Tourism Advisory Board

The Tourism Advisory Board is established for the purpose of promoting tourism and supporting the industries within the city that directly affect tourism. The Tourism Advisory Board advises the Convention and Visitors Bureau on such matters as the administration of grant programs, advertising, and other activities for the promotion of tourism.

The board meets quarterly on the fourth Tuesday of the month. All meetings are subject to the Open Meetings Act and accessible to the public.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Convention & Visitors Bureau Director Joel Novosad at jnovosad@victoriatx.gov or 361-485-3117.

Members

The Tourism Advisory Board is composed of thirteen members, each representing a specific sector of the industries in Victoria related to travel and tourism. The board makeup is as follows:

Three members to represent the lodging accommodations industry
Two members to represent the arts
One member to represent historic preservation and promotion
One member to represent the University of Houston-Victoria
One member to represent Victoria College
One member to represent downtown Victoria business
One member to represent the food/beverage establishment industry
One member to represent the retail shopping industry
One member to represent the attractions industry
One member to represent the sports and outdoor tourism industry

Lodging accommodations industry representative(s)

Raj Panchal - Owner/Manager, Comfort Inn & Suites
James Wearden - Owner/Manager, The Inn on Main
Brenda Guajardo - Director of Sales, Courtyard Marriott Victoria

The arts representative(s)

Brenda Tally - Artistic Director, Victoria Ballet Theatre
Michael Teer - Executive Director, Theatre Victoria

Historic preservation and promotion representative

Jeff Wright - Executive Director, Victoria Preservation, Inc.

University of Houston-Victoria representative

Jennifer Ortiz-Garza, Director of Development

Victoria College representative

Sue Prudhomme - Executive Director of Cultural Affairs, Victoria College

Downtown Victoria business representative

Jennifer Heibel - Owner/Operator, Mother Cluckers Downtown

Food/beverage establishment representative

Brian Keith - President, Performance Food Group

Retail shopping representative

Rosanna Frisch - Internal Marketing & Communications, Hull Property Group (Victoria Mall)

Attractions representative

William K. Baker Jr., Executive Director, The Texas Zoo

Sports and outdoor tourism representative

Bulmaro Martinez, Owner, Prodigy Athletics