Kara Franker is a lawyer and an executive in the tourism industry. She is the Chief Executive Officer of Visit Estes Park, a destination marketing and management organization located at the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. She formerly served as the Senior Vice President of Marketing & Communications for Visit Lauderdale. An advocate for leadership in the tourism industry, Kara serves on the board of delegates for the U.S. Travel Association, sits on the advisory board for Simpleview, and serves on Destination International’s CDME Board. She obtained an executive certificate in artificial intelligence and business strategy from MIT and published several white papers about AI. Kara is recognized as one of the 2024 Top Women in Travel and Hospitality honorees. A seasoned professional journalist, Kara has been featured as a travel expert for national media outlets like Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, Travel Channel, Southern Living and more. Additionally, she has served as Editor-in-Chief of several luxury lifestyle print magazines in the Palm Beach, Aspen and Miami markets for Modern Luxury Media. A licensed attorney in the state of Florida, Kara earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Denver and started her career as a criminal prosecutor in Miami. She obtained her Bachelor of Science in journalism and strategic communications from the University of Kansas while spending three seasons as an NFL Cheerleader for the Kansas City Chiefs.