Beth Shaffer, CMP and Danna Lilly
Tourism bureau Experience Columbia SC hired both Shaffer and Lilly as sales managers.
Shaffer has spent over two decades in tourism and hospitality sales. Most recently, she was sales director at Resort Lifestyle Communities in South Carolina, a hospitality company that provides resort-style living options for its retired residents. Shaffer has also been association and corporate sales manager at The DeSoto Savannah in Georgia, sales manager for Embassy Suites by Hilton Charleston Airport Hotel & Convention Center and more.
Lilly has been in hospitality, tourism, event management and sales for 15 years. Lilly was previously owner of End-N-Mind Destination and Event Management in South Carolina. In her prior career, she was executive director for Meet, a South Carolina company, director of sales at Visit Myrtle Beach and convention sales manager for Kingston Plantation Resort.
Daniel Gibson
Gibson is now director of resort experience at Hawks Cay Resort in the Florida Keys. He enters the role after serving as entertainment director at Carnival Cruise Line, where he’s held multiple positions throughout his more than 30 years in hospitality. Before that, Gibson was entertainment technical manager and production manager at Carnival Corporate and its Cruise Line. Gibson also has years of food and beverage experience, having worked as kitchen manager and in other restaurant management positions in New Hampshire.
Tiffany Alves Hafer
Dallas hospitality management company Makeready added Hafer to the team as director of global group sales. Hafer has served in sales and event management and marketing for the past 15 years, most recently as director of group sales at The Beekman, A Thompson Hotel in New York City. She has held senior and leadership roles at Hard Rock International, BR Guest Hospitality, GrandLife Hotels and more.
Steve Maritz and David Peckinpaugh
Maritz, the professional services company in St. Louis, appointed Maritz to executive chairman and Peckinpaugh to president and CEO.
Maritz assumes the role of executive chairman after serving 25 years as CEO and chairman of the family business.
Peckinpaugh spent the last 11 years as president of Maritz Global Events and will continue to hold this role in addition to his next. He brings 40 years of event leadership experience to his new executive title, having previously been director of sales for Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, CMO for Conferon Global Services (now Experient), president and CEO of San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau, director of PCMA and more. Peckinpaugh has also held board and leadership committee positions at U.S. Travel Association, Meetings Mean Business Coalition, PCMA Education Foundation and Chautauqua Institution in New York.
Kimberly McCarden Foster, CTE
Visit Greater Palm Springs welcomed Foster as director of Palm Springs tourism. With two decades of marketing and management experience with DMOs, Foster enters her new directorship following her tenure at Grapevine Convention & Visitors Bureau in Texas as director of marketing and brand management. Foster has served as president of Border Art Residency’s board of directors and been advertising and communication manager for Destination El Paso in Texas.
Bree DiBernardo
The Gant Aspen in Colorado promoted DiBernardo to sales manager. DiBernardo was previously event manager for The Gant and has over a decade of event and hospitality management experience at a long list of hotels and resorts. She was catering and conference services coordinator before becoming catering sales and conference services manager at Manor Vail Lodge by Destination Hotels for several years. DiBernardo was later group sales manager at The Ritz-Carlton luxury hotel company and Viewline Resort at Snowmass, Autograph Collection by Marriott.
Ryan Grande
Grande rejoined Four Seasons’ Jackson Hole Resort as general manager. With more than ten years of hotel management experience, Grande began his hospitality career at Fairmont Hotels and Resorts before becoming director of housekeeping at Jackson Hole resort in 2010. During his time at Jackson Hole Resort, he has also served as front office manager, director of rooms and residences and hotel manager, among other roles.