Spring/Summer 2013 Newsletter Extended: Advisory Council
Live It, Protect It, Explore It!
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RPTA ANNOUNCES NEW ADVISORY COUNCIL MEMBERS
By Kalli Sandberg (RPTA '14), Staff Writer
The RPTA department would like to welcome four new members to the Advisory Council. These four individuals bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to further the department in professional and academic endeavors. The new members are excited to join the RPTA family and include: Nick Franco, Brad Gessner, Noreen Martin, and Cady Wolf.
Nick Franco
Nick Franco serves as the District Superintendent for California State Parks in San Luis Obispo Coast District. Franco has been working for California State Parks since 1983, starting as a park aid to a ranger and now finally as the superintendent of parks throughout the California coast. He currently manages State Parks from Hearst Castle and San Simeon to Morro Bay and Montana de Oro. The parks provide opportunities for the public to enjoy the natural and cultural resources and provide tours, trails, facilities, campgrounds and many other ways for visitors to experience the beauty of the county.
His favorite part of the Advisory Council meeting was “hearing from the students involved in the major and seeing the potential of these folks and knowing that the future of recreation and parks will be in good hands long after those of us currently managing operations have gone.”
Brad Gessner
Brad Gessner currently serves as the Vice President of Convention Centers at AEG Facilities. Gessner is a 35 year veteran of the public assembly facility management industry and as the Vice President of Convention Centers for AEG Facilities, he is responsible for overseeing and expanding the management services and delivery of best practices in the areas of convention center management, operations, guest services, sales and marketing. He is an industry leader in the areas of sustainability and “green” practices and served as the Chair of the Sustainability Committee for the International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM) from 2008 – 2012.
What he has enjoyed most so far in being a part of the council has been “sharing my experience with students interested in this dynamic industry and I jumped at the opportunity to be a part of the Advisory Council. I am particularly interested in the consideration to build a hotel/conference center on-campus (ala Cornell University).”
Noreen Martin
Noreen Martin currently works as the Chief Executive Officer of Martin Resorts and is part of the family-owned organization on California’s vineyard covered Central Coast. Martin Resorts was founded in 1998 by Noreen and her late husband, Tom Martin. As a widow with a young child, she drove her business to thrive as one of the top private employers in the county. Martin has succeeded in building a highly respected collection of boutique hotels that specialize in enhancing the experience of its guests while giving back to the community. In a county heavily dependent upon tourism, when the San Luis Obispo County Visitors & Conference Bureau lacked leadership, Martin, as board president, rolled up her sleeves to help reorganize the Bureau, create a highly functional organization, and establish one of the most successful events in the county, Savor the Central Coast in partnership with Sunset Magazine.
Martin is a Cal Poly graduate who loves Cal Poly and thoroughly enjoys the collegiate spirit in the RPTA department. She was asked to be a part of the Advisory Council by Dr. Hendricks, who reached out to people in the Central Coast tourism industry and was excited to find Martin’s synergistic energy so close to Cal Poly.
Cady Wolf
Cady Wolf serves as Vice President of Global Sales & Strategic Accounts at Switchfly located in San Francisco. She obtained her undergraduate degree from Arizona State University in Travel and Tourism and obtained her Masters in Hospitality Administration from UNLV.
Her favorite part of the Advisory Council meeting back in May was the student involvement. “I really like hearing what the students are doing. There are some innovative and fun things going on with the program and cross pollination with other programs at the school which are very interesting. Cal Poly has a lot to offer a college student - from location, to academics, to interesting courses - what a great place to spend 4+ years.”
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