Kemp appoints 20 to Georgia Tourism Foundation Board

ATLANTA — Gov. Brian Kemp announced 20 appointments to the Georgia Tourism Foundation on Thursday. The governor highlighted the important role of the Georgia Tourism Foundation Board of Directors during his remarks Wednesday at the 2021 Georgia Governor’s Tourism Conference presented by Explore Georgia, the tourism division of the Georgia Department of Economic Development.

“I’m excited to announce these leaders from various segments of Georgia’s tourism industry who will be focused on directing the development of innovative and entrepreneurial strategies designed to improve Georgia’s position as a destination for travel,” Kemp said in a news release. “Under the leadership of Deputy Commissioner for Tourism Mark Jaronski, this Board of Directors will work as a team with the Georgia Department of Economic Development and our Explore Georgia state tourism office to increase Georgia’s competitiveness and grow the tourism industry back stronger than ever.”

Joseph Akers serves as RaceTrac’s Chief Legal Officer and Secretary, overseeing the company’s legal, risk management, environmental, internal audit, and compliance functions. Akers joined RaceTrac in 2005, and before becoming general counsel in 2012, spent seven years working to protect the company when litigated. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political economy from Tulane University in New Orleans in 1994 and a J.D. from the University of Georgia in 1997.

Jake Carter is the Owner and Operator of Southern Belle Farms. Carter graduated from the University of Georgia in 2003 with a degree in business management. After graduation, he returned to the family farm in McDonough and began transforming the dairy operation into the 330-acre agritourism destination that it is today. In 2019, Kemp appointed Carter to serve as the Tenth Congressional District representative on the Board of Economic Development.

Paul Cramer is president & CEO of The Classic Center, a 350,000-square-foot meeting and convention facility, with a 2,000-plus-seat performing arts theatre, 2,000-seat arena, and 22,000-square-foot outdoor covered pavilion, with a removable ice rink located in Athens. Cramer runs a successful work force development program, which aids those seeking a career in hospitality, including the nonprofit organization Bread for Life. In 2018, he initiated the partnership between Piedmont College, The Classic Center, and The Classic Center Cultural Foundation to create and launch the Hospitality & Tourism Management degree program within the Harry W. Walker School of Business at Piedmont College.

Liz Crisafi is the Global Vice President of Campaign Marketing at IHG Hotels and Resorts, one of the world’s leading hotel companies. She is responsible for marketing their 17 global brands and delivering commercial, loyalty and partnership campaigns to ensure IHG supports the ever-changing needs of their guests and owners. Crisafi has more than 20 years of in-depth global marketing experience and previously held several senior marketing positions at Kimberly-Clark, Ogilvy & Mather, Discovery Communications, and Eastman Kodak.

Brian Davis is Georgia Aquarium’s president and CEO. Davis has more than 25 years of experience in senior leadership roles within zoological and educational institutions. He first joined the Georgia Aquarium team before its founding in 2003 as the Director of Education, later served as the Aquarium’s vice president of education and most recently as executive vice president of operations. Prior to his tenure at Georgia Aquarium, he served as president and CEO of the Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk, where he oversaw the enhancement of the Aquarium’s footprint. Davis graduated from Rutgers University in 1992 with a bachelor of science degree in Environmental Science, later earning both a master’s in education and a Ph.D. in Secondary Science Education at Georgia State University.

Cynde Dickey is the chief financial officer for Dickey Farms Inc, a 3,000-plus-acre peach and timberland farm family-owned since 1897. Since 2016, she has served as a board member on the Georgia Agribusiness Council. In addition to her civic engagement, Dickey is a member of the 1990 class of Leadership Georgia and a member of the Crawford County Farm Bureau. She graduated from the University of Georgia with a bachelor’s in accounting in 1977.

David Friederich is the president of North Georgia’s award-winning Barnsley Resort. Friederich oversees all operations of the 3,000-acre estate, including meetings, weddings, outdoor activities, events, restaurants and catering, 150 guest rooms and suites at the cottages and new inn, and overall guest satisfaction. He has more than 30 years of management experience in the hospitality industry, including six years as general manager of The Cloister Hotel at Sea Island and various senior leadership roles with Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts.

Steve Hallowell is the chief marketing officer at Herschend Family Entertainment, including properties such as Callaway Gardens and Resort, Stone Mountain Park, and Wild Adventures. Prior to joining Herschend, Hallowell was a marketing and sales executive for Eastman Kodak Co. for more than 25 years. He graduated from Rutgers University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics and marketing.

Jay Markwalter serves as Executive Director of the Georgia Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus, the unified voice, education, and leadership development resource for the state’s destination marketing organizations. Prior to becoming the statewide organization’s director in 2018, Markwalter served as director of marketing communications and director of sales with the Augusta CVB. A native of Savannah, Markwalter received a BBA in Marketing from the University of Georgia and has a Travel Marketing Professional designation from the Southeast Tourism Society.

Mark O’Brien is president and CEO of LakePoint Sports, the nation’s premier youth travel sports destination. The sprawling 1,300-acre campus features eight Major League-sized baseball fields, three multi-use fields for soccer, lacrosse, and football, a 170,000-square-foot indoor pavilion with 12 basketball courts that convert to 24 volleyball courts. He has more than two decades of executive leadership for some of the most globally recognizable brands, including Mizuno USA and Mizuno Canada, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, The Original Honey Baked Ham Company, Johnsonville Sausage, and Miller Brewing Company (now MillerCoors).

Atul Patel is the asset manager at Asha Management and has served in this role since 1999. Patel has also served as general contractor for the Real Estate Development Group, building his first new construction project in Locust Grove in 2001. In 2013 he was appointed by Governor Nathan Deal to serve as a member of the Georgia Tourism Foundation.

Kal Patel is president and CEO of Image Hotels Inc., which owns and operates multiple hotels throughout the Southeast and is a Starwood, Hilton, IHG, and Marriott brands licensee. Patel began his career at Merril Lynch, learning finance and investments, which he was later able to apply this knowledge to the lodging business. Patel’s family immigrated to the United States in 1979.

William Pate serves as president of Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau, where he oversees maintaining tourism as one of the city’s top economic drivers. Before joining ACVB, Pate served as Career Sports & Entertainment president, a national sports marketing and representation firm. Georgia Trend magazine included him on its list of 2019 Notable Georgians. Atlanta Business Chronicle honored Pate multiple times as one of Atlanta’s 50 most admired CEOs and named him to its 100 most influential Atlantans list every year since 2009.

Marisa Simpson is the Director of Legislative and Governmental Affairs at Atlanta Gas Light. Simpson was previously the director of community relations and economic development for AGL Resources Southern Operations. Simpson has previously served as a trustee for the Leadership Georgia Foundation, a board member for the Atlanta Touchdown Club, and Georgia Allies. In 2016, Governor Nathan Deal appointed him to the Board of Economic Development and, in 2017, to the Georgia Tourism Foundation, where he serves as chairman.

Dave Snyder owns and operates Halyards Catering, Hook & Knife Charters, and Halyards Restaurant Group, comprising Tramici, Halyards Restaurant, and La Plancha. Synder offers monthly cooking classes where he is able to draw on his relationships with local fishermen and farmers; he demonstrates to eager guests that the best ingredients make a difference in food quality, the sustainability of the environment, and the financial strength of the local economy. Snyder is a founding board member of the St. Simons Food & Spirits Festival, benefiting Hospice of the Golden Isles.

Ron Stephens represents Georgia’s 164th District in the Georgia House of Representatives. Stephens is the chairman of the House Economic Development and Tourism Committee.

Mathews Swift received his bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Georgia in 1969 and his J.D. from Walter F. George School of Law in 1972. He practiced real estate law before becoming president & COO of the W.C. Bradley Co. – Real Estate Division in 1986. In 2019, Kemp appointed Swift to serve on the Board of Economic Development.

Bruce Thompson represents Georgia’s 14th District in the Georgia State Senate. Thompson is the chairman of the Senate Economic Development and Tourism Committee.

Scott Tigchelaar is the president of Senoia Enterprises Inc, the company responsible for the redevelopment of historic Senoia, and President of Nic & Norman’s Inc, a restaurant located in Senoia. Tigchelaar is the former President of Riverwood Studios Inc., operating as Raleigh Studios-Atlanta, which has now been acquired by AMC Studios, where AMC’s hit series “The Walking Dead” was filmed. Tigchelaar has created significant economic opportunities for Georgia at the intersection of film and tourism. In 2014, Gov. Nathan Deal appointed Tigchelaar to serve as a member of the Georgia Tourism Foundation.

Allan Vella is president and CEO of the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, a position he has held since June 2006. A graduate of the University of Iowa, he holds a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts and arts management. Vella has worked professionally in the Facility Management field since 1986, managing theatres, arenas, amphitheaters, and exhibition facilities. Before joining the Fox Theatre, Vella worked for SMG, the world’s largest facility management company. Vella is a member of the International Association of Venue Managers and Rotary International, a graduate of IAVM’s Venue Management School, and a board member of the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau as well as Variety of Georgia, a children’s charity.