Tourism Advisory Board

The Tourism Advisory Board is established for the purpose of promoting tourism and supporting the industries within the city that directly affect tourism. The Tourism Advisory Board advises the Convention and Visitors Bureau on such matters as the administration of grant programs, advertising, and other activities for the promotion of tourism.

The board meets quarterly on the fourth Tuesday of the month. All meetings are subject to the Open Meetings Act and accessible to the public. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Convention & Visitors Bureau Director Joel Novosad at jnovosad@victoriatx.gov or 361-485-3117.

Applications will open soon for four positions on the Tourism Advisory Board. Please see available positions below. Applications will be available from 8:00AM CST on Thursday, October 6 to 5:00PM CST on Friday, November 11. Applications are submitted to City of Victoria staff, and are presented to Victoria City Council. Victoria City Council votes to appoint members to the board. 

Any member of the public is welcome to apply for a board position; however, greater consideration is likely given to those applicants that can show employment/involvement in an organization or business that directly correlates to the industry sector in which they applied for.

Vacant Board positions - industry sectors:

  • Arts (1 position)
  • Attractions (1 position)
  • Downtown Businesses (1 position)
  • Food & Beverage (1 position)

If you are interested in applying for a position on the Victoria Tourism Advisory Board, click here to see the online application. (Applications are now closed.)

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Victoria Convention & Visitors Bureau Director Joel Novosad at 361-485-3117 or jnovosad@victoriatx.gov.

Thank you for your interest in serving on the Victoria Tourism Advisory Board!

Members

The Tourism Advisory Board is composed of thirteen members, each representing a specific sector of the industries in Victoria related to travel and tourism. The board makeup is as follows:

  • Three members to represent the lodging accommodations industry
  • Two members to represent the arts
  • One member to represent historic preservation and promotion
  • One member to represent the University of Houston-Victoria
  • One member to represent Victoria College
  • One member to represent downtown Victoria business
  • One member to represent the food/beverage establishment industry
  • One member to represent the retail shopping industry
  • One member to represent the attractions industry
  • One member to represent the sports and outdoor tourism industry

Lodging accommodations industry representative(s)

  • Raj Panchal - Owner/Manager, Comfort Inn & Suites
  • James Wearden - Owner/Manager, The Inn on Main
  • Brenda Guajardo - Director of Sales, Courtyard Marriott Victoria

The arts representative(s)

  • Brenda Tally - Artistic Director, Victoria Ballet Theatre
  • Michelle Hall - Executive Director, Victoria Symphony Orchestra

Historic preservation and promotion representative

  • Jeff Wright - Executive Director, Victoria Preservation, Inc.

University of Houston-Victoria representative

  • Jay Lambert - Vice President for Student Affairs, University of Houston-Victoria

Victoria College representative

  • Sue Prudhomme - Executive Director of Cultural Affairs, Victoria College

Downtown Victoria business representative

  • Jennifer Heibel - Owner/Operator, Mother Cluckers Downtown

Food/beverage establishment representative

  • Brian Keith - President, Performance Food Group

Retail shopping representative

  • Rosanna Frisch - Internal Marketing & Communications, Hull Property Group (Victoria Mall)

Attractions representative

  • JonAnn Welch - Owner/Operator, J Welch Farms

Sports and outdoor tourism representative

  • Ashley Magee - Owner/Operator, Flow Paddle Co

Tourism Advisory Board Bylaws

  1. Victoria Tourism Advisory Board Bylaws