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Celebrating Tourism Careers
Dear members,
Lately, we’ve been seeing a lot of movement among members in the travel and tourism industry. Organizations are beginning 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.
We are lucky to work in such a collaborative industry, and because we know members care about each other, we created this Members on the Move newsletter to share who’s going where, celebrate career successes, and inform you about new opportunities.
Join us in celebrating members’ successes and wishing them luck on their new adventures!
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Dana Higgins, VP of Business Development, Visit Oceanside
Visit Oceanside has promoted Dana Higgins to Vice President of Business Development. Dana has successfully grown the group business department since she joined the team in 2011, and she was instrumental in helping navigate Oceanside’s tourism recovery while dealing with the effects of the pandemic. In her expanded role, Dana will continue to lead the sales department while focusing on product development and strategic partnership opportunities for the popular Southern California beach destination.
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Jane Howard, Executive Director, Visit Gilroy
After 17 years at the helm of Visit Gilroy, Jane Howard has announced she will retire in June. During her tenure, the organization led the development of a city-wide wayfinding sign program, established the Gilroy TBID, and secured space for a Welcome Center at the Gilroy Premium Outlets. When she first took the position in 2005, Jane tasked herself with presenting the city as a year-round destination spot, and its reputation now extends beyond the "Garlic Capital of the World."
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Maggie Ivy, CEO, Visit Santa Cruz County
After 26 years of leading Visit Santa Cruz County as CEO, Maggie Ivy has announced her retirement. Under Maggie’s leadership, the organization’s budget increased by more than 500%, the first TMD was approved, and they underwent a significant rebranding where the “Let’s Cruz” tagline was established. In her retirement, she plans on spending more time with friends and family, traveling, and giving back by getting involved with local nonprofits.
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Tony Karwowski, CEO, North Lakes Tahoe Resort Association
Tony Karwowski has been named Chief Executive Officer of the North Lake Tahoe Resort Association. Tony is a 20-year resident of the North Lake Tahoe region, and has been part of Northstar California Resort’s senior leadership team for the past five years, serving as Director of Base Area Operations. In his new role, Tony will lead the organization as it fosters a thriving local community and encourages responsible travel along with environmental stewardship.
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Michael Martelon, CEO & EVP, Visit Santa Cruz County
Michael Martelon has been named Chief Executive Officer and Executive Vice President of Visit Santa Cruz County. Michael has extensive experience in leading a DMO, including a tenure of nearly 11 years as President & CEO of the Telluride Tourism Board. In his new role, Michael will work with staff to promote visitation to Santa Cruz County to draw overnight travelers to the region through marketing and promotional programs and public relations efforts.
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Jeff Miraglia, Executive Creative Director, JNS Next
JNS Next has hired Jeff Miraglia as Executive Creative Director. A longtime client and friend of the agency, Jeff was most recently employed as Chief Creative Officer at Visit Greater Palm Springs for the last seven years. In his new role, Jeff’s contributions will focus on leading JNS clients in areas of branding, marketing, and design. He will also continue to stay involved in CalTravel, serving as the organization’s volunteer creative director.
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Susan Valen, Director of Sales, Visit Huntington Beach
Visit Huntington Beach has hired Susan Valen as Director of Sales. Susan offers a wide range of experience and expertise in the meetings, events, tourism, and visitor industry. She was previously employed as National Sales Director for the Long Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau. In her new role, Susan will lead the effort to further position Huntington Beach as a top destination for meetings, conventions, and exhibitions to convert more bookings for partners.
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David Attaway, CEO, Placer Valley Tourism
Earlier this month, Placer Valley Tourism CEO David Attaway passed away while on vacation in New Orleans. He was 66 years old. Attaway was hired as Chief Executive Officer in 2010, with more than two decades of experience in the hospitality industry, including senior executive positions at Ceasar's Tahoe and Aladdin Casino in Las Vegas. He was also one of the visionaries and leaders behind the multimillion-dollar transformation of the former Placer County Fairgrounds into @the Grounds in Roseville. He will be greatly missed by the tourism community.
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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 submit an open position, please reach out to talvernaz@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 talvernaz@caltravel.org.
Thanks,
Tricia Alvernaz
Operations Manager
talvernaz@caltravel.org
408.904.8474
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