Karen Trevino, President & CEO of North Little Rock Tourism and Shelbey Morris, Tourism Project Manager for North Little Rock Tourism, have completed the three-year program of Southeast Tourism Society Marketing College® and earned certification as a Travel Marketing Professional (TMP).
“Half of our staff are now certified Travel Marketing Professionals, and we have more in the process of completing the program,” Trevino said. “Having been involved with STS for years and now having been through Marketing College myself, I have witnessed firsthand how it can empower and connect its students. My staff are better equipped and now have friends in similar destinations across the southeast to call for advice or to collaborate.”
Trevino and Morris were among 82 STS Marketing College graduates in the class of 2023. The graduates were announced at the STS Connections Conference in Jackson, Mississippi, in September. The Class of 2023 had members from all 12 states in Southeast Tourism Society. The program began in 1992 and has produced 1,407 TMPs.
Morris joined North Little Rock Tourism in July 2023 and assists the Director of Market Development and the Director of Tourism Development with the coordination and implementation of projects, such as North Little Rock’s “Setting the Table” Culinary Initiative. A graduate of University of Central Arkansas, Morris most recently worked as tourism sales specialist for Arkansas Tourism for five years where she served as the main contact for Arkansas Sports, Meet Arkansas, and Relocate to Arkansas teams. She was recognized in 2021 as a Hospitality Hero by the Arkansas Hospitality Association and this year as a Rising Star by Sports ETA. She is a Certified Tour Professional (CTP) through the National Tour Association and Sports Tourism Strategist (STS) through Sports ETA.
As the first Arkansan in the organization’s history to serve on the STS Executive Committee, Trevino has actively participated on the STS Board of Directors throughout the last 20 years. Trevino’s four decades of tourism and hospitality experience include work as group tours consultant at the Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism; assistant and later executive director of then-named North Little Rock Visitors Bureau; director of operations for the Arkansas Hospitality Association; hospitality and tourism professor at Pulaski Technical College’s Arkansas Culinary Arts & Hospitality Management Institute; director of Skal International Arkansas and administrator for the Arkansas Tourism Development Foundation.
STS Marketing College uses facilities at the Mercer University in Macon, Georgia for three one-week sessions each summer. Industry professionals from a variety of tourism sectors volunteer their time to teach all classes. They include convention and visitor’s bureau executives, public relations practitioners, sales and marketing consultants and research experts. For more information about Marketing College, visit southeasttourism.org.
About Southeast Tourism Society
Southeast Tourism Society, founded in 1983 and headquartered in Roswell, GA., is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting travel and tourism within 14 states – Alabama, Arkansas, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.
About North Little Rock Tourism
Overseen by the North Little Rock Advertising & Promotion Commission, North Little Rock Tourism’s mission is to develop, market and advocate to drive tourism in North Little Rock. It accomplishes this through advocacy, tourism product development, industry partner relations, community relations, activations and events, direct sales, content creation, advertising, media relations and research and strategic planning. For more information about where to stay, where to eat and what to do in North Little Rock, visit https://northlittlerock.org or follow @exploreNLR on social media.