Staff List | Contact
Meet the Meet Minneapolis Team
Executive Team
Melvin Tennant, CAE
President & CEO Meet Minneapolis
melvint@minneapolis.org
Melvin oversees the day-to-day operations of Meet Minneapolis, including the professional and support staff. Melvin serves as the voice of Meet Minneapolis through speaking engagements, civic activities and political council meetings. He has served as president and CEO of Meet Minneapolis since November 2007.
Christy Loy
Senior Vice President, Destination Sales
christyl@minneapolis.org
Christy is the senior vice president of Destination Sales. Joining Meet Minneapolis in February 2024, her focus is on sales and collaborating to drive more convention business to Minneapolis while strengthening relationships with the local hotel community. She oversees the Destination Sales teams at Meet Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Convention Center.
Courtney Ries
Senior Vice President, Branding & Strategy
courtneyr@minneapolis.org
As the Senior Vice President of Destination Branding & Strategy, Courtney oversees the marketing, public relations, partnership and visitor information departments. With her team, she is responsible for telling the story of Minneapolis and its offerings to potential visitors, meeting planners, media, locals and other stakeholders.
Sandy Christensen
Senior Vice President, Finance & Administration
sandyc@minneapolis.org
Sandy joined Meet Minneapolis in May of 2016 as the Vice President of Finance & Administration. In this role, she is responsible for organization support functions including financial planning and accounting, human resources and employee benefits administration, information technology, as well as statutory compliance and reporting. The focus of Finance & Administration is to ensure that the organization has the financial, technological and staffing resources to be successful.
Abby Poeske
Vice President, Destination Development & Public Affairs
abbyp@minneapolis.org
As the VP of Destination Development & Public Affairs, Abby leads the government relations strategy and oversees the implementation of Meet Minneapolis' 10-year destination master plan. She is responsible for destination development, which is the enhancement of tourism-related assets, infrastructure and experiences to better attract visitors and to strengthen local pride and community vitality.
Ka Vang
Vice President, Equity & Community Impact
kav@minneapolis.org
As the Vice President of Equity & Community Impact, Ka is responsible for developing a strategic vision and implementing a plan that systemically advances a culture of equity, diversity and inclusion as part of the organization’s core mission and values by developing data-driven strategic roadmaps and demonstrating outcomes to our stakeholders. She also determines the most impactful policies/strategies/programs our organization, in collaboration with partners, can develop/implement to begin reducing racial, ethnic, and cultural disparities in the communities we serve.
General Information
801 Marquette Avenue South, Suite 100
Minneapolis, MN 55402
612-767-8000
Fax: 612-767-8001
info@minneapolis.org
Finance & Administration
Sandy Christensen – Senior Vice President, Finance & Administration
Ben Dawson – Controller
Peter Luttrell – Senior Accountant
Karel Havle – Senior Director, Human Resources and Office Operations
Ian Gacek – Database Analyst
Chris Fritzinger – Senior IT Manager
Ibsitue Kadir – Office Manager
Larissa Shea – Executive Assistant
Destination Sales
Tom Ruzsa – Director of Meeting and Sports Sales, Minnesota and Minnesota Sports and Events Account
Rosalind Dixon – Associate Director, Business Development
Sonia Nauss – National Account Executive, Upper Midwest Accounts
Collin O’Brien – National Account Executive, West National Association and Corporate Accounts
Viveca McDonald – National Account Executive, D.C. Accounts
Isaiah Griffin – National Account Executive, Religious Market
Alyssa Ripley – Sales Account Executive, East Coast Accounts
Anne Kloepper – Senior Administrative Assistant, Sales
Tamera Oats – Administrative Assistant, Sales
Minneapolis Convention Center Sales
Katie Smith, CMP – Director of Sales and Marketing - MCC
Deb Taylor – Associate Director of Sales – MCC
Sheila Tapia – National Account Executive - MCC
Madison Rhode – National Account Executive - MCC
Alex Hall – Sales Account Executive - MCC
Chloe Flanagan – Sales Administrative Assistant - MCC
Jessica Klimisch – Marketing Project Manager - MCC
Sports Minneapolis
Tom Ruzsa – Director of Meeting and Sports Sales, Midwest Accounts
Kate Robey – Manager of National Sports Sales
Megan Wahman – Marketing Manager
Anne Kloepper – Senior Administrative Assistant, Sales
Destination Services
Tamara Spude, CMP – Senior Director, Destination Services & Events
Cindi Green – Administrative Assistant, Services
Ashley Williams, ESPC – Destination Services and Sports Manager
Abby Mikel – Destination Services and Events Manager
Tyler Boike – Sports Operation Manager
Joey O’Neill – Destination Services Associate
Events
Krista Rivard – Director of Events
Public Affairs
Adam Wright – Director of Market Research
Betsy Anger – Public Affairs & Destination Development Manager
Destination Branding and Strategy
PR & COMMUNICATIONS
Kathy McCarthy – Senior Director, Public Relations & Communications
Kristen Montag – Senior Manager, Public Relations & Communications
Kevin Kurtt – Manager, Public Relations & Communications
Ellen Bedecarre – Social Media Manager
MARKETING
Jill Anderson – Senior Director, Marketing
Katie McMahon – Senior Marketing Manager
Megan Wahman – Marketing Manager
Jessica Klimisch – Minneapolis Convention Center, Marketing Project Manager
Nick Leiferman – Senior Graphic Designer
Melissa Lage – Graphic Designer
Hana Ansari – Senior Digital Content Marketing Strategist
Julia Cournoyer – Digital Content Marketing Associate
Heidi Lear – Director of Partnership
Tim Knight – Partnership Business Development Manager
Clare Koppel – Partnership Associate
VISITOR CENTER SERVICES
Damon Riddle – Manager of Visitor Services
Kat Baynes – Visitor Services Supervisor
Steve Druley – Visitor Services Supervisor
Jan Flagel – Visitor Services Supervisor
Jeanne Smith – Visitor Services Supervisor
GLOBAL TOURISM
Elida Zaldivar-Parada – International Program Manager
