The Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership this week announced the recruitment of seven new tourism directors to the Promotion Working Group, giving it representation from all eight states that Route 66 traverses.
Jennifer Mullins, chairwoman of the Promotion Working Group and Oklahoma’s director of travel promotion, landed the seven recruits three months after joining the Route 66 partnership.
According to a news release from the partnership:
These tourism professionals will join the current members of the Road Ahead’s Promotion Working Group: Bill Kelly, former executive director of the Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway Program, and Brennen Matthews, editor of Route Magazine. This marks the first time representatives from tourism departments in all eight Route 66 states have committed to working together to promote the Mother Road.
“I am deeply honored to have the opportunity to work collaboratively with my counterparts on ways to promote and increase visitation, both domestically and internationally, for Route 66,” Mullins said. “The Mother Road is such an important and fascinating part of our nation’s history and culture, and such a key piece of our state’s tourism economy. Thousands of tourists visit Oklahoma each year to drive the highway. They stop in our cities and towns, bringing in millions of dollars and helping create jobs in both urban and rural areas. With state leadership that recognizes the cultural and tourism significance of the Route, and who is committed to supporting economic development, historic preservation, and marketing initiatives, we have begun to see real momentum. My goal is to bring that energy and collaborative enthusiasm to my role within the group to collectively effect real change on a national level.”
The members of the Promotion Working Group are:
- Jan Kemmerling, director of tourism, Illinois
- Ashley Sneed, marketing coordinator, Missouri
- Jennifer Mullins, director of travel Promotion, Oklahoma
- Bridgette Jobe, director of tourism, Kansas
- Brad Smyth, tourism director, Texas
- Erin Ladd, marketing director, New Mexico
- Tim DeClaire, senior director of marketing, Arizona
- Jennifer Walker, director of brand advertising, California
The news release stated the first order of business for the group will be “setting goals, based on the challenges and needs associated with promoting Route 66.”
(Image of Route 66 shields by Marcin Wichary via Flickr)