ELLIOTT FERGUSON serves as senior vice president of Convention Sales and Services for the Washington, DC Convention and Tourism Corporation (WCTC). In this position, Ferguson directs and manages the activities of WCTC’s convention sales and services staff as they promote Washington, DC as a premier meeting and convention destination. Ferguson is also charged with developing the corporation’s convention sales strategy and working with local hotel properties to further build business for individual hotels in the metro area. Additionally, he is acting as interim head of the WCTC Membership Department. Prior to joining WCTC in 2001, he served as vice-president of Sales for the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau and as director of sales for the Atlanta and the Savannah Convention & Visitors Bureau.

VALERIE C. FERGUSON, a 25-year veteran of the hospitality industry, serves as regional vice president and managing director , Loews Philadelphia Hotel. Ferguson is the past chairperson of the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AH&LA), where she spearheaded “Opportunity of a Lifetime,” a campaign to promote hospitality careers throughout the United States. She currently serves on the AH&LA Diversity Committee.

Ferguson arrived in Philadelphia in 1998 with a corporate mandate to direct the $115 million conversion of the landmark PSFS Building into the luxury, convention-driven Loews Philadelphia Hotel. She was further charged with leading the property through its high-profile opening in the spring of 2000, into the National Republican Convention and beyond.

Before joining Loews Corporation in 1998, Ferguson served as general manager of the Ritz-Carlton Atlanta and held general manager positions at Hyatt properties in Atlanta, Chicago and Flint, Michigan.

GERRY FERNANDEZ is founder and president of the MultiCultural Foodservice & Hospitality Alliance (MFHA), an educational non-profit organization that promotes the economic benefits of multicultural diversity in the restaurant, foodservice & lodging industry. Under Fernandez' leadership, MFHA has become the industry's main source for multicultural information and is considered one of hospitality's elite organizations.

Fernandez conducts lectures, workshops and strategy sessions for some of America's best-known companies, organizations and brands. An accomplished restaurateur and foodservice professional, Fernandez has received numerous awards including being named one of industry's "Fifty Power Players" by Nation's Restaurant News. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Foodservice Management from Johnson & Wales University where he also received an Honorary Doctorate in Business Administration for his contribution to the industry's diversity efforts.

MONTE FORD is senior vice president and chief information officer at American Airlines. He has broad executive responsibility for the company’s information systems organization, all Internet activities, decision science and operations research. Ford is widely regarded as a leader in the field of information systems and has worked extensively throughout the financial services industry and for technology provider companies.

Previously, Ford was executive vice president and chief information officer at The Associates First Capital Corporation. Ford joined Associates First Capital in 1994 as senior vice president and chief information officer of its consumer sector, progressing to executive vice president and CIO for all company operations. He previously served as senior vice president Technology at the Bank of Boston from 1990 to 1994 and held a number of positions of increasing responsibility at Digital Equipment Corp. from 1982-1990.

DITTIE F. GUISE is currently the chief operating officer of the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia. In this capacity, she is responsible for implementing the Convention Center’s restructuring initiatives and is a member of the team for the $700 million expansion. Project.

Since taking office in 2004, Guise has made sweeping changes to restart the region’s most important economic engine, from improving the Convention Center’s marketing and sales efforts, to introducing Five Star Customer Service Training, to building strategic alliances with the media and other hospitality venues. In her short term, Guise has gained a reputation as one of the region’s prominent “Movers and Shakers.”

Guise possesses more than 30 years of senior leadership experience. A comprehensive blend of general management, operations, recruitment, training, marketing, finance, advertising, and public relations, her professional background encompasses virtually every aspect of the hospitality business.

Prior to joining the Pennsylvania Convention Center, she had been heading the SMG-Greater Columbus Convention Center as general manager in Columbus, Ohio.

TANYA HALL serves as executive director of the Philadelphia Multicultural Affairs Congress (MAC), a division of the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau (PCVB), with a mission to increase Philadelphia’s share of the national multicultural convention and tourism market – an industry that attracts more than $1 billion to the City annually.

SARA B. HAMLIN has been in the tourism industry for more than 20 years. She has been vice president of Tourism for the Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau for seven years.

Hamlin is responsible for promoting and booking motor coach business, family reunions, implementation of the tourism division’s marketing plan and budget for the greater Birmingham area. She also supervises the operations of three Birmingham area visitor centers.

Hamlin serves on the Board of the American Bus Association. She’s also on the Board of the Transportation Review Board for the City of Birmingham. Hamlin serves on the Scholarship Foundation Board of the American Bus Association. She is involved in the following organizations: International Association of Convention & Visitor Bureaus, Bank Travel, National Tour Association, YWCA, Ontario Motorcoach Association, African-American Travel Conference and City Stages (a music festival).

CHARLOTTE HAYMORE, serves as both president of TPOC (Travel Professionals of Color), and program director of TPOC’s annual minority travel agents conference.

TPOC is an organization whose focus is on education, training and networking with and for minority travel agency owners, managers, agents and sales staff with a special emphasis on the African-Americans, Hispanics, Asian Americans and Native Americans. Haymore formed TPOC with the help of Betty Jones of CB Jones Travel Service, another minority travel agent also located Denver, Co.

Haymore has 30 years experience in the travel industry, including 25 years as an airline employee and 10 years as a travel agency owner, and is passionate about minority travel businesses being run professionally and providing the very best in customer service.

SOLOMON J. HERBERT is the publisher/Editor-in-Chief of (i)Black Meetings & Tourism(ei) magazine, the multi award-winning international industry trade publication for the African-American meeting planner, travel agent and hospitality/tourism professional. He also serves as executive producer of “Globetrotting,” a travel television series that debuted in April of 2002 on BET on Jazz.

Before creating Black Meetings & Tourism with his business partner and wife Gloria, Herbert was self-employed as a full-time freelance print and photo journalist since 1981. During that period over 800 of his articles appeared in numerous regional, national and international publications.

Herbert currently holds membership in several professional organizations, including the National Coalition of Black Meeting Planners (NCBMP), Meeting Professional International (MPI), Travel Professionals Of Color (TPOC), Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), Africa Travel Association (ATA), Travel and Tourism Marketing Association (TTMA), Black Business Association of Los Angeles (BBA) and Greater Los Angeles African American Chamber of Commerce (GLAAAC). He also sits on the Board of the National Association of Black Hotel Owners, Operators and Developers, and co-sponsors the annual Multicultural Tourism & Hotel Ownership Summit & Trade Show. Additionally, Herbert is a member of the MGM Grand Specialty Markets Advisory Council. Herbert and his wife were the 2002 recipients of the National Coalition of Black Meeting Planner's Minority Business Award and the 2005 recipients of the Regional Black Chamber of Commerce of San Fernando Valley’s Small Business of the Year Award.

WILLIAM A. HOLLAND was named vice president – workforce planning & analysis for Hilton Hotels Corporation in 2000. In this position, Holland is responsible for affirmative action compliance for the corporate office, as well as all regional offices, and company-managed field locations; including analysis of legislation and regulation with EEO/AA ramifications and preparation of comprehensive reports for executive management and coordination of matters involving the OFCCP. Holland also serves as the company’s compliance officer, reporting to the general counsel and the audit committee of the board of directors.

Holland comes to Hilton with more than 20 years of human resources management experience, specializing in employee relations, industrial relations, equal opportunity affairs and workforce diversity. Prior to joining the Hilton family, Holland worked with Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO) as director of workforce diversity & development.