Whitney Smith is the Director of Marketing + Communications at Tourism Cares, where she helps lead industry engagement around sustainable tourism and meaningful travel. With more than 10 years of experience in travel and hospitality, Whitney previously served in marketing positions at Explore Asheville and for a local attraction in Asheville, North Carolina, where she currently resides. Outside of work, Whitney enjoys wading rivers and hiking the trails near her home with her family and two dogs

As Digital Edge’s Director of Content Strategy, Kerrie Yancey, a certified Digital Marketing Professional, crafts smart, engaging content strategies that connect with destination organizations’ audiences while staying true to their brand voice. She blends market research, creative collaboration and sharp copywriting to shape compelling stories that resonate with meeting planners. With a knack for balancing data-driven insights and storytelling, she has been a driving force behind many successful B2B campaigns.

Airon Whitt is the Director of Strategic Learning Experiences at Destinations International, where she leads the design and delivery of educational programming across the organization’s in-person events, ensuring content reflects industry trends and advances member professional development.

She brings more than 15 years of experience in tourism, hospitality, and global education. Airon began her career in Hawaii with leading hotel brands in operations and sales before serving in the U.S. Peace Corps in Costa Rica, where she worked on community-wide economic development and consulting projects with hotels and restaurants. She later designed and led experiential education and travel programs for teens and young adults and served as the lead for international staff training with Global Leadership Adventures, while also supporting outreach, marketing, and branding initiatives.

With more than 20 years of strategic marketing experience throughout Arizona, Lori Pappas is the marketing and media relations vice president for Discover Flagstaff, an accredited destination marketing organization.

As a graduate of Northern Arizona University, Pappas is a marketing professional with a track record of achievement in media and branding disciplines, advertising, communications and public relations. She has worked in a wide variety of professional capacities in both private and public sectors, and now civic with the City of Flagstaff. All enterprises have provided her opportunities to develop award-winning strategic programs throughout her career.

Professional, civic and social responsibilities include service with Destinations International, Northern Arizona Council of Government, multiple terms as a Flagstaff Tourism Commissioner, served as a Big Brothers Big Sisters board member, and has earned CDME accreditation from Destinations International.

Travis oversees Association sales for Visit Corpus Christi, the destination’s largest meetings segment. With 15 years of experience in the industry and a degree in Recreation, Park, and Tourism Sciences from Texas A&M University, he specializes in securing high-value association events that elevate Corpus Christi’s presence in the meetings market and deliver lasting economic benefits to the community. Travis is dedicated to positioning the destination for long-term success through his commitment to driving economic impact and business to the Gulf Coast.