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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release October 4, 1995

         PRESIDENT NAMES DELEGATES TO THE WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCE 
                          ON TRAVEL AND TOURISM

     President Clinton has selected an initial forty-two delegates to

attend the first-ever White House Conference on Travel and Tourism. The Conference will take place October 30 and 31 in Washington D.C., and more than 1700 participants are expected to attend. The Conference is a private/public partnership between the travel and tourism industry and government agencies. In addition to the 100 delegates to be chosen by the President, delegates are appointed by Members of Congress, Senators, Governors, and officials of the White House Conference on Tourism. The remaining delegate body is comprised of the fifty state travel directors, at least one director of a convention and visitors bureau from each state, the fifty state employees of the year and state delegates equal in number to their congressional districts.

These delegates represent every sector of the industry as well as policy makers at the local, state, and federal level. In preparation for the 1700-person National Conference, each state has held a State Conference to develop recommendations on ten issue areas related to the travel and tourism industry. These issue areas will be the focus of the two-day Conference. The goal of the National Conference is to develop a national tourism strategy that creates partnerships between the public and private sector and to educate policy makers on the significant contribution of the industry to the nation's economy.

Peter Armstrong of Pennsylvania is the Chief Executive Officer of the AAA in Schuylkill County. He is active in many professional and civic organizations, including the Schuylkill County Visitors Bureau, AAA Pennsylvania Foundation, and the Schuylkill Symphony Orchestra Board.

Peter A. Bakke of New Hampshire is the owner of the Meeting House Inn in Henniker.

Sally Begay of New Mexico is a member of the Navajo Nation, and currently is an Economic Development Specialist for the Nation's Division of Economic Development. Mrs. Begay is a board member of the New Mexico Indian Tourism Association and has been active in tribal and state politics.

Robert D. Billington of Rhode Island has served as President of the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council for the past ten years. The Blackstone Valley has benefited greatly from the successful events established by the council.

Hope J. Boonshaft of California is Senior Vice President at Edelman Public Relations Worldwide. In that capacity, she focuses on travel-related companies.

Mayor Aaron Broussard of Louisiana is a three-term Mayor of Kenner, LA. He has rejuvenated the Jefferson Parish area through local development of tourism.

David Van Buskirk of South Dakota is the owner of SE Unlimited. It is a small travel agency, that is designed primarily to accommodate the special travel needs of disabled citizens. In this role, he has worked extensively with the disabled community and businesses in complying with the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act).

Romy Cachola of Hawaii has been a member of the Hawaii House of Representatives since 1986 where he chairs the House Tourism Committee. This Committee has addressed major tourism development issues under his tenure, including the expansion of Hawaii's targeted visitors markets and the financing of Hawaii's new convention center.

Stephen J. Cloobeck of Nevada is President of Sheldon H. Cloobeck Enterprises, a real estate development firm that concentrates on the development of hotels and time-share resorts. Oshel B. Craigo of West Virginia owns several businesses, including a chain of restaurants. He is a State Senator and chairs the Senate Finance Committee.

Andrew P. Daly of Colorado has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Vail Associates, Inc., since 1992. In addition to a long career managing resorts, he has been active in the Colorado Tourism Board and other development organizations.

Stephen T. Economy of Michigan is the Deputy Director of the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, where he is responsible for negotiating the airport budget and the designing of the $1 billion expansion project. He has been active in many capacities in the travel and tourism industry in the state, including serving as director for the Michigan Chamber of Commerce.

Robert Giersdorf of Washington is the President of YachtShip Cruise Line, Inc. He also serves on the board of directors of the Travel Industry Association (TIA), the umbrella organization for the tourism industry. In addition, Mr. Giersdorf served as the National Chair of TIA.

John David Gunner of Washington is the President of Ambassador Travel, Inc., a travel agency he established in 1976. Ambassador Travel has been particularly active in travel promotion to Vietnam and the Russian Far East.

Beverly A. Hollingworth of New Hampshire is the owner and manager of the Hollingworth Motor Court in Hampton Beach. She served as a New Hampshire State Representative, and from 1990 to 1994 she served as a member of the New Hampshire State Senate.

Sylvan "Sonny" Holtzman of Florida has practiced law in Dade County for the past 37 years, most recently as a founder and senior partner with Holtzman, Krinzman, Equels & Furia. He has served as Director of the Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau and was recently appointed to the Dade County Expressway Authority.

Geoffrey F. Hurtado of Wisconsin is the President of the Milwaukee Exposition and Convention Center and Arena where he has increased the facility's income by 39% in two years. He has also worked in the Milwaukee County Parks Department and the County Government.

Jeanne Jacobsen of Maine has been the Director of the Chamber of Commerce in Ogunquit since 1993, where she has focused on developing travel and tourism as an industry to combat shrinking job opportunities in the area. Ms. Jacobsen has helped develop the Ogunquit Playhouse and has been involved with the Ogunquit Art Association.

Shelley Johnson of Louisiana is the Executive Director of the Southwest Louisiana Convention and Visitors Bureau. In this position, she has worked with the local Chamber of Commerce to cultivate tourism through local attractions.

Sandra D. Jones of Tennessee has served as the Director of the Chattanooga Visitors Center since 1993. Before taking that position, she was involved with several local tourism projects in the state, including the Tennessee Aquarium and the Chattanooga Choo Choo.

Kathy S. Lewand of Michigan manages the resource development for Wayne County Park. In this capacity, she has created programs to promote Wayne County Parks, including the annual LightFest, a holiday light show which attracts more than 300,000 visitors annually.

Stephen J. Lombardo of Illinois has owned Gibson's Bar and Steakhouse in Chicago since 1988. Mr. Lombardo has been active in a variety of civic organizations, including the National Restaurant Association and Special Children's Charities.

Crit Luallen of Kentucky is the Secretary of the Finance and Administration Cabinet under Governor Brereton C. Jones. She was the Secretary of the Tourism Cabinet from 1992 to November of 1994. She previously served as president of the Greater Louisville Economic Development Partnership and as state arts commissioner.

Anthony Mac Connell of New Hampshire owns Byranna's Restaurant on Lake Sunapee. He also manages a retail ski and sports shop and has worked for Marriott Corporation in Bethesda, Maryland.

J. Granger Macfarlane of Virginia is the President of Eastern Motor Inns, Inc. in Roanoke. In addition, he has chaired the Roanoke Economic Development Commission and served in the Senate of Virginia from 1984-1991.

Jacqueline B. McNulty of Arizona has been involved with the economic growth of the Native American and Hispanic populations through developing travel and tourism in the area. She is an active member of the Arizona-Mexico Commission's Tourism Committee, the Arizona Department of Commerce, and other cultural organizations.

Montine McNulty of Arkansas is the Director of the Pine Bluff Downtown Development, an organization focused on revitalizing the community's central business district. She currently chairs the State Parks, Recreation and Travel Commission.

Melanie Mills of Colorado has been the Vice President for Public Policy at Colorado Ski Country USA since 1994. Ms. Mills is an active environmentalist and has published several articles on environmental issues facing the ski industry.

Agnes Hui-Chun Mu of California has been the President of Travel Kingdom, a worldwide travel and tour service, since 1979. Born in Seoul, Korea, Ms. Mu has used her extensive language skills in training programs for American Airlines Training Center and other training programs.

Neil W. Ostergren of New York is the Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI). He has been active in the Travel and Tourism industry for well over 20 years.

Mary Lou Parks of Michigan is a State Representative from Lansing where she has dealt with tourism at the state level. A life member of the NAACP and a member of the National Council of Negro Women, she has been active in many political campaigns.

James L. Pouravelis of Maine is the co-owner and treasurer of Ocean Parking, Inc. in Old Orchard Beach. He has been a member of the Old Orchard Beach Chamber of Commerce since 1976, and recently received the organization's Special Merit Award for his work in developing tourism in the area.

Patrick Sciarratta of New Jersey is the Executive Director of the Friendship Ambassadors Foundation, a non-profit organization that promotes sustainable global development, communications and good will through cultural tourism.

Judy Sidran of Wisconsin is currently the Commissioner of the Dane Airport Commission. She has been involved with the area Cultural Affairs Commission and previously served on the Dane County Tourism Council. Ms. Sidran is a member of several professional organizations, including Wisconsin Women in Travel and Madison Jewish Business and Professional Women.

Keith Stokes of Rhode Island is the executive director of the Newport Chamber of Commerce and served as a City Councilman for three terms. Active in many civic organizations, Mr. Stokes holds leadership roles at the Rhode Island Enterprise Zone Council and the Martin Luther King Center.

Marilyn J. Tomasi of Ohio formed the Tomasi Marketing Group, Inc. in 1990. She also served as the State Travel Director from 1983-1990. During her tenure, she developed tourism into a serious revenue and job-creating component of the state's economic recovery strategy, increasing the state's tourism revenue by 42%.

Carmen Delia Venticinque of New Jersey is the owner of Delia Travel, an Hispanic travel agency serving Southern New Jersey. Prior to this position, she served as a Senior Travel Consultant for five years after graduating from the International School of Travel.

Craig D. Walter of Iowa has owned and operated Walter & Associates, a management firm, since 1980. He served in the Iowa House of Representatives and also worked with area chambers of commerce.

Shelby Woods of Arkansas is the chair of the executive committee and president of Cranford, Johnson, Robinson, Woods. In this role, he is responsible for the management of the agency's business development efforts, the Travel and Tourism division of the firm.

Alon Yu of California is a partner and serves as the Chief Financial Officer of two well-known San Francisco restaurants. He is active in many community organizations, including the California Restaurant Association, the Asian Business League, and the Chinese Cultural Foundation.

Nina and Tim Zagat of New York published the first edition of the Zagat New York City Restaurant Survey in 1979. The Survey now covers hotels, restaurants, spas, airlines, and car rental companies.

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