Willma Harvey started her career in destination sales at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau. During her time there, she marketed not only the Mississippi Gulf Coast but also other Gulf Coast regions such as New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Mobile, Gulf Shores, Pensacola, and the Beaches of South Walton. Together, these regions were promoted as a premier southern tourism destination called SouthCoast USA. Ms. Harvey's job was to promote the region to both domestic and international tour operators.

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Ms. Harvey was among the first sales managers in ecotourism hired by a convention and visitors bureau. While working at the Corpus Christi Convention & Visitors Bureau, she successfully promoted Corpus Christi and the Texas Coastal Bend as a top destination for nature tourism. She organized various birding competitions, including the Great Texas Birding Classic. Moreover, Ms. Harvey helped to establish a regional tourism advisory council and served as a Texas Tropical Trail Region board member.

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Willms's efforts to bring meetings to Corpus Christi were highly successful. As Destinations Sales Manager, she booked nature-oriented meetings, while as Senior Sales Manager, she secured numerous national, regional, and city-wide state association meetings. Ms. Harvey also played a key role in recruiting local attractions to join the Texas Society of Association Executives (TSAE) and served on the TSAE Leadership Committee.

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Ms. Harvey has extensive experience in wedding planning and event coordination. She served as the first resort sales manager at Cinnamon Shore, which is Texas's first new urbanism resort destination located in Port Aransas. As a sales manager, Ms. Harvey successfully organized and managed many elaborate weddings, small corporate meetings, and board meetings for several state associations. Additionally, she coordinated multiple receptions and shows, including the resort's first concert featuring Radney Foster.

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Willma was the Tourism Sales Manager at Louisiana's Cajun Bayou Tourism. She played a key role in shaping Lafourche Parish's tourism industry by creating and executing tourism products. To achieve this, she developed effective sales and marketing strategies to promote the destination. As part of her efforts, Willma created diverse itineraries, group tour packages, and built a portfolio of local businesses that catered to cultural tourism. In her current role as Director of Sales and Business Development at the River Parishes Tourist Commission, she prioritizes destination stewardship and sustainability.

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Ms. Harvey is an active volunteer who dedicates much of her time to various prominent tourism organizations. She serves on multiple committees, including the Destinations International Advocacy, National Tour Association Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, American Bus Association African American Motorcoach Council, and Louisiana Chapter of the Society of Government Meeting Professionals Board. Moreover, she is the Fundraising Trustee for the Society of Government Meeting Professionals Gilmer Institute of Learning.