LCVB Senior Team

James T. Wood joined the LCVB as President and CEO in 2003 when it had an annual operating budget of $9 million and a staff of 52 employees. Wood currently oversees a $13 million budget, a full-time staff of 55 and additional part-time employees, including Visitor Information Center that opened in 2007.

 

Wood works to drive the economic development that results from attracting meetings, conventions and leisure travel to the Greater Louisville area. Wood has led the successful efforts to bring to Louisville major industry tradeshows including the National Coalition of Black Meeting planners (2006) and the Religious Conference Management Association Convention (2007).  Wood has been a driving force for uniting a regional tourism initiative to increase visitation to the state through bourbon heritage marketing and an advocate for adventure tourism.

 

Wood came to the Bureau after serving as the President & CEO of the Greater Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau. He was also the vice president of convention sales and marketing at the Tampa Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau, where he was responsible for coordinating the city’s Super Bowl and NCAA Men’s Final Four bids, The NHL All-Star Game and the successful relocation of The International Softball Federation.

 

Wood serves on the Board of Greater Louisville Inc., The Louisville Sports Commission, The International Association of Convention & Visitors Bureaus, and the International Association for CVB Accreditation. He is the Chairman of the Kentucky Travel Industry Association. Wood resides in Louisville with his wife Lisa and has two grown sons. 

Battle has worked in the hospitality industry for 27 years. He recently spent 12 years as the Vice President of Sales & Services at the Richmond CVB and also served their as Director of Sales and Sales Manager. Prior to working for Convention & Visitors Bureaus he spent 10 years in the hotel industry as General Manager, Assistant General Manager and Director of Sales in Syracuse, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Denver.

 

Battle, a native of Denver, Colorado attended Metropolitan State College earning a B.A. degree in Hotel/Restaurant Management in 1988. He later earned a Masters of Business Administration degree from Averett College in Virginia in 1997. He completed the Destination Marketing Association International, Certified Destination Management Executive (CDME) in 2009 and the Professional Convention Management Association, Certified Association Sales Executive (CASE) in 2007.

 

Battle currently serves as president of the Virginia State University Hospitality Advisory Board, Secretary/Treasurer of the Destination & Travel Foundation, Richmond 2015 board member for the UCI World Road Cycling Championship, Destination Marketing Association International Sales & Marketing Committee and board member for the Manchester YMCA.

 

Battle is an avid runner and is married with two adult sons.    

Jennifer Barnett leads the team of ten convention sales professionals and six sales support staff working to book convention business in Louisville.

 

Prior to joining the LCVB in 1994 Barnett worked for Hyatt Hotels in Lexington, Denver and Louisville.   Career highlights include securing a seven-year contract for the National FFA convention which met annually in Louisville from 1999-2005 and being part of the team to land their return in 2013-15.  The National FFA booking generated 331,000 hotel room nights with an estimated $140 million economic impact for the Greater Louisville Area.  Barnett has received an Honorary FFA American Degree, the LCVB President’s award, Nominee for Sales Manger of the year Hyatt Hotels and Resorts and Manager of the year Hyatt Regency Louisville.

   

Originally from Bardstown KY, Barnett received a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Kentucky.  She has completed four Kentucky Derby Festival 13.2 mile races and is an active member of the U.S.  Tennis Association competing in local, state and the southern sectional tennis tournaments.   

Dineene Bradley is Vice President of Tourism Development leading a team of tourism professionals that are responsible for the Tour and Travel market and the Leisure market. Bradley’s responsibilities also include the oversight of the Visitors Center and several satellite offices.

 

Bradley started her career in Bardstown, Kentucky in 1989 and was promoted to the Executive Director of the Bardstown Nelson County Commission in 1992. She was a pioneer in bourbon tourism marketing and was instrumental in development of the Kentucky Bourbon Festival, one of the premier festivals in the south.

Bradley then worked for a short time at the Red Mile Harness Race Track in Lexington, Kentucky coordinating group sales and special events before being offered a job as group tourism sales manager at the Louisville Convention and Visitors Bureau in 2000. After several promotions she became Vice President of Tourism Development in 2005 where she worked extensively in the international market promoting Louisville and Kentucky on sales missions to the United Kingdom, Germany and China.

 

In 2011, Bradley received the Mangeot-Oaken Distinguished Service Award which recognizes outstanding professionals in the travel industry. The award is the highest tourism honor given by the Kentucky Travel Industry Association.

 

Chris Kipper was hired as Vice President of Finance and Administration in 2010. In this capacity, he provides executive direction of the finance and administrative efforts of the Bureau which include the areas of accounting, investments, debt service, human resources, insurance, building facilities, and legal matters.

 

Prior to coming to the Bureau, Kipper was a Manager in the Audit Practice of accounting firm Ernst & Young LLP where he served a variety of clients ranging from regional mid-size companies to large multi-billion dollar public companies with global operations.

 

Kipper earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting and a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in finance from the University of Kentucky in 2000.  He went on to earn his master’s in business administration from the University of Kentucky in 2002. Chris resides in Louisville with his wife, Jessica.

 

Since 2003, Sims has led a team of nine full-time and more than 40 part-time employees responsible for assisting booked conventions/events with services such as housing, attendance building, on-site registration and city concierge.

           

Sims began her career with the LCVB as a Tourism Staff Assistant in 1987 and was subsequently promoted to a variety of positions within the organization.  During her tenure, Sims has improved and streamlined Bureau operations in several areas including the development of a call center to book hotel reservations and answer visitor information calls.  In addition, she was instrumental in upgrading convention housing; the expansion of the merchandising program and the opening of the Louisville Visitors Center.  Sims also spearheaded the development and launch of the Hospitality Louisville and Taxi University customer service training programs. 

 

Sims is a member of several local and national industry organizations including Destination Management Association International, Professional Convention Management Association and is a Past President and Life Member of the Event Services Professional Association (formerly ACOM).   Locally, Sims is actively involved with the Shawnee High School Travel and Tourism Advisory Committee and the Tourism Honors Academy.

 

Sims attended the University of Louisville and majored in counseling and psychology. She is married to Bobby Sims and they have two sons.

With twenty years of communications and special events experience, Stacey Yates oversees a team of eight marketing and communications personnel who work to market Louisville as a destination.  Yates oversees the strategic planning and implementation of the Bureau’s internal and external communications programs, including media and public relations, websites, social media, broadcast and video projects. The department also implements the production of printed publications and promotional materials for Louisville’s tourism efforts and coordinates advertising campaigns across several markets.

 

Before coming to the Bureau in 2005, Yates was the Vice President of Communications and primary spokesperson for the Kentucky Derby Festival, a private, non-profit civic celebration.  In 1995, Yates spearheaded the Derby Festival’s entrance to the Internet, by developing one of the first festival websites in the industry.  Her team has won numerous industry awards for their work in communications including honors for media relations, newsletters, websites, social media and promotional campaigns. In the last five years, Yates has led the promotional effort behind the successful Bourbon County and Urban Bourbon Trail marketing campaigns.

 

Ms. Yates is a life-long Louisville resident.  She has a B.A. in Marketing from the University of Kentucky and a CFE (Certified Festival Executive) designation from Purdue University.   Married to Michael Yates, they have two children.