Press Release
Monroe-West Monroe Convention & Visitors Bureau

CVB Contact: Alana Cooper
Phone: 318.387.5691
E-mail: acooper@monroe-westmonroe.org

Alana Cooper elected as Director of Louisiana Travel Association’s board

Charenton, La. (Jan. 31, 2020) – Alana Cooper, President/CEO of the Monroe-West Monroe
Convention & Visitors Bureau was installed as a Director of the Louisiana Travel Association (LTA)
Board of Directors at its annual meeting at the Cypress Bayou Casino Hotel.

“I am honored to be serving LTA and the 750 members the association represents throughout the
state,” said Cooper. “This organization has worked to lead and strengthen Louisiana’s tourism
industry for 59 years, and I look forward to working with my fellow board members to keep the
momentum going.”

New officers installed on the executive board committee include the following: Ben Berthelot, with
Lafayette CVC, as chairman; Dickie Brennan, with Dickie Brennan & Company, as vice-chairman;
Kyle Edmiston, with Visit Lake Charles, as treasurer; Timothy Bush, with Louisiana’s Cajun Bayou
Tourism, as secretary; and Janice Delerno Verges, with the Stockade Bed & Breakfast, as immediate past chair.

New members on the board of directors include Morgan Moss, with The Myrtles Plantation; Jay
Sharplin, with Sharpco Hotels Group; and Rebecca Blankenbaker, with Cane River National Heritage Area. Serving a second term include John Crook, with Vernon Parish Tourist Commission; Brandy Evans, with Shreveport-Bossier CTB; Marion Fox, with Jeff Davis Parish Tourist Commission; Ralph Ney, with Marriott Hotel Baton Rouge; and Donna O’Daniels, with St. Tammany Parish Tourist & Convention Commission.

Returning members on the board of directors are Peggy Benoit, with Tripshock.com; Jeremy
Cooker, with New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation; Kevin Dolliole, with Louis Armstrong
New Orleans International Airport; Joanna Folse-Alexander, with Sunrise Hospitality; Arlene Gould,
with Natchitoches Parish CVB; Eric Hoffman, with Hoffman Media LLC; and Kevin Kelly, with
Houmas House & Gardens.

2020 LTA Board of Directors, pg. 2

“Our executive committee and board of directors are responsible for helping us meet the needs of
our members and making sure we accomplish our goals of providing educational and marketing
opportunities while also advocating on the industry’s behalf,” said Jill Kidder, LTA president and
CEO. “We are excited to be starting off another year with a great group of industry leaders that
represent the entire state.”

Officers on the executive committee and members of the board of directors are elected during the
annual meeting. Each year, the chairman of the board selects a nominating committee that is
comprised of members who are not up for re-election and who are not seeking office. This
committee is responsible for presenting a slate to the members of the association that recognizes all regions of the state and all segments of the tourism industry.

About the Louisiana Travel Association

LTA is a trade association leading and strengthening Louisiana’s vibrant tourism industry through
promotion, education and advocacy on behalf of our members. Tourism generated $1.9 billion for
Louisiana in 2018 and employs more than 237,200 people throughout the state. For more
information, visit LouisianaTravelAssociation.org.

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