FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    

Media Contact:
Caitlyn Blizzard
[email protected]
1.202.835.4202

ST LOUIS, MO (July 25, 2019) – Destinations International announced that 31 industry leaders received their Certified Destination Management Executive (CDME) designation at Annual Convention which takes place July 23-25 in St. Louis, MO.

“Congratulations to those who have earned their CDME credential, the tourism industry's highest individual achievement." said Don Welsh, President and CEO of Destinations International. “These leaders have invested in their education and are now equipped with the knowledge needed to adapt to and manage the increasing change and competition facing our industry.”

“The communities that we serve can’t afford to stand still, and neither can we as destination leaders,” said Maura Gast, Executive Director of the Irving Convention and Visitors Bureau and CDME Board Chair. “The CDME program pushes us to ‘think beyond our mandate and act beyond our tenure’ and to see our roles in our communities’ viability as something much bigger, and something much more integral to the community fabric.”

The CDME program is the only integrated executive program specifically designed for destination management professionals and is the tourism industry’s highest individual educational achievement. The program is designed to prepare experienced destination organization professionals to leverage their experience and to apply their knowledge with a focus on vision, leadership, productivity and implementing business strategies.

2019 CDME recipients include:

• Cara J. Allen, CDME, Central States Media
• Susan Amey, CDME, Discover Durham
• Lori Campbell Baker, CDME, Daytona Beach Area Convention & Visitors Bureau
• Fran Belasco, CDME, The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel
• Robert Bibeault, CDME, Beverly Hills Conference & Visitors Bureau
• Caitlyn Blizzard, CDME, Destinations International
• Michael Bonoffski, CDME, Cabarrus County Convention & Visitors Bureau
• Nick Breedlove, CDME, Jackson County Tourism Development Authority
• Lynn Bruni-Perkins, CDME, San Francisco Travel Association
• Jason Cutshaw, CDME, Visit South Walton
• Chuck Davison, CDME, Visit SLO CAL
• Brandy Evans, CDME, Shreveport-Bossier Convention & Tourist Bureau
• Julie L. Gilbert, CDME, Destination Niagara USA
• Shelley Grollmuss, CDME, Travel Alberta
• Brenda Hill, CDME, VisitPITTSBURGH
• Lisa M. Konupka, CDME, Tunica Convention & Visitors Bureau
• Shanna Landry, CDME, Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana Convention & Visitors Bureau
• Anastasia Martin-Stilwell, CDME, Travel Alberta
• Lisa Mayo, CDME, Visit Tuolumne County
• Michael Novakovich, CDME, Visit Tri-Cities
• Rhanee Palma, CDME, Visit Oakland
• Nick Povalitis, CDME, Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau
• Ron Price, CDME, Arlington Convention & Visitors Bureau
• Melaine Rottkamp, CDME, Dutchess Tourism, Inc.
• Dr. Annette M. Rummel, CDME, Michigan’s Great Lakes Bay Regional Convention & Visitors Bureau
• Minto Schneider, CDME, Waterloo Regional Tourism Marketing Corporation
• Cameron D. Spence, CDME, Travel Alberta
• Jennifer M. Vacek, CDME, CASE, VisitPITTSBURGH
• James Walter, CDME, Visit Cheyenne
• Renee Williams, CDME, Edmonton Tourism
• Eric Zartler, CDME, Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana Convention & Visitors Bureau

For more information about CDME or Destinations International, visit www.destinationsinternational.org.

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About Destinations International:

Destinations International (formerly Destination Marketing Association International) is the world’s largest resource for official destination organizations, convention and visitors bureaus (CVBs) and tourism boards. Destinations International is about serving destination marketing professionals first and foremost. Together with more than 4,700 members and partners from nearly 600 destinations in approximately 15 countries, Destinations International represents a powerful forward-thinking, collaborative association; exchanging bold ideas, connecting innovative people and elevating tourism to its highest potential. For more information, visit www.destinationsinternational.org.