Speakers

Rafael recently joined Travel Nevada as the first Chief Executive Officer (CEO) tasked with the promotion and marketing of Nevada as a tourism destination.

Amy Bagner is an associate vice president and 14-year veteran of Fahlgren Mortine, which is the public relations and media agency of record for Travel Nevada. Over the course of her career, Amy has developed and implemented strategic communications plans for clients across the travel & tourism industry and other industries.

Tracie Barnthouse leads the communications department at Travel Nevada, overseeing domestic and international media relations, public affairs initiatives, industry partner relations, and the agency’s conferences.

Las Vegas native Davis Bauman leads development, user experience, and digital design at Noble Studios. With a BS in Graphic Information Technology from Arizona State University, he crafts strategic digital experiences that convert browsers into loyal customers.

Jeff is a distinguished nonprofit leader in northern Nevada boasting over fifteen years of experience focused on conservation efforts and habitat restoration, agricultural education and research, and national service initiatives.

He is Senior Vice President for Murphy Broadcasting’s northern office in Bullhead City and is responsible for Client sales and service in the Laughlin, Bullhead to Needles, and Kingman Territory.

Brice develops a community-wide approach to environmental education by aligning stakeholders with tailored Leave No Trace messaging through long-term mutually beneficial relationships.

As Travel Nevada Domestic Market Manager, Robert’s over 20 years of experience in tourism sales started in the Attractions and Transportation space.

Sarah Reeves Johnson is the Director for the Lieutenant Governor’s Office of Small Business Advocacy and also serves as the senior economic advisor for the Lieutenant Governor.

Ken is the co-founder of MARQUIS Discoveries, a company dedicated to making global destinations feel local.

Heather Sheppard is a vice president and leader within the tourism and economic development practice at Fahlgren Mortine, the PR and Paid Media Agency of Record for Travel Nevada, where she serves as the Travel Nevada integrated account lead.

Dr. Frederick Steinmann is currently the Director of the University Center for Economic Development with expertise in strategic planning, redevelopment, land use planning, public policy, and economic development.  Frederick has previously worked on several successful community, economic, and organizational strategic planning initiatives across Nevada, Idaho, and California, including several Comprehensive Economic Development Strategies (CEDS) for various municipalities, counties, regional economic development authorities, and economic development districts.

Chad Taylor is the Director of Marketing and Guest Experience and six-year veteran of Lake Mead Mohave Adventures (LMMA). In his current role Chad oversees and coordinates upwards of 100 marketing channels for data aggregation and decision making.