.

Sara Emmert is Senior Director of Tourism Policy and Operations in the New York State Division of Tourism at Empire State Development, New York’s economic development agency, where she oversees tourism policy, program development, and interagency and operational efforts. While at I LOVE NY, Sara has managed several segment tourism initiatives including Path Through History and I LOVE NY LGBTQ. She also oversees Accessible NY, which she helped develop and launch in July 2020, to help travelers with accessibility needs plan a New York State getaway...About Sara's session.

As president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, Geoff Freeman is the leading advocate for the $1.1 trillion U.S. travel and hospitality industry.

In his role as Senior Vice President, Marketing at Empire State Development, Rich Gagliano is responsible for oversight of the I LOVE NY tourism program as well as all New York State business development marketing. Having joined ESD over 4 years ago, Rich brings with him over 20 years of marketing experience from the advertising agency side. With stops at global agencies including Grey, Ogilvy and Publicis, Rich has led marketing efforts for brands including IBM, JPMorgan Chase, Volvo, Abbott, M&M/Mars and Dos Equis. He holds a BS from SUNY Albany in Business Administration and Marketing/Communications. About Rich's Session

Maddie Gionet is the Director of Marketing for the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. As director, Maddie oversees the agency’s marketing program, developing informative and engaging integrated campaigns to drive tourism to parks and historic sites across the state, as well as position New York as a recreation destination. Her responsibilities also include management of the agency’s brand strategy, partnerships, and large-scale events and activations. About Madeleine's session.

Chad Hendricks has 10 years of employment recruiting and immigration experience. His goal is for you to hear an idea that you have never heard before to give you an advantage over your competition, and that can be a tough job in regards to finding employees. By looking at the big picture and making connections that didn't exist before, unique solutions to problems can be found.. About Chad's session.

In addition to being a co-owner of her family's seventh generation farm and winery, Suzanne Hunt is also Vice President for Public Policy for Generate Upcycle, PBC which finances, builds, owns, and operates sustainable infrastructure projects in North America and Europe. At the winery Suzanne has spearheaded a multitude of sustainability and climate resilience efforts – including energy efficiency, geothermal heating/cooling, solar PV, micro-wind, soil health, carbon sequestration, sustainable building materials, waste reduction, wildlife habitat, and advocacy. In 2020, Hunt County Vineyards was the first winery to receive the New York Wine & Grape Foundation's Sustainability Award... About Suzanne's session.

Danae Jones-Persip is Senior Manager of Travel Trade and Programs for the New York State Division of Tourism at Empire State Development, New York’s economic development agency. Danae is responsible for the strategy, logistics and management of international press and trade familiarization tours; the implementation and alignment of international public relations strategies; and the support and industry coordination of consumer and trade travel shows. She oversees the I LOVE NY Black travel initiative and the administration of the Brand USA - New York State marketing partnership...About Danae's session.

David comes to us with 20 years of tourism and hospitality experience, while most recently working in the gaming industry. You may know David from his previous role at the Finger Lakes Visitors Connection (Visit Finger Lakes) and through his involvement with NYSTIA... About David's session.

Ross D. Levi is the Executive Director of the New York State Division of Tourism and a Vice President at ESD, New York’s economic development agency. Ross leads I LOVE NY's tourism promotion and industry efforts to grow visitation across the state and position New York as a premier global destination. Ross joined ESD in 2012 as Vice President of Marketing Initiatives and became Executive Director of Tourism in 2017. He has been instrumental in launching and developing several new tourism efforts, including I LOVE NY LGBTQ and I LOVE NY’s Black tourism initiative, Path Through History, Accessible New York, the Governor’s Tourism Summits, Adirondack and Catskill Challenges, tourism workforce job fairs, and the Tourism Return to Work and Meet in New York COVID-19 recovery grants...About Ross' Session.

Seth Orozco is a data-driven marketer with a passion for travel and connecting brands with the right audience. He graduated with honors from Missouri State University earning his MBA with a concentration in marketing and finishing in the top 10% of MBA students nationwide. He established the first non-for-profit sports marketing organization in Kansas City, Show Me Sports Marketing. Seth has over 10 years of marketing experience with various brands such as the St. Louis Cardinals, Live!, and Rosewood Hotels...About Seth's Session.

Lisa Pellegrino works on waste reduction and client services for the Center for EcoTechnology. She has 20+ years’ experience working for nonprofits, and over 10 years’ experience working on sustainability. Lisa is an alum of the University of Rhode Island, AmeriCorps, the Southface Energy Institute, and got her MBA in Sustainable Systems specializing in sustainable food & agriculture. In her spare time plays music at her local farmers markets in the Hudson Valley of New York, and leads a new band called Soil & Soul... About Lisa's session.

Mayor Bob Restaino was born and raised right in Niagara Falls. After graduating from Niagara Catholic and studying history and political science at NCCC and Niagara University for undergraduate studies, Bob completed law school at UB. From the beginning, Bob always intended to stay and practice law in his hometown. After admission, he developed his legal practice based on a philosophy of honesty and hard work. Together with his wife, Diana, Bob embarked on a successful legal and judicial career in Niagara and Erie counties while raising his growing family...About Mayor Restaino

David Reichbach is a highly regarded information privacy attorney who received his JD from the University of San Francisco. David oversees the analysis, retention, and security of data collected in Future Partners’ diverse research programs. With his BS in Engineering, Mathematics and Statistics from the University of California, Berkeley, David brings his specialization and skills to Future Partners quantitative work, particularly in segmentation analysis and economic modeling. David is a frequent speaker on tourism insights at travel industry events and enjoys exploring the complexity of dark chocolate and red wine... About David's session.

Matt Rocha is the Travel & Tourism Account Executive at Aki Technologies. He supports destinations all over the East Coast with their hyper-targeted digital media campaigns that reach consumers at peak moments of receptivity. From strategy, planning, and creative development, all the way through activation and measurement, Rocha and his team at Aki are here to help! As a Long Island native, Rocha loves exploring new destinations in NY so he can inspire others to book their next trip to the best state in the US. In addition to AI and digital media, Rocha loves trying new foods and beers from around the world... About Matt's session.

Janette Roush is the Executive Vice President, Marketing and Digital, for New York City Tourism + Conventions, New York City’s official destination marketing organization. She oversees the organization’s paid media strategy, digital initiatives and media insights to raise the profile of NYC and to inspire visitation to the five boroughs. She is also responsible for the organization’s domestic and international promotional campaigns, B2B marketing for the travel trade and business event planners, partnerships, and promotional strategy for campaigns like NYC Restaurant Week and NYC Broadway Week... About Janette's session.

With over 20 years of experience in marketing and data analysis, James brings a combination of both client-side and agency-side experience to solve business challenges. James co-founded Rove combining his passion for tourism with data and analysis. Seeing a need for DMOs to better harness their data, Rove set out to offer world-leading BI technology and data solutions at rates all DMOs can afford... About James' session.

Erica Schneider is the Policy & Planning Manager for Parks & Trails New York. Erica's work includes advocating for the expansion of New York’s system of parks and greenway trails, developing promotional resources to connect visitors with the best trail travel experience, and managing programs to guide communities through the steps to maximize the benefits of the outdoor recreation economy. As a planning professional and experienced bike traveler herself, Erica provides a unique perspective when it comes to using trail tourism as a driver of sustainable economic development for New York’s vibrant trailside communities... About Erica's session.

Maria Sheetz is the Senior Director of Media Solutions at Amadeus Hospitality. She works to support DMOs and state tourism offices in the United States and Canada with Amadeus' offerings including research data and media solutions to drive growth to the destination through digital marketing. Prior to Amadeus, she worked as a Senior Director, Partner Development at Brand USA. In that capacity Maria managed the relationships with tourism boards, DMOs, hotels and attractions to deliver international marketing programs helping drive inbound international travel to many US destinations. Earlier in her career, Maria held previous leadership roles in marketing, sales and strategic partnerships at Choice Hotels International. Maria is also an active member with Destinations International serving on both their Marketing and Communications Committee and their Partner Advisory Council...About Maria's session.

David Contreras Turley is the Director of Industry Relations for the New York State Division of Tourism at Empire State Development, New York’s Economic Development Agency. David serves as I LOVE NY's liaison to the state's tourism promotion agencies, destination marketing organizations and travel industry partners. He also manages the I LOVE NY LGBTQ program. Prior to joining ESD, David was the Director of Constituency Affairs for the New York State Executive Chamber, where he led the governor’s community affairs division and outreach. Previously, David worked for the Human Rights Campaign—the nation’s largest LGBTQ civil rights group—where he managed efforts to pass marriage equality laws in New York, Rhode Island and Maryland...About David's session.

Brendan Woodruff currently serves as the Director of Sustainability at DEC where he focuses on lowering the environmental footprint of State government operations through providing resources and assistance to State agencies to meet their sustainability requirements, creating green purchasing policies, and engaging employees on how they can be part of the solution... About Brendan's session.

Penny Peters is a member of the Akwesasne Mohawk Nation, and Akwesasne Travel Manager for the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe. Penny has been an integral part of the establishment of Akwesasne Travel and furthering the development of the tourism industry in Akwesasne. Penny is currently working to promote Akwesasne Travel through marketing, partnerships and awareness of indigenous culture.... About Penny's session.