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Celebrating Tourism Careers
Organizations are continuing to fill their open positions, members are expanding their horizons by taking on new roles, and others are saying “bon voyage” as they announce their well-earned retirements. Join us in celebrating members’ successes and wishing them luck on their new adventures!
Read on to see who’s going where, plus check out the latest open positions in our industry.
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Chuck Davison, President & CEO, Visit SLO CAL
Chuck Davison has resigned from his role as President and CEO of Visit SLO CAL. After nearly nine years of dedicated service for the organization, he and his family have decided it is time for their next chapter. The Visit SLO CAL team extends their deepest gratitude to Chuck for his pivotal role in shaping Visit SLO CAL into the thriving organization it is today. Chuck is looking forward to taking a step back to recharge and refresh before diving into his next adventure. In the meantime, he has generously agreed to serve out his term as Chair of the CalTravel Board of Directors as an independent member, for which we are extremely grateful. Chuck’s leadership has significantly helped elevate CalTravel, and we’re excited to continue working him on our FY 25-27 Strategic Plan and FY 25 Business Plan.
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Cathy Cartier, Interim President & CEO, Visit SLO CAL
Cathy Cartier, Visit SLO CAL’s Chief Marketing Officer, has assumed the role of Interm President and CEO for the organization. Visit SLO CAL believes Cathy's extensive experience, unwavering dedication, leadership, and vision make her an ideal candidate to lead the organization into its next chapter and propel it to new heights. Cathy said she feels privileged to collaborate with an extraordinary team of talented individuals who share a deep commitment to telling the story of SLO CAL. Together, they will continue to showcase the unique charm and beauty of the region, captivating visitors and residents alike.
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Andrew Leary, Principal, Travel & Tourism Practice, Coraggio Group
Coraggio Group has announced that Andrew Leary will join the firm as Principal, Travel and Tourism Practice. Prior to joining Coraggio Group, Andrew served as Director of Sustainable Tourism and Partnerships at Leave No Trace, establishing the destination stewardship practice as the most well-known responsible visitor education organization in the country. In his new role, he will apply his seasoned insight and business experience to assess and understand client challenges and implement effective change. Alongside other firm consultants, he will develop innovative approaches that help clients re-think, re-explore, and re-imagine what’s possible for their organizations. Andrew is excited to harness his passion for sustainability, inclusion, accessibility, and community resiliency to support and empower the firm’s destination clients.
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Charlie Littlejohns, Vice President of Sales, Tourism, Adara – a RateGain Company
Adara, A RateGain Company, has hired Charlie Littlejohns as its new Vice President of Sales, Tourism focusing heavily on California. Charlie joins the growing Adara sales team after over nine years at Madden Media where he progressed through several different roles, most recently as Director of Destination Strategy. Before his role at Madden, he worked in London for Associated Newspapers, which included the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday, and MailOnline as part of their portfolio. In his new role, he’ll be focusing primarily on working with current and new clients to showcase the value of the data at Adara’s fingertips and how destinations can best use it to drive ROI.
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Whitney Chaney, Director of Community Engagement & Advocacy, Visit SLO CAL
Visit SLO CAL has hired Whitney Chaney as its new Director of Community Engagement and Advocacy. She joins the Visit SLO CAL team after six years with Downtown SLO, where she most recently served as Program Manager, overseeing the Thursday Night Farmers’ Market program and establishing relationships with local businesses and organizations, market vendors, and key district and local officials. In her new role, Whitney will serve as the champion for Visit SLO CAL’s destination management initiatives, including the management and coordination of the Destination Management Strategy (DMS). She’ll focus on influencing the development and delivery of public policy and planning initiatives that support economic development through tourism and enhance quality of life in San Luis Obispo County.
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Devin McConnell, Sustainability & Public Affairs Manager, Visit California
Devin McConnell has joined Visit California as its Sustainability and Public Affairs Manager. Prior to joining Visit California, Devin was the Sustainability and Climate Initiatives Manager at Sonoma County Tourism, where he worked to identify and highlight Sonoma County’s existing sustainable practices and advance sustainability and climate action within the local hospitality industry. In his new role, Devin will be tasked with promoting the relevance of California’s tourism industry and the development of new sustainable travel and destination management programs to ensure the longevity and preservation of the tourism industry, as well as California’s vital economic, environmental, and cultural resources.
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Clara Tsang, Vice President, Public Relations & Communications, Visit Huntington Beach
Visit Huntington Beach (VHB) has hired Clara Tsang as its Vice President of Public Relations and Communications. She joins the VHB team with over thirteen years of global strategic communications experience in tourism and hospitality, including positions at the Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board and the Citadel Outlets where she led communications and public relations efforts to drive visitation and business. She most recently worked as the Public Information Officer at the City of San Gabriel. VHB’s three-year strategic plan outlines initiatives to drive global brand awareness, and Clara’s experience leading public relations campaigns domestically and internationally will allow VHB to successfully connect with target audiences.
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Barbara Hillman, President & CEO, Visit Berkeley
Barbara Hillman has announced her retirement as President and CEO of Visit Berkeley and the Berkeley Film Office, effective July 1. A native of the East Bay, Barbara has led Visit Berkeley since the organization was founded in 1992. Under her leadership, Visit Berkeley has been successful in promoting the city’s status as a world-class destination, and Berkeley’s economy and reputation is strong thanks to her dedication to the community. She leaves Visit Berkeley in great hands with a dynamic, dedicated, and enthusiastic team. In her retirement announcement, Barbara said her 32 years at the organization have brought her much joy and meaningful friendships. She looks forward to kicking off her shoes, enjoying her mountain home, and spending time with her grandchildren.
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Jessica Blotter, CEO & Co-Founder, Kind Traveler
Jessica Blotter is the CEO and Co-Founder of Kind Traveler, the first responsible travel platform that empowers travelers to positively impact the communities they visit through a partnership network of 350+ hotels, charities, and destinations in 25 countries. With the 2023 launch of the “Every Stay Gives Back” program, Kind Traveler took its mission a step further by ensuring every guest stay funds local charities with participating hotel and destination partners. Kind Traveler's goals are purposefully aligned with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals: preventing poverty and hunger, protecting the planet, reducing inequality, and promoting wellbeing for individuals and animals.
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Nicole Bordges, Co-Founder, Wanderlust Content Studio
Nicole Bordges is the Co-founder of Wanderlust Content Studio, as well as a partner and VP of Tourism for Kind Traveler. Wanderlust Content Studio is an award-winning boutique creative agency specializing in visitor publications and content creation for destinations and brands. As a full-service publishing agency, it manages editorial and art direction, leads advertising sales, consults on distribution, and provides a print-to-digital creative suite for clients to use on their owned channels, including website, social, and other visitor-facing avenues. Its work is recognized by the The Content Council and HSMAI for most effective travel publications and print advertising solutions.
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Yuliana Gonzalez, Executive Director, Visit Camarillo
Yuliana Gonzalez is Executive Director at Visit Camarillo. Also known as the Camarillo Hotel & Tourism Association, Visit Camarillo is a Tourism Marketing District that allows local lodging businesses to promote tourism in an effort to increase overnight stays. Funded by a self-assessment, the Association is comprised of community leaders passionate about promoting and enhancing the lodging industry and Camarillo community. Named for its founding family of ranchers, Camarillo is steeped in small-town charm and rich agricultural history. It’s located just an hour north of Los Angeles along Highway 101.
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Yvonne Hendrix, Executive Director, Southern Humboldt Chamber of Commerce
Yvonne Hendrix is the Executive Director at Southern Humboldt Chamber of Commerce, an organization committed to meeting the needs of the community, with a dual concern for business and for quality of life. The Chamber’s mission is to enhance quality of life and the environment by promoting tourism and assisting local businesses to expand and prosper. It also functions as an advocate for Southern Humboldt at the county, state and federal Levels. It serves businesses in the region by connecting them to area residents, visitors, and other businesses—supporting and enhancing both a vibrant local economy and healthy community.
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Tina Riley, Corporate Director of Public Affairs, Wincome Hospitality
Tina Riley is the Corporate Director of Public Affairs for Wincome Hospitality and the Director of Sales and Marketing for The Anaheim Hotel. Wincome Hospitality is a division of Wincome USA, a privately-owned real estate investment, development, and management firm based in Anaheim. With nearly 40 years in the industry, the company is committed to elevating experiences through its core values: customer service, true partnerships with team members, and deep connections to the communities in which they do business. Wincome Hospitality’s portfolio includes hotel and office properties in Anaheim and Costa Mesa, and previously included assets in Texas and other regions of California.
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Know someone looking for a fresh start? Check out our Tourism Career Opportunities page! This job board serves to connect employers with talented, qualified travel and tourism professionals looking for new opportunities to succeed.
Is your organization hiring? If so, please send us your open positions! We will help you get the word out to our ever-growing network of travel and tourism leaders across the state, at no cost to members. To submit an open position, please reach out to gabriella@caltravel.org.
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If you know about about any retirements, promotions, new hires, or other career moves, or if you have any news of your own, please let us know for an upcoming newsletter. Please send news to me at tricia@caltravel.org.
Thank you,
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Tricia Yanez
Director of Operations
tricia@caltravel.org
408-904-8474
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