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Board members + executive committee
Ellen Collins, CMP
2022-2023 Past Board President
Ellen is Associate Director, National Group Sales Team representing Keystone, Breckenridge, Vail, Beaver Creek and Crested Butte resorts in Colorado for Vail Resorts Meetings & Events. She leads her sales team to best serve Colorado-based planners in fulfilling their meeting objectives and aspirational goals. This team will help secure ground transportation needs on Epic Mountain Express, hotel rooms, traditional and outdoor/ on mountain meeting space and dining, golf, skiing, lift tickets and much more. Ellen has been in hotel sales for twenty plus years. Her career started at Swissotel Boston, followed by sales at The Loews Anatole in Dallas, now a Hilton Hotel. In 1995, she moved to be Director of Sales and Marketing for the Loews Denver Hotel. In 2005, Ellen joined Vail Resorts and RockResorts in their Colorado national sales office. She is an active member of MPI, CSAE, PCMA and CWCC (Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce). Ellen is proud to have received the Industry Legacy Award in honor of Sandy Gerety through MPI’s Rocky Mountain Chapter in 2018. Ellen is honored to have been recognized by Colorado Meetings + Events magazine as their Lifetime Achievement recipient for 2020 and is equally honored to have received the 2019 Leadership Award from the Meetings Industry Council. She looks forward to connecting with you and can be reached at [email protected] and 303.881.7167.
Brady Johnson
2022-2023 Board President
Brady Johnson is the Director of Sales and Marketing, making him responsible for all marketing and advertising efforts at the C Lazy U Ranch along with selling real estate, booking group events, and retreats. On top of these efforts, you can always count on seeing him taking guests on guided mountain bike rides in the summer and skiing in the winter. C Lazy U Ranch is the perfect place for Brady as an avid outdoorsman because he gets to show guests a unique experience from the moment they find us online or through friends, to the day of their departure.
Meg Palumbo
2022-2023 Board Vice President
Meg is the National Sales Manager for The Steamboat Grand. The best part of her job is sharing her love of Steamboat & introducing meeting planners to this amazing destination. Her career started with Marriott International, which led her to working at Marriott Hotels in Denver, Chicago, Dallas & Minneapolis. Being a Colorado native, the mountains were calling her home and The Steamboat Grand was the perfect place to combine her passion for Steamboat and hotel sales. She enjoys tubing the Yampa River in the summer, skis every opportunity she has and loves spending time with her Family and Friends. Meg can be reached at 970-871-5537 or at [email protected].
Thad Carlson
2022 – 2023 Board Treasurer
Thad worked the operations side of hospitality for 4 years as Front Office Manager before moving into sales for the past 12 years and currently is the Senior Director of Sales Manager for Devil’s Thumb Ranch Resort & Spa. During that time, he worked both sides of a wide variety of events. Thad’s experience has taught him both the planning process, execution of events and team leadership for a luxury mountain resort. Through benchmarking, industry events, and various hospitality associations, he has learned how properties of all different kinds operate. Thad’s passion for his career has created a unique understanding of the hospitality industry. Thad can be reached at 970-726-7011 or at [email protected].
Jason Lusk
2022-2023 Board Secretary
Jason is the Associate Vice President, Convention Sales at VISIT DENVER where his primary role is managing the citywide convention sales efforts. He started working for Denver in 2007 as the Washington, DC-based sales director and moved to Colorado in 2011. Prior to joining the Denver team, he worked for a conference center, as a meeting planner, for a DMC, and for Visit Baltimore. Jason is a member of PCMA and ASAE. He also serves on the Destinations International Sales and Marketing Committee and on the Editorial Advisory Board of Colorado Meetings + Events magazine. Some of the most cherished aspects of his position are cultivating relationships and sharing the exciting story of Denver and Colorado as a guest speaker at MSU and various industry events. In his down time, you can find Jason singing with the Denver Gay Men’s Chorus or traveling. You can reach him at [email protected] and 303-571-9424.
Dave Feller
Board Member Since 2020
Dave is the Senior Sales Manager at Beaver Run Resort and Conference Center in Breckenridge. He worked at Beaver Run for several years in all areas of hospitality, eventually landing in sales which, according to him, is the best department! With a solid understanding of both sales and operations, Dave has an understanding of and appreciation for exceptional customer service.
During winter lunch breaks, you can find Dave on the slopes. In the summer, he’ll be on his bike or in his tent. Dave also enjoys giving back to his community; he’s on the Town of Breckenridge Events Committee and the Sustainable Events Task Force, and he volunteers in the community. You can reach Dave at [email protected].
John Hess
Board Member Since 2021
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Sara Lawrason
Board Member Since 2021
Sara Mercado-Lawrason is Program and Account Manager for Operation Altitude. She moved from Arkansas to Colorado after college and never looked back. Her background is in hospitality, specifically restaurant and event management. She started with Operation Altitude in 2017 with roles in networking, marketing, sales, program development and management. Event production is her passion, and creating unforgettable experiences is her ultimate goal. Sara’s clients are primarily corporate groups specializing in conferences, retreats and incentive programs. In her free time, Sara enjoys weekend trips to the mountains, dining at all the incredible restaurants around Colorado and cuddling with her cats! Sara can be reached at 720-231-1722/ [email protected].