Hospitality and Tourism Management

Diana Burke | Executive Director for the Virginia Beach Hotel Association

Diana Burke is a graduate from Virginia Tech with a B.S. in Business Management and an MBA from Old Dominion University.  As the Executive Director for the Virginia Beach Hotel Association, Diana represents over 80 hoteliers and 130 Associate Members throughout the city.  She has a diverse background in Human Resources, Conference Services and Teaching.  Diana has lived in Virginia her entire life, more specifically in the Hampton Roads area for the last 26 years

Melissa Milione | Corporate Director of Events for Hyatt Hotels & Resorts

Melissa Milione, CMP, CPCE, is Corporate Director of Events for Hyatt Hotels & Resorts. She supports all of the professionals who sell and coordinate the catering and conference services for all of Hyatt’s full service hotels in the Americas. In addition, she is responsible for developing and executing all training for the division, delivering innovative technology to support events and developing talent for the hotels. She leads Hyatt’s National Event Planning team.  A graduate of Virginia Tech’s Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management program, Melissa has 30 years’ experience in the hospitality industry in all areas of F&B management, hotel sales and convention services.  As a Director of Catering her teams have twice been named Catering/CS team of the Year for Hyatt Hotels and she was named Director of Catering/CS of the Year for large hotels in 2008.

Melissa is an active member of NACE and MPI. She is a trainer for NACE’s On-line CPCE Study Course and MPI North Florida’s CMP Study Group. She is a Past President of MPI North Florida and remains active in the chapter on committees. Melissa has been recognized by MPI North Florida as Supplier of the Year (2012) and received the distinguished Presidents Award (2011). Active in her community, Melissa volunteers in local schools and serves on the Advisory Board for Virginia Tech’s college of Hospitality & Tourism Management.

Marketing

Artemis Berry | Vice President of Member Engagement at the National Retail Federation

Berry leads a team responsible for community and event management for digital retail, retail technology, loss prevention and marketing communities. Berry also manages the year-round member experience and engagement strategy for the federation.

Berry graduated from Virginia Tech in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing, and proceeded to earn her masters in Corporate Communications and Public Relations from Georgetown University in 2011. Her professional experiences boast a wide range of skills and accomplishments, including her previous role as the Marketing Director for Vision Chain. Vision Chain is a Washington D.C. based startup software company, where Berry took charge on all facets of the company’s marketing portfolio at the time.  Read more

Scott Kennedy | Segment Manager at Microsoft

Kennedy brings deep experience in technology sales, marketing, and government affairs, along with expertise in K12 and Higher Education and education policy to the Board.

Since 2002, Scott has held roles across Microsoft’s Global Sales & Marketing Organization, leading to his current leadership position. Now responsible for the business development, sales and go to market strategy for Microsoft in the small to mid-size education space across the western United States, Scott leads a sales team focused on enabling client success and digital transformation through industry leading Cloud technologies. Outside of work, Scott embodies the defining spirit of Virginia Tech, Ut Prosim, supporting the Lincoln Park Community Shelter, the Wounded Warrior Project, and the Boys and Girls Club of Hawaii. Read more.

Greg Kihlström | Founder and CEO at Carousel30

Kihlström is Founder and CEO at Carousel30, an award-winning strategic digital agency which has worked with top brands over the last 13 years, including AARP, Ben & Jerrys, Geico, MTV, Starbucks, The Nature Conservancy, Toyota and United Nations. His experience also spans to the higher education space, including work with Howard University, Purdue University, The Washington Center for Academic Internships, Lead2Feed, and several others.

Kihlström has held an active relationship Virginia Tech since 2010, specifically within the College of Business. His efforts include guest lecturing, external event sponsorship and hosting an internship at Carousel30. He previously held a role as President of the Board of Directors of the American Advertising Federation’s Washington DC Chapter, and served on the Board of Trustees of the Trust for the George Washington Memorial Parkway and the National Board of Directors of the American Advertising Federation (AAF). Read more.

Jay Williams| Brand Manager for Altria Group

Williams  is a  2008 graduate. He received degrees from Virginia Tech in both Management and Marketing, as well as Psychology. While on campus, Williams also completed a minor in Leadership, participated in research within the College of Business, and served as a Resident Advisor. Since graduation, he has seen an array of experiences beginning with an internship that led to linear, yet dynamic career.

Williams now holds a position as a Brand Manager for Altria Group, but he began working for the Altria Family eight years ago as an intern with Philip Morris USA. Since his initial internship, he has moved through a variety of Brand Management and Sales positions within Altria’s various operating companies.

Since working for Altria, Williams has completed his Masters of Business Administration from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business with concentrations in Marketing, Strategy and Entrepreneurship. With many more years of success ahead, Williams is sure to offer insight and positive collaboration as a member of the MIMB. Read more.