Joe D’Alessandro has served as President and CEO of the San Francisco Travel Association since July 2006. In more than a decade of his leadership, San Francisco has seen visitation grow by nearly 30%, has cemented its reputation as a must-visit global destination, and has embraced a motivated, forward-thinking outlook on its future. Major accomplishments of which Joe has been an influential part include successfully bidding for and hosting Super Bowl 50, which generated a positive economic impact of $137 million; launching the Moscone Expansion project, to be completed in 2018, which will add 500,000 square feet of exhibition space to one of the most in-demand convention centers in the nation; and the development of San Francisco’s Tourism Improvement District, which created a unique and sustainable funding structure that has become a national model for tourism promotion. He also helmed San Francisco Travel’s Centennial Project, which rebranded and refocused the organization, charting an ambitious course for its next 100 years.

Angie Briggs is vice president of industry relations for the U.S. Travel Association. She is focused on engagement and growth across all member levels of the association. Briggs is a frequent traveler, spending time in-market collaborating with U.S. Travel’s national membership. Briggs has spent most of her career in the travel and tourism industry. Prior to joining U.S. Travel, Angie served as vice president, new business development at Miles Partnership. As a member of the leadership team, Briggs helped drive the agency’s strategy and growth. She established a strong track record of collaboration and identifying business opportunities to support national, state, regional and local destination marketing organizations, as well as hotels, airports, attractions and businesses in the international marketplace. Previously, Briggs was vice president, business development of marketing agency TIG Global. During her time at TIG Global, Briggs launched a new destination marketing organization (DMO) division at the agency, and was responsible for building brand awareness, leading the product development process, developing business plans and training staff members for DMO-specific accounts. Briggs received a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication from North Carolina State University.

David Jefferys is the Executive Director of the LGBT Meeting Professionals Association (LGBT MPA) and President of Altus Agency, a Philadelphia-based Marketing Firm. His awardwinning advertising campaign for the city of Philadelphia, “Get Your History Straight”, earned him the number one spot in the destination marketing world. Not satisfied with the lack of organized representation of the LGBT community in the meetings industry, he founded LGBT MPA in 2016. When he isn’t working on LGBT MPA’s growth, he is sailing the Chesapeake Bay. David lives in Philadelphia with his husband Ron.

Terry Dale was named President, CEO of the U.S. Tour Operators Association, in January, 2011.  A well-known and respected travel industry leader, Dale has had a distinguished career, most recently as President & CEO of Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) since 2003. His previous positions include five years with NYC & Company – The NYC Convention and Visitors Bureau– where he was Executive Vice President; and ten years as President & CEO of the Greater Providence Convention and Visitors Bureau, as well as President of the New England Society of Convention and Visitor’s Bureaus.  Dale has also served on the Board of Directors of the US Travel Association, HSMAI, and Visit Florida.  He has been a course instructor and Grossinger Lecturer at NYU Tisch Center for Hospitality, and served as a Distinguished Lecturer at Johnson & Wales. Among Dale’s responsibilities at USTOA are developing the association’s strategic marketing initiatives, managing the association’s government advocacy on issues affecting tour operators, and working with other leaders and decision makers in the travel industry to identify mutual challenges and opportunities.  Dale also serves as a key ambassador and spokesperson for USTOA.  He holds the distinction of being the third president in USTOA’s 45 year history.

With three decades of tourism expertise in marketing, executive leadership, and strategic business development, Richard’s passion for cultural experiences, art, museums, music, history and all things
food are not only a business focus, but a personal one as well. He is the President & CEO of the U.S. Cultural & Heritage Marketing Council – and Publisher of The Cultural Traveler – headquartered in San
Francisco. Most recently, Richard has collaborated with global clientele within the tourism, museum and destination marketing arenas – facilitating product launches and signature initiatives throughout North America and key international markets. This is complemented by his ongoing engagements with leading industry organizations such as: Brand USA, California Travel Association, New York State Travel Industry Association, IGLTA, American Alliance of Museums, AIANTA, WTTC, and U.S. Travel Association. His career is complemented by senior leadership contributions within the Los Angeles Tourism Bureau, Hilton Hotels Corporation, the Greater Fort Lauderdale CVB, the California Academy of Sciences and Santa Monica Travel & Tourism.

Hillary L. Schieve was elected as Reno’s Mayor on November 4, 2014. She was sworn in on November 12, 2014, as the 28th Mayor of the City of Reno. Prior to being elected Mayor, Hillary was elected as At-Large Reno City Council Member on November 6, 2012, and was sworn into office on November 14, 2012.

Hillary brings to the Council her entrepreneurial experience as an employer and local business owner, as well as her out-of-the-box thinking which helped her businesses prosper during the economic downturn. Hillary is the owner and operator of three businesses in the City of Reno. She wants to use her business knowledge to help eliminate bureaucratic red tape and spur job creation.

In September 2017, Mayor Schieve was selected as Chair of the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) Standing Committee on Tourism, Arts, Parks, Entertainment, and Sports (TAPES). She is the first woman to Chair the committee in more than 25 years. Another national and local issue the Mayor is passionate about is mental health and addiction; as such, she hosted a community conversation on the topic in October 2017.

Alia is the Co-Founder and COO. From a very young age, Alia J. Daniels has been captivated with the entertainment industry. Determined to make an impact, Alia equipped herself with bachelor’s degrees in Music and Communications Studies with a Mass Media emphasis, and a Juris Doctorate from Loyola Law School. As a business and entertainment attorney, Alia has not only represented clients in the digital entertainment and tech space, but is a featured speaker on legal and business issues in the digital entertainment arena. Since 2015, Alia has been consistently named to the prestigious Southern California Rising Stars list by Super Lawyers for five years in a row. Today, Alia has found her niche at the intersection of entrepreneurship, digital media and law as Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer for Revry, a global queer digital media network where she oversees the content and marketing departments, as well as executive produces several podcasts. She is the Co-Festival Director for QueerX, the first queer music, film and industry festival dedicated to highlighting short form content made by and for the global LGBTQ+ community. Her dedication to inclusion within the Queer and Allied community is a cornerstone of Alia’s personal mission to create avenues for authentic representation in media.

Since 2010, Thomas Bömkes is Managing Director of Diversity Tourism GmbH, Munich, Germany. A consulting and marketing agency, specialized in LGBT and Medical Tourism worldwide. Offering strategic development, creative marketing solutions and MICE business activities
for tourism suppliers. Since 2010, Thomas is also the ITB Berlin advisor for LGBT Tourism and since 2016, he is also in charge of the development of the Medical
Tourism Segment at ITB Berlin. His company operates the online travel guide TomOnTour.com and other websites for Medical and LGBT Tourism. After graduating at Munich’s University with a Masters degree in economics in 1996, Thomas worked as a marketing consultant since then in different positions.
He has been a member of the board of directors of the International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA) from 1999 – 2009.

Billy Kolber is the founder of HospitableMe, the global leader in LGBTQ+ strategy and training for tourism and hospitality. He co-founded OUT&ABOUT, the first gay/lesbian travel magazine in the US, and ManAboutWorld, one of the first mobile-only magazines of any kind. He and his team provide learning and training around issues of sexuality and gender diversity, empowering destinations and brands to provide authentic, welcoming service to diverse travelers, and more personalized service to everyone. Billy traveled and sang around the world with the Yale Whiffenpoofs and has visited 71 countries, but still lives in New York City, where he was born.