Spotlight
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Maria Manzella
November 2, 2026 |Member Spotlight: Maria Manzella Director of Sales and Strategic Growth International House Hotel Maria Manzella didn't necessarily set out to build a career in tourism, but looking back, it has been the perfect fit. Over the past 30 years, she had the opportunity to grow her career across hospitality, tourism, and destination marketing, all while maintaining a strong connection to… Read More »
Kerry Andersen
November 2, 2026 |Member Spotlight Kerry Andersen Founder & CEO Empire Consulting Kerry Andersen has spent her career telling stories, first as a broadcast journalist and today as the owner of a boutique PR firm that helps Louisiana businesses and destinations tell their own. Born in South Africa, Kerry built her career in television news as an anchor, reporter, and news director, earning more… Read More »
Barbara Hayes
October 30, 2026 |Member Spotlight: Barbara Hayes Director of Sales Hotel Theo New Orleans Barbara Hayes is the Director of Sales at Hotel Theo New Orleans and has built a career rooted in a passion for hospitality and tourism. Interestingly, her journey into the industry began with a very different dream. Barbara originally wanted to become a cruise director and believed that working… Read More »
Pamela Pipes
October 30, 2026 |Member Spotlight Pamela Pipes Owner & CEO New Orleans A La Carde & Tours Bayou For Pamela Pipes, New Orleans is more than a destination; it’s home, heritage, and the inspiration behind her entrepreneurial journey. A seventh-generation New Orleanian and serial entrepreneur, Pamela has built her businesses around helping visitors discover the city she loves and connecting… Read More »
Jodi Lafranca
October 29, 2026 |Member Spotlight: Jodi Lafranca Administrator French Quarter Business Association (FQBA) Jodi Lafranca’s career in New Orleans hospitality and tourism spans more than 40 years, and she has been a proud member of MSWIT for much of that journey. She feels fortunate to have built a career around something she truly loves—promoting and connecting people to our national treasure, the historic French… Read More »
Martha Martinez
October 29, 2026 |Member Spotlight Martha Martinez Senior Sales Manager Caesars Superdome, Smoothie King Center and Champions Square Martha Martinez is a native New Orleanian...her parents are from Guatemala and Honduras but met in New Orleans while they were going to school and working here. She has been in the tourism and hospitality industry since becoming a student at UNO (now… Read More »
Maggie Kelly
October 29, 2026 |Member Spotlight: Maggie Kelly Area Sales Manager J Collection of Hotels Maggie Kelly is a seasoned hospitality sales leader with over fifteen years of experience driving revenue, cultivating client relationships, and elevating market presence for multiple properties across the New Orleans and Baton Rouge markets. As the Area Sales Manager for the J Collection, a unique collection of… Read More »
Maria-Kay Chetta
September 13, 2026 |Member Spotlight Maria-Kay Chetta Licensed New Orleans Tour Guide Born and raised in New Orleans, Maria-Kay has dedicated her career to serving her city while sharing her love of New Orleans with visitors from around the world. She graduated from Cabrini High School in 1973, earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of New Orleans in… Read More »
Megan Ryburn
August 25, 2026 |Member Spotlight: Megan Ryburn Director of External Affairs Louisiana Travel Association Megan Ryburn has spent more than 15 years working in tourism and has built a career around something she truly enjoys: connecting people, communities, and businesses to the places that make Louisiana special. A native of Oceanside, California, Megan grew up as a military brat, with strong Louisiana… Read More »
Charlene Hale
August 25, 2026 |Member Spotlight: Charlene Hale (recently retired from the Jefferson Convention & Visitors Bureau) Charlene Hale first got her taste of the New Orleans area tourism industry when she began working as an Account Manager with USA Today which was available in hotels on a daily basis around the city. Charlene immediately got involved in networking which led… Read More »