Visit KC announces 2021 Board of Directors

Representatives from Ruby Jean’s Juicery and Worlds of Fun join City Manager Platt as new appointees for non-profit board; Cindy Circo continues term as Board Chair

Kansas City’s premier hospitality and tourism organization confirmed its 2021 Board of Directors on Tuesday, swearing in new and continuing members at the group’s first virtual meeting of the year. The following changes were approved and are effective as of Jan. 26:

  • All four of the organization’s 2020 executive officers will continue their positions for a second-consecutive year. Cindy Circo, Senior Manager at Evergy, returns as chair of the organization and is joined by Vice Chair Jeanette Prenger of ECCO Select, Secretary Jim Snow of the Westin Crown Center/Sheraton KC Hotel and Treasurer Randy Wisthoff of the Kansas City Zoo.
  • Chris Goode, owner of Ruby Jean’s Juicery, and Tony Carovillano, general manager for Worlds of Fun, join the group as new appointees, along with new KCMO City Manager Brian Platt.
  • Bob Kendrick of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and Jim Snow of the Westin Crown Center/Sheraton KC Hotel were reelected to new terms.
  • Union Station President & CEO George Guastello is now a director, transitioning from his ex-officio capacity in 2020.
  • Assistant City Manager Earnest Rouse will serve in ex-officio status as Acting Director of the KCMO Convention & Entertainment Facilities Department. He temporarily succeeds Oscar McGaskey, who retired in 2020.
  • Other outgoing board members include Vic Allred of Jazz, A Louisiana Kitchen; Carla Chavarria of AMC Theatres; Commissioner Steve Klika of Johnson County, KS; and Rosemary Salerno of Vintage Market Days of Kansas City.

“On behalf of our team and local industry, I’d like to acknowledge and thank our outgoing board members for their hard work, dedication and service to our organization,” said Visit KC President & CEO Jason Fulvi. “Likewise, we look forward to the expertise and contributions of our new board members and our returning officers. The gradual recovery of the travel and tourism industry will undoubtedly take time, but I firmly believe that we have the right team in place to support and grow our destination for the brighter days ahead.”

The organization’s Board of Directors is comprised of up to 30 civic and business leaders from the greater Kansas City area. The Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, appoints half of its members and the Visit KC Board appoints the other half.  

Today’s news caps off a busy January for Visit KC, having just relocated its business operations to Downtown’s Spark coworking space and orchestrating the return of Kansas City Restaurant Week earlier this month. For more information about the organization, go to VisitKC.com.


2021 Visit KC Board of Directors

Leadership

  • Chair – Cindy Circo, Senior Manager, Customer Solution Business Center, Evergy*
  • Vice Chair – Jeanette Prenger, President & CEO, ECCO Select*
  • Secretary – Jim Snow, Complex General Manager, Westin Crown Center/Sheraton KC Hotel*
  • Treasurer – Randy Wisthoff, Executive Director & CEO, Kansas City Zoo*

Members

  • Rodney Bland, General Manager, Staffing Impact, LLC
  • Mike Cappo, Associate, Shook, Hardy & Bacon, LLP
  • Tony Carovillano, General Manager, Worlds of Fun
  • Alan Dietrich, Chief Operating Officer, Sporting Kansas City*
  • Chris Goode, Owner, Ruby Jean’s Juicery
  • George Guastello, President & CEO, Union Station Kansas City
  • Brian Johnson, Managing Director, Loews Kansas City Hotel
  • Bob Kendrick, President, Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
  • Teresa Loar, Councilwoman, 2nd District-At-Large, City of Kansas City, Missouri*
  • David Lopez, General Manager, Manny’s Mexican Restaurant
  • Riccardo Lucas, President & CEO, N.STRIDE Consulting, LLC
  • Pat Macdonald, Senior Philanthropic Advisor, Greater Kansas City Community Foundation*
  • Kevin O’Neill, Councilman, 1st District, City of Kansas City, Missouri
  • Stacey Paine, President, Crown Center Redevelopment Corp. 
  • Kevin Pistilli, President, Raphael Hotel Group*
  • Brian Platt, City Manager, City of Kansas City, Missouri*
  • Nia Richardson, Assistant to the Director for Small Business and Entrepreneurship, KC Bizcare
  • Kris Riddell, Legal Administrator, German May PC
  • Melissa Robinson, Councilwoman, 3rd District, City of Kansas City, Missouri
  • Maria Salcedo, Partner, Shook, Hardy & Bacon, LLP
  • Philip Strnad, General Manager, Hilton President Kansas City
  • Lylette Utz, Managing Partner & President, Global Green Solutions, LLC

* Denotes members of Executive Committee

Ex-Officio Members

  • Gregg Givens, Chief Financial Officer, Park University
  • Amy Jordan Wooden, President & CEO, AJW Consulting, LLC
  • Pat Klein, Director, Aviation Department, City of Kansas City, Missouri
  • Kurt Mayo, Executive Director, Hotel & Lodging Association of Greater Kansas City
  • Kathy Nelson, President & CEO, Kansas City Sports Commission and Foundation
  • Earnest Rouse, Assistant City Manager and Acting Director, Convention & Entertainment Facilities Department, City of Kansas City, Missouri
  • Bill Teel, Executive Director, Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association

About Visit KC
Headquartered in Downtown Kansas City, Visit KC is the chief hospitality sales and marketing organization for the region. With a mission of igniting global passion for Kansas City, Visit KC collaborates with nearly 1,000 community partners to drive the marketing, sales and service of the destination’s convention and tourism industry—a sector that supported more than 48,000 jobs in 2019. For more information about Kansas City, go to VisitKC.com.

Media Contacts

Devin Aaron
Devin Aaron 
(National/International Media)
Visit KC
816-691-3805
daaron@visitkc.com
Makenzie Wolters
Makenzie Wolters 
(Kansas City/Regional Media)
Visit KC
816-691-3811
mwolters@visitkc.com

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