Leadership sets the pace for success.
The Tourism Authority Board of Directors set the policy and strategic direction of the Bureau. The Board of Directors consists of stakeholders within the community who come together to guide the Bureau in driving visitation to Cabarrus County to generate the maximum impact through hotel stays and visitor spending.
Duties:
Board Members are required to attend 75% of the meetings annually, be willing to serve actively on committees as needed as well as in the bi-monthly meetings. Board Members are eligible to request for Appointment for an additional three-year term upon their initial term expiration. The Board is also required to abide by the bylaws and the conflict of interest policy set forth by the Bureau.
Cabarrus County Tourism Authority Board
The Executive Committee consists of Greg Walter as Board Chair, Jay White as Treasurer and Steve Steinbacher as Secretary.
| Nominated By Cabarrus County Board of Commissioners |
|
| Kenny Wortman Cabarrus County Board of Commissioners Seat Number 4 BOC Member or County Manager (At-Large) kmwortman@cabarruscounty.us |
Appointment: 6/17/24 |
| Devante Watkins Hampton Inn & Suites Concord/Charlotte Seat Number 7 Hotelier (At-Large) devante.watkins@hilton.com |
Appointment: 3/20/23 (unexpired term) Term Expiring: 6/30/25 |
| Mike Downs Cabarrus County Seat Number 1 At-Large mkdowns@cabarruscounty.us |
Appointment: 6/15/20 Term Expiring: 06/30/23 Reappointment: 06/16/23 Term Expiring: 06/30/26 |
| Nominated By Cabarrus County Tourism Authority | |
| Lloyd Payne City of Concord Seat Number 5 At-Large paynel@concordnc.gov |
Appointment: 6/17/24 Term Expiring: 6/30/27 |
| Angela Brown Great Wolf Lodge Seat Number 8 Hotelier abrown@greatwolf.com |
Appointment: 6/20/22 Term Expiring: 6/30/25 |
| Greg Walter – Board Chair Charlotte Motor Speedway Seat Number 2 Tourism Activist gwalter@charlottemotorspeedway.com |
Appointment: 6/15/20 Term Expiring: 6/30/23 Reappointment: 6/19/23 Term Expiring: 6/30/26 |
| Steve Steinbacher – Secretary Cabarrus Brewing Company Seat Number 10 Tourism Activist steve@cabarrusbrewing.com |
Appointment: 5/21/18 (unexpired term) Reappointment: 6/15/20 Term Expiring: 6/30/23 Reappointment: 06/19/23 Term Expiring: 06/30/26 |
| Vinay Patel SREE Hotels Seat Number 11 Hotelier vinay.patel@sree.com |
Appointment: 6/21/21 Effective: 7/1/21 Term Expiring: 6/30/24 Reappointment: 6/17/24 Term Ending: 6/30/27 |
| Jay White – Treasurer Hartsell & Williams, P.A. Seat Number 12 At-Large jaywhite@hwpalaw.com |
Appointment: 7/17/18 (unexpired term) Reappointment: 6/17/19 Reappointment: 6/20/22 Term Expiring: 6/30/25 |
| Nominated by the Cabarrus Regional Chamber of Commerce | |
| Melissa Ewart Hilton Garden Inn Charlotte/Concord Seat Number 6 Hotelier melissa.ewert@hilton.com |
Appointment: 6/17/24 Term Expiring: 6/30/27 |
| James Ross Concord Mills Seat Number 9 At-Large jross@simon.com |
Appointment: 11/21/22 (unexpired term) Term Expiring: 6/30/25 |
| Alison Paladino The Chamber Seat Number 3 At-Large apaladino@cabarrus.biz |
Appointment: 6/19/23 Term Expiring: 6/30/26 |
Meet the Board
Get to know the local leaders who drive Cabarrus County’s hospitality industry!
Cabarrus County CVB President and CEO Donna Carpenter sits down with each Board Member to discuss topics such as what drives them, why tourism is critical to our local economy and what the future holds for our industry in the year ahead and beyond. Click on each Board Member’s name below to view the video.