PAMELA C. RICHARDS serves as the commissioner of Tourism for the United States Virgin Islands. Richards is the first woman in the history of the territory to hold this cabinet-level position. She oversees the Department of Tourism’s advertising and marketing plans, its national and international tourism-related efforts and product development.

As a St. Croix native, Richards brings a wealth of firsthand knowledge of the territory to the Department of Tourism, as well as a strong marketing, advertising and public relations background. Since U.S.V.I. Governor Charles W. Turnbull nominated her in January 2001, she has been an active member of the board of directors of the Virgin Islands Port Authority, serving as chairman for four years. Prior to her appointment, she was assistant commissioner of Tourism on St. Croix for two years. Before that, she served as assistant director press secretary of the Office of Public Relations in Governor Alexander Farrelly’s administration, press secretary for Senator David S. Jones, marketing director for Sunshine Mall and office manager for Senate President Lorraine L. Berry.

In October 2004, Richards was elected chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organization. Only the second woman to serve in this prestigious position, she was previously first vice-chair of the organization. She also heads the CTO’s Aviation Committee in addition to active roles in other initiatives. Outside of the Caribbean she serves on the board of directors for the Travel Industry Association of America, a nonprofit organization that represents the common interests of the U.S. travel industry. In May of 2006 Commissioner Richards was presented with the 2006 APEX Award for Distinguished Service presented by Black Meetings & Tourism magazine.

BRENDA SCOTT , who serves as vice president of Sales for the Arlington Convention and Visitors Bureau, leads a team of nine professionals dedicated to marketing Fun Central as the premier family destination and convention location in Texas. She is responsible for overseeing and directing the results-driven convention and tourism sales departments, supervising the exemplary services department and assisting in the creation, development and execution of the annual Marketing Plan. Scott joined the Fun Central team in June 2006.

A 14-year tourism industry veteran, Scott most recently served as the president and CEO of the Mobile Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau. While there, she developed and implemented a comprehensive marketing plan designed to promote and position Mobile as a premier convention and tourism destination. She assumed a leadership role in building and developing the city of Mobile’s infrastructure that will improve the quality of the destination and its amenities and contribute to the quality of life for citizens and experience for visitors.

FRANCES HARRIS SMILEY, CTIS, TMP, a 30 year career Alabama State Employee is the supervisor of the eight Alabama Welcome Centers and serves as the coordinator of the State’s Heritage Tourism Program. She has served as the assistant director of the Alabama Bureau of Tourism and prior to this appointment she served on the Governor's Cabinet for Tourism in the Siegleman Administration. She was responsible for the state's group tour marketing initiatives for 22 years. She is the author of the nation's first Black Heritage Tourism Guide . In 1994, she received the Phoenix Award from the American Society of Travel Writers, a delegate to the Nation's First White House Conference on Travel and Tourism. In August 1997 she received the Nation's first "Trailblazer Pioneer Award for Multicultural Tourism", from the Multicultural Tourism Conference, and the award is henceforth named, "The Frances Smiley Trailblazer Award."

Smiley was recognized by Black Meetings and Tourism magazine as one of the "Most Influential African Americans in Tourism" in the United States in '97-'05. In July of 1999 She was inducted in the Alabama Tourism Hall of Fame and in May 2003 into the West Alabama Tourism Hall of Fame.

RICHARD LEE SNOW currently serves as the executive director/COO of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of an active membership of nearly 120,000 and over 700 subsidiaries (chapters) throughout the United States and abroad.

Snow also oversees the national meetings of the fraternity and, thus, has been affiliated with the National Coalition of Black Meeting Planners since 1998. He has served as Chairman of NCBMP’s membership committee and as a member of the Board of Directors. In November 2004, he was elected as Chairman of the Board. He has been featured both locally and nationally in various print media as well as radio and television. The Philadelphia Tribune has selected him since 1999 as one of Philadelphia’s Most Influential African-Americans and most recently, was named as one of the 25 Most Influential People in the Hospitality and Meetings Industry by Successful Meetings magazine.

Snow’s industry affiliations include the Board of Directors, Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau; Advisory Board, Washington (DC) Conventions & Tourism Authority; Executive Committee, Multicultural Affairs Congress; Board of Directors, Convention Industry Council (CIC); and Host Committee, PCMA Philadelphia National Convention.

ROBERT L. STEELE, III , general manager of the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay, is the 2005 secretary/treasurer of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA), the largest trade association representing the U.S. lodging industry. In 2007, Steele will ascend to the chairmanship as the association’s second African-American chairman.

A 30-year lodging industry veteran, Steele has spent his entire career with Hyatt Hotels Corporation, serving as general manager of the Hyatt Regency Baltimore, Baltimore, Md., Hyatt Regency Washington, Washington, D.C., and Hyatt Fairlakes, Fairfax, Va., prior to his current position.

Steele has served as an active member on numerous committees and boards, including Board of Directors, Baltimore Area Convention & Visitors Association, Board of Directors, Governor's Tourism Development Board, and Board of Directors, Maryland Hotel & Lodging Association, to name a few.

CALVIN TAYLOR is vice president of Government Relations for the Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau. Taylor works closely with state government, city officials and the local hospitality industry in enhancing the development and growth of Memphis tourism. In addition he serves as the bureau's director of the Memphis Tourism Education Foundation, which administers the city's official hospitality tourism training program. Taylor is co-founder of the Beale Street Development Corporation, the organization that reintroduced the historic district as a tourist destination. He also worked as publicity director at Southland Racing Corporation, the southeast's largest pari-mutuel waging center. Additionally he is a member of the National Coalition of Black Meeting Planners, former member of the Board of Directors for the Tennessee Tourism Roundtable, and former president of the Tennessee Association of Convention and Visitors Bureau.

ALBERT TUCKER serves as vice president of Multicultural Business Development for the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau. In this role, Tucker’s primary responsibility is to develop partnerships and alliances with community, civic and business leaders of Broward County and work together collectively to attract a larger number of multicultural conventions, family reunions and meetings to Greater Fort Lauderdale.

Representing the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau, Tucker serves on the International Trade and Tourism Committee, which oversees the Import/Export and Trade, programs for Broward County. Tucker, a graduate of Leadership Broward Class XVIII, served on the Executive Board of 100 Black men of Greater Fort Lauderdale and has been appointed by the Governor to chair the state’s Multicultural Committee for VISIT FLORIDA, overseeing a $14.5 million marketing budget. Additionally, Tucker serves on Meeting Professionals International’s (MPI) International Multicultural Initiative committee, where he is directly involved in the development of the standards for international hospitality community relative to people of color. He was recently voted to serve on the Board of the Urban league of Broward County.

REBE PITTMAN WALKER has approximately 30 years of experience in management and operations. She is the chief executive officer and general manager of the Washington Convention Center Authority. Her responsibilities include day-to-day operations, client and contractor relations and setting the strategic direction for the WCCA. She previously held the role of deputy general manager before her most recent appointment to the post of CEO and GM.

Pittman Walker also spent 12 years at the former convention center serving her last four years there as the director of operations. Prior to returning to the Convention Center, she served as president of the Hotel Association of Washington, D.C.

Her professional career has included serving as vice president for Convention Center Sales for Volume Services America; a political appointment by President Clinton to the United States Department of Agriculture as deputy chief of staff to the Secretary of Agriculture and Acting Assistant Secretary for Administration, as well as serving a tour of duty in the White House Office of Presidential Personnel; and a brief assignment with District of Columbia Mayor Anthony A. Williams, as his chief of staff.

CAROL WALLACE, president & CEO of the San Diego Convention Center Corporation, is responsible for the overall management of the San Diego Convention Center. She oversees a full-time and part-time staff of 530 and an annual budget that exceeds $25 million. On July 1, 2004, the Center became the first convention center responsible for its own sales and marketing efforts. In every major American city, this has previously been the responsibility of the local Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Wallace has more than 25 years experience in the convention and facility management industry.

She currently serves on the board of directors of the International Association for Exhibition Management (IAEM). She is the past president of the International Association of Assembly Managers (IAAM), the world’s largest public assembly facility management association. In 2004, the Charles A. McElravy Award, the highest honor bestowed by IAAM, recognized Wallace for her exceptional leadership and extraordinary career-long accomplishments.

LARRY WALTER has served as vice president, Marketing for the Jacksonville & the Beaches Convention and Visitors Bureau since January, 2002.

In this role, Walter is responsible for establishing and implementing an integrated marketing plan to promote Jacksonville and the Beaches as a major convention, group tour and leisure travel destination. In this position, he guides the achievement of the department’s advertising, promotion, marketing objectives. Additionally, Walter provides leadership and supervision for Partner Development, Super Bowl Housing and Hospitality, and the Visitor Centers.

Walter joined the CVB staff in 1990.