The Empire State Tourism Conference, February 8-10, 2010, Wolf Road Marriott, Albany NY sponsored by the New York State Travel & Tourism Association (NYSTVA) "The Tourism Value Proposition"

SOME OF OUR PRESENTERS:

Natasha Alexenko (Food Events: If You Serve It, They Will Come), was born in West Islip, moved as a child to Canada, and returned to Islip where she was appointed director of the Long Island Maritime Museum in 2009. In between, she attended undergraduate and graduate school and worked with NASCAR in Florida coordinating special events. In the severe wildfire season of 1998, she helped convert the track for the Pepsi 400 into a firefighter’s staging area, for which she received a presidential commendation. She later joined the staff of the Mariners’ Museum in Newport News, where she served as Project Manager for the retrieval of the turret of the Civil War-era USS Monitor; on-going duties included publicity for a diversity of exhibits and events.

Angela Berti (Private-Public Partnerships), is the Marketing and Public Affairs Coordinator for the State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, Western District. She is responsible for marketing all State Parks in the Niagara, Allegany and Genesee Region, including liaising with private sector partners. Prior to working at OPRHP, Angela was Director of Special Events and Protocol at Buffalo State College, Vice President of Government and Public Affairs at the Niagara USA Chamber of Commerce, Chief of Staff for Assemblywoman Francine Delmonte and Legislative Director for Assemblyman Robin Schimminger. Angela holds a B.A. in journalism from the SUNY College at Buffalo and a Masters in Organizational Leadership from Medaille College. She received accreditation from the Public Relations Society of America in 2009.

Fred Bonn (Tourism Roundtable) grew up in Tompkins County and has the great fortune to promote and be involved in the economic development of the community that means so much to him. Appointed Director of the Ithaca / Tompkins County Convention and Visitors Bureau, a division of the Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce, in June of 2004, Bonn leads a team of seven professionals. Bonn serves as president of the New York State Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus; he is a board member of the New York State Hospitality and Tourism Association, the Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance and the Ithaca Downtown Alliance. A graduate of SUNY Fredonia with a BA in English and a Minor in Anthropology, Fred lives in Trumansburg with his wife Nancy and two sons, Mason and Logan.

Joseph Bonura, Jr., (The Challenges and Rewards of Tourism Infrastructure Development), is the managing partner of Poughkeepsie Waterfront Development, LLC and the Grandview/Shadows on the Hudson restaurant and banquet complex in Poughkeepsie, He and his family also own the Poughkeepsie Grand Hotel. His company will soon break ground on a multi-use development along the Hudson River shoreline in partnership with the City of Poughkeepsie. He is a graduate the University of Virginia's business school.

John Cassidy (Print Prevails), father of three starving boys and one understanding wife, has been a part of the newspaper industry for more than 39 years. He is proud to be working for the Hartford Courant, the oldest continuously published newspaper in the United States and the second largest newspaper in New England. Its website attracts 1.8 million unique users. John has worked in nearly every facet of the newspaper business from writing, editing, delivery, lay-out, wrapping fish with it, and today, advertising sales. A National Award winner for creative newspaper campaigns, he started at the Waterbury Republican-American, spent 11 years at the Boston Herald, and progressed to working with General Motors, AT&T, Disney and all tourism destinations from Canada to the Caribbean and beyond.

Tom Connors (You are Your Photography), co-founder of Ad Workshop, Lake Placid, brings 30 years of marketing experience to clients such as Ski Doo, Kinney Drugs, the Adirondack Regional Tourism Council and Cooperstown/Otsego County Tourism. Putting his Boston College business education to work immediately upon graduation, Tom has developed an expertise and talent for broadcast production and media planning.

The Honorable Steve Englebright (Capstone Luncheon Speaker) is Chairman of the NYS Assembly Committee on Tourism, Arts and Sports Development. The Setauket resident represents the 4th Assembly District on the north shore of Long Island. His career in public service began in 1983 when he was elected to the Suffolk County Legislature. He entered the Assembly in 1992. His work as an elected official reflects his interest in education, the environment, including water quality, and the state’s policy approach to aging. Trained as a geologist and biologist, Assemblyman Englebright spent his early working years as Curator of Geologic Collections at SUNY at Stony Brook. He later became founding director of the Museum of Long Island Natural Sciences.

Dmitry Feld (Food Events: If You Serve It They Will Come) is Marketing Manager of USA Luge, based in Lake Placid. He will be leaving for the Olympic Games in Vancouver shortly after he finishes speaking at the Tourism Conference. He is also a founder of the Lake Placid I Love Barbecue Festival, going into its 5th year this July. He is responsible for sponsorships and promotion.

Dean Gitter (The Challenges and Rewards of Tourism Infrastructure Development) is the managing member of the Belleayre Resort at Catskill Park and has been a resident of the Central Catskills for nearly 40 years. He is a graduate of Harvard (BA) and the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration (MBA). Over a 40-year entrepreneurial career, he has been involved with pioneering ventures in the arts and new products development: he was a founder of Synectics, Inc., a Cambridge consulting firm; developer of The Orson Welles Cinema Complex (Cambridge MA) and the Prince Building (Boston Waterfront; founder of WTZA-TV (Kingston, NY); a founder of the Genesis Project (New York); builder of Rudi’s Restaurant and a founder of the Big Indian Spring Water Company (Big Indian, NY); and is a principal in the Emerson Resort & Spa, Mt. Tremper. He has served on the Planning Board of Shandaken, as chairman of the Route 28 Corridor Committee, executive director of the Catskill Planning Alliance and as a member of the negotiating team responsible for the Catskill Coalition’s part in the New York City Watershed Agreement.

Christopher N. Iversen, (The Challenges and Rewards of Tourism Infrastructure Development) representing the third generation of Iversens in the building trade, is the principal of Chrisanntha, Inc., a residential construction and real estate development company based in Gorham, NY. His projects include the Geneva Lakefront Hotel (Ramada Inn), the Geneva Hampton Inn and the Steamboat Landing Restaurant and Banquet Center, with lakefront facilities serving the Paddlewheel Cruise Boat, Canandaigua. Chris holds an MS in construction management from Stanford University and a BS in civil engineering from Cornell University. He served 17 years on the Board of the Ontario County Industrial Development Agency, including two years as chairman.

Diane Kinnicutt (Tourism Roundtable) is Matching Funds Program Director with the State Division of Tourism.

Valerie Knoblauch, (Tourism Roundtable) has been President of the Finger Lakes Visitors Connection in Ontario County for 26 years. She is currently President of the NYS Tourism Promotion Agency Council and in the past has held positions with the NYS Travel and Vacation Association and as a Board member of the U.S. Travel Association, located in Washington DC. She has received the I Love NY Individual Achievement Award and has been recognized with two Travel Industry Association Destiny Awards for innovative marketing and outreach. Valerie is a graduate of the State University College at Oswego and holds an MBA from Rochester Institute of Technology. Travel, photography, culinary interests and bicycling are some of her hobbies; but she claims that her greatest achievement is “being the mother of three fine young men.” Valerie lives in Canandaigua, NY with her husband, Kurt.

James Larson (Tourism Roundtable) has served as the Legislative Analyst for the Assembly Standing Committee on Tourism, Parks, Arts, and Sports Development for the past three years. Jim has been with the Assembly since 2002, and before that, with the Legislative Bill Drafting Commission and LRS. Prior to state service, Jim worked in a variety of positions in the hotel and restaurant industry.

Joe Mahota (The Costs and Benefits of Green Facilities) is the principal of Mahota Associates, an architectural design and construction management firm in Loudonville. Last year his firm was nationally recognized for the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum Certified Barton Mines Headquarters in Glens Falls. At the time of completion, the Barton headquarters was the first LEED Platinum project recorded outside NYC and only the second LEED Platinum historic project in the state. Mr. Mahota has lectured and written a number of articles on the topic of green buildings and their effect on businesses. He is an adjunct professor at Onondaga Community College.

Carmella R. Mantello (Private-Public Partnerships) serves as Director of the New York State Canal Corporation, where she manages the operation, maintenance and promotion of the state’s Canal System. Previously, Ms. Mantello served as Executive Director of the Hudson River Valley Greenway Communities Council, Executive Director of the Greenway Conservancy for the Hudson River Valley, Inc., and Director of the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area. In these roles, Ms. Mantello worked with local government, state agencies and the private sector. Ms. Mantello’s public service also included Assistant Secretary of State with the Department of State’s Office of Local Government and Community Services. She also worked twelve years as Legislative Director to New York State Senator Nicholas A. Spano and eight years as a Troy City Council member.

Greg Marshall (Private-Public Partnerships) a native Rochesterian, is senior vice president and director of marketing for VisitRochester. His organization is responsible for attracting business and leisure visitors and for projecting a positive global image. Greg serves on the board of directors and executive committee of the Association of Travel Marketing Executives, and is active in the United States Travel Association and Destination Marketing Association International. Regionally, Greg has served on several boards of directors including Seaway Trail Inc., and the Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance. He is a founding member of Canal New York Marketing and Business Alliance and currently serves on its board of directors and chairs its Tourism Marketing Committee. Greg and his wife Cheryl have one daughter.

Robert Mescavage (You are Your Photography) has been a photographer for nearly 20 years, putting subjects in a “whole new light.” His location and studio photography has garnered him an international reputation. Projects include corporate collateral and marketing materials, consumer and trade advertising and publication assignments. A graduate of the Art Institute of Philadelphia, Bob lives in Central New York, next to his 1,600 square-foot studio.

Ursula E. Morgan (Food Events: If You Serve It, They Will Come), is Director of Public Programs for Locust Grove, the Samuel Morse Historic Site in Poughkeepsie. She is responsible for all aspects of program management including concerts, lectures, workshops, holiday festivals, historical re-enactments, and athletic events. Sunset Sensations food and wine pairings are her brainchild and are held monthly during the warmer half of the year when the tastings often take place in the gardens overlooking the Hudson River. Ms. Morgan has also been Director of Communications for the Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum as well as Executive Director of the Barrett Art Center/Dutchess County Art Association.

Doug Motel (SEO Clinic) is the founder of Site Optimized, an online marketing firm specializing in search engine optimization, search engine marketing, viral marketing programs, social networking, online community building, public relations and other internet marketing services. Site Optimized also designs and builds websites, successfully providing dynamic and static web presence for clients ranging from small businesses to top Hollywood brands. Mr. Motel maintains a client base in New York City, where he started his career, but lives and works in the Hudson Valley.

Ed Muhl (Tourism Roundtable) is Tourism Operations Manager with the State Division of Tourism.

Dr. William J. Pammer, Jr. (Shaping the Destination Product, Parts I and II) is Associate Professor of Public Management in the Department of Public Management at John Jay College in Manhattan. Prior to this appointment, he served as Commissioner of Planning for Sullivan County from 2004 to 2009, where he and his department worked with communities to create Sullivan 2020, a “toolbox” outlining planning and zoning goals and methodologies for encouraging economic development, protecting open space and water, balancing housing needs and anticipating infrastructure growth. Dr. Pammer was a Fulbright Scholar (2003-2004) with the U.S. State Department, collaborating with US AID on nation building in Eastern Europe. Dr. Pammer received his Ph.D. in political science from the University of Oklahoma and has published extensively on local planning issues, economic development and strategic planning.

Erika Perez (Print Prevails, Marketing Director for Free Community Papers of New York, has been in the free paper industry for over 10 years. She began her career as a sales professional for The Mid-York Weekly in Utica and 7 years later accepted the position of Marketing Director for FCPNY in Syracuse. FCPNY represents publishers of free distribution shopping guides, newspapers and periodicals throughout New York State. Perez lives in Hamilton with her husband Alex.

Anne Rast, (You Are Your Photography) Senior Art Director at Ad Workshop in Lake Placid, was born and raised in upstate New York. Graduating Summa Cum Laude from Villanova University in 1990, she went on to receive her MFA in illustration from the Savannah College of Art and Design. Anne joined Ad Workshop nearly a decade ago and has been a driving force in concept development, art direction, and execution of award-winning agency creative. Anne has been awarded numerous Addys for her print and out of home work.

Joseph Stabb (Social Media Makes MY Head Hurt) is the Director of Emerging Media for ABC Creative Group, Syracuse. A speaker, trainer, and digital and social media expert, Mr. Stabb has designed college-level courses on digital marketing communications, including, Social Media Marketing Communications, Using Multimedia on the Internet, Monitoring & Measurement, and The Web of the Future. Stabb is also a part-time professor for SUNY Buffalo State College, where he teaches courses in digital marketing communications.

Susan Swiatkowski (Private-Public Partnerships), is a lifelong resident of Niagara Falls, NY. She has served as the Sales and Marketing Manager at the Hard Rock Cafe – Niagara Falls since 2007. She manages live music events, marketing and PR, new business initiatives and all group sales activities. She was instrumental in securing and producing the Hard Rock at the Falls outdoor concert series, which attracted thousands of visitors and to the newly-refurbished Falls Street West End Venue in Downtown Niagara Falls. Prior to joining the Hard Rock, Susan held positions at the Buffalo Museum of Science, Niagara University, and as an on-air personality at local radio stations.

Martin Tully (Print Prevails) formed Tully Media Inc. and created the Canadian Media Connection (CMC) in 1991. CMC represents publications such as Maxim Magazine, Canadian Geographic, Legion and The Globe and Mail from offices in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. His career led to improvements to the bottom line of many other well-known national and regional Canadian publications. He was also vice president of national sales for the Radio Bureau of Canada and prior to forming Tully Media, he served as Assistant Sales Manager of Quebecor Dailies.