Marla has been in the hospitality industry for over 30 years, spending her first 9 years in the hotel industry, working everything from Front Desk, to catering and ultimately sales.  In 1994 she joined the Arlington Convention & Visitors Bureau as State Association Sales Manager.  She was promoted to Vice President, and ultimately Executive Vice President, and spent over 10 years in Arlington.

In 2004 Marla had the opportunity to open a brand new bureau in Frisco Texas, and has been in Frisco for the past 13 years.  She was the first employee and had an annual budget of $276,000. Frisco now has 14 employees and a budget of just over $3 million.  During her time in Frisco, Marla has been instrumental in building a strong sales force, establishing a close partnership with the Frisco Economic Development Corporation and the City of Frisco, and the Frisco CVB has achieved the DMAP accreditation through Destinations International. Through this same organization, Marla earned her CDME, Certified Destination Management Executive status. She is also a Certified Tourism Ambassador and achieved the Institute of Organization Management designation through the US Chamber of Commerce.

She is past chair of the Dallas Fort Worth Area Tourism Council and the Texas Association of Convention & Visitor Bureaus, and currently is Vice Chair for the newly rebranded campaign Visit DFW. She also serves locally as Secretary for the Miracle League of Frisco. 

She has been married to Jim for 14 years, and has 2 daughters, Meagan and Madeline.  Marla loves to read, cook and run, and is passionate about the tourism industry.