The Division’s Deputy Director assists the Director
in the overall management of the Division. The Deputy Director
directly oversees the Advertising Program Area, Sales and
Marketing Bureau, Outdoor and Leisure Industries Development,
Sports / Golf Marketing Development, Hometown Mississippi
Retirement, Division Grant Programs and Heritage Cultural
/Community Development.
MEETINGS AND CONVENTIONS OFFICE develops, implements
and maintains activities that promote the State as a destination
for meetings and conventions to state, regional and national
meeting planners; participates in industry marketplaces
and tradeshows; assists local tourism entities in coordinating
strategic plans for promoting their products; and produces
a statewide Meeting Planners Guide and the Mississippi
Associations Meetings Directory.
Chris R. Bounds, CMP
Program Manager
cbounds@mississippi.org
· Meeting/Convention Bids/Recruitment
· Industry liaison
· Meeting Planner Specialist, "How to's"
· Tradeshow development
· Certified Meeting Professional
· Magazine articles on Meetings
· Meeting Planner FAM Tours
Christine Magee
Associate Manager
cmagee@mississippi.org
. Assistant to Chris Bounds
· Convention locations and resorts
· Meeting inquiries
· Convention service requests
· Tracking Reports
· Meeting Planner Guide requests
· Mississippi Association Meeting Directory
requests
DOMESTIC GROUP TRADE OFFICE coordinates a statewide
marketing program for promoting Mississippi as a leisure
vacation destination to the domestic travel trade industry
(tour operators, travel agents and group leaders). This
office develops and produces comprehensive statewide collateral
materials to assist in marketing strategies. Staff participates
in industry tradeshows and marketplaces as well as coordinates
and escorts familiarization tours for industry professionals.
This office also compiles data and research information
in tracking industry trends and group travel business
to Mississippi and provides leads reports to local tourism
entities.
Rhonda Williams, CTP, CTIS
Program Manager
rwilliams@mississippi.org
· Oversee Domestic Trade Sales and Marketing
Programs
· Research trends
. Tourism Development
· Industry Marketplaces and Tradeshows
· Group Tour Requests
· FAM Tours
· Special Projects
Sharon Robinson
CTIS,TMP
Associate Manager
sorobinson@mississippi.org
· Assist Program Manager
· Manage Certified Mississippi Travel Professional
Program (CMTP)
· Mississippi Certified Travel Professional
Newsletter editor
· Provide monthly trade leads report and Welcome
Centers Motorcoach Report to
Mississippi Group Travel Industry
· Attend Industry Marketplaces and tradeshows
· FAM Tours
INTERNATIONAL TRADE OFFICE develops,
coordinates and maintains activities that promote Mississippi
as a destination for international travelers/visitors;
creates international awareness by participating in international
marketplaces and tradeshows; and hosting international
travel trade and travel press on familiarization tours.
This office coordinates and oversees Mississippi’s
international tourism contract offices in England and
Germany and oversees the marketing activities in Canada.
Staff works with local tourism entities to assist them
in their international marketing strategies and to further
define and develop their tourism product for the international
market. Staff develops tracking methods and compiles information
regarding international visitation.
Kristen McCaskill
Program Manager
kmccaskill@mississippi.org
· Tourism in England, Germany, Canada, The Netherlands,
Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, France, Norway, Sweden
· Questions pertaining to travel overseas or
out of the U.S.
· Deep South USA Program
· Assist strategies to define and develop tourism
product for international market
· Tracking methods and compile information regarding
international visitation
Sales and Marketing
Assist in:
· International Markets
· In all Sales and Marketing areas
· Tracking methods and compile information
regarding international visitation
SPORTS/GOLF MARKETING OFFICE designs,
develops, implements and maintains activities that encourage
utilization of and visitation to Mississippi’s sports
venues and golf courses along with other vacation attractions
in the State. This office creates national and international
awareness of Mississippi as a sports events destination
and golf vacation destination by attending tradeshows
and marketplaces and by hosting sports, golf tour wholesalers
and travel writers on site visits. The office also oversees
Mississippi’s golf contract representation in Canada.
Janet Leach, TMP
Program Manager
jleach@mississippi.org
. Travel Marketing Professional
. Golf marketing program
. Trends in golf travel
. Consumer golf shows
. Golf travel writers and tour operators
. Inventory of golf courses and new golf course development
. “Golf Mississippi Guide”
. Golf tournament activities
. Golf public relations and marketing firms
Connie Cossar
Associate Manager
Sales and Marketing
ccossar@misissippi.org
Assists with:
. Golf marketing program
. Trends in golf travel
. Consumer golf shows
. Golf travel writers and tour operators
. Inventory of golf courses and new golf course development
. “Golf Mississippi Guide”
. Golf tournament activities
. Golf public relations and marketing firms
HOMETOWN MISSISSIPPI RETIREMENT OFFICE
implements and maintains activities to promote Mississippi
as a retirement haven to pre-retirees and retirees throughout
America. This office assists Mississippi certified retirement
communities in their preparations to market themselves
as retirement locations and to develop hometowns that
retirees would find attractive. Staff provides on-going
oversight and guidance of the program and marketing trends,
develops the States advertising and public relations campaigns
for the market, attends retirement related tradeshows,
and coordinates the Hometown Mississippi Getaway site
visit program. The Program also offers match-grant funding
to assist Certified Hometown Mississippi Retirement communities
with advertising funding.
Diana O'Toole, TMP
Program Manager
dotoole@mississippi.org
· Program and market trends
· Develop advertising/public relations campaigns
for retirement market
· Retirement Tradeshows
· Hometown Mississippi Getaway site visit program
· Match-grant funding for adverising Certified
Hometown Mississippi Retirement
Kathryn Wortman
Support
kwortman@mississippi.org
OUTDOOR AND LEISURE INDUSTRIES DEVELOPMENT OFFICE
develops, implements, and maintains activities that encourage
development and utilization of Mississippi's outdoor resources;
creates national awareness of Mississippi as a destination
for outdoor recreation and nature tourism by hosting journalists,
and television and other media representatives, who in
turn write or produce stories/programs on Mississippi;
assists local developers and gaming officials to further
define and develop destination resorts; and assists in
maximizing secondary development appropriate to the gaming
industry investment.
Michael Jones
Program Manager
mjones@mississippi.org
· Outdoor activities (hunting, fishing, and camping,
etc.)
· Assist local developers and gaming officials
in developing destination resorts
· Gaming Industry questions
. Recruitment and assistance to outdoor travel writers
Ann Curry
Associate Manager
acurry@mississippi.org
· State Parks, Hiking, Biking, Camping, facilities
inventory
. Commercial or public providers or services
· Hunting and Fishing Licenses
. Site visit coordinator for outdoor travel writers
HERITAGE/CULTURAL AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
works with local organizations to enhance their area as
a tourism destination and define their heritage/cultural
tourism product. Staff works to facilitate community efforts
to develop, and promote local tourism.
Alex T. Thomas, TMP
Program Manager
athomas@mississippi.org
. Develop programs to promote statewide heritage
and culture
. Assist communities in the identification and promotion
of heritage and cultural events and properties
. FAM Tours
MATCH GRANT OFFICE coordinates, manages
and administers the MDA’s Tourism and Hometown Mississippi
Retirement match-grant programs.
Renee Ebner, Ph.D., TMP
Program Manager
rebner@mississippi.org
· Tourism Marketing Match Grants
· Tribal - State Compact Grants
. Hometown Mississippi Retirement Matching Grants
Kathryn Wortman
Support
kwortman@mississippi.org
WELCOME CENTER BUREAU reports to the
Deputy Director and manages the state's twelve Welcome
Centers; provides information to traveling motorist; collects
demographic data for visitor profiles; makes lodging reservations;
and assists communities in promoting area attractions
and events. Main bureau operations are conducted in the
Jackson office. Each Welcome Center across the state has
a Supervisor and staff responsible for the day-to-day
activities.
Tonya Neely
Bureau Manager
tneely@mississippi.org
· Maintain daily operations and oversight of
government regulations.
Karen Matlock
Associate Manager
kmatlock@mississippi.org
· Procure approval
. Daily operations
