Speakers

Josiah Brown is the founder of the New York’s Best Experiences brand and campaign. For over 20 years Josiah has been involved in the work to win first-time visitors to New York State and then trade them around the state’s 11 beautiful vacation regions. This work has earned him the nickname of the “New York Sherpa”.  He won that badge from traveling over 850,000 miles by car extensively across New York State and 47 states of America. Josiah is a Former Chair of the New York State Tourism Industry Association, serving on that board for 7 years...

Glenn Clark of Crafting A Brand helps TPAs, tourism marketers and destinations capture the attention and imaginations of consumers through dynamic photography, cinematic video, engaging travel guides, and powerful visual brands. Prior to launching Crafting A Brand in 2018, Glenn founded Clark CSM Marketing Communications (2003), a full-service advertising agency serving TPAs and tourism marketers, and worked as a designer and a creative director at agencies in Boston, Syracuse and Rochester, NY...About Glenn's Session.

Bridget Cerrone is deeply passionate about the tourism industry. With decades of experience and a talented team of creative colleagues at Advance Media NY, she brings dedication, innovation, and a sense of fun to all her partnerships. Over the past 10 years, Bridget has collaborated with numerous DMOs and TPAs as an active member of NYSTIA, and she continues to work with many clients across the country....About Bridget's Session.

In his role as Senior Vice President, Marketing at Empire State Development, Rich is responsible for oversight of the I LOVE NY tourism program as well as all New York State business development marketing.  Having joined ESD in 2019, Rich helped navigate the team through the COVID-19 related tourism industry downturn and its post-pandemic recovery efforts...About Rich

Ross Levi joined New York State’s economic development agency in 2012 as Vice President of Marketing Initiatives and became Executive Director of Tourism in 2017. He leads I LOVE NY's tourism promotion and sales efforts, coordinates initiatives to bolster tourism industry partners across the state, and works closely with New York State Tourism Advisory Council. He was instrumental in launching and developing several new tourism programs, including: I LOVE NY's Path Through History, LGBTQ, Black and Accessible tourism segment programs; the Governor’s Tourism Summits, Adirondack and Catskill Challenges; tourism workforce job fairs; and the Tourism Return to Work and Meet in New York COVID-19 recovery grants...About Ross

Sara Meaney possesses nearly 30 years of experience leading strategy and solving organizational challenges to her work as Managing Partner of national strategic consulting firm, Coraggio Group, and sister company, Wayfinder. Most recently Sara served as Secretary of Tourism for the State of Wisconsin...About Sara's Session.

Seth Orozco is a data-driven marketer with a passion for travel and connecting brands with the right audience. He graduated with honors from Missouri State University earning his MBA with a concentration in marketing and finishing in the top 10% of MBA students nationwide. He established the first non-for-profit sports marketing organization in Kansas City, Show Me Sports Marketing. Seth has over 10 years of marketing experience with various brands such as the St. Louis Cardinals, Live!, and Rosewood Hotels. About Seth's Session

A seasoned tourism executive with more than 40 years of experience in the industry, Don Welshhas held positions with almost every sector within the travel and tourism industry. He currently serves as the President and CEO of Destinations International, the global trade association for convention and visitors bureaus and tourism boards... About Don