Board of Directors
Meet the People Behind SITE Texas
Julie Blank, CRP, CITP – President
Director, Strategic Accounts – Brightspot Incentives and Events
Tel. 972-661-6042 | julie.blank@brightspot.email | Brightspot Incentives and Events
Julie embodies the saying “Not all Who Wander are Lost”. She is a 25 year veteran of the meeting and event industry, working the last 15 years at Brightspot Incentives and Events. She is currently the Director of Strategic Accounts, where she fulfills her passion of sharing the joy of travel with others, by helping her clients design and operate meetings and incentive travel programs around the globe. Prior to Brightspot, Julie worked for Warner Brothers Records. There she managed events and event marketing for big-name entertainers, which ignited her passion for creating engaging and exciting group experiences.
When not working, Julie loves spending time with her husband, 3 grown kids, 2 dogs, and a good glass of Italian wine.
Todd Zint, CMP, CMM, CITP – Immediate Past President
VP, Senior Director, Events – ACCESS Destination Services
Tel. 512-573-1154 | todd.zint@accessdmc.com | ACCESS Destination Services
Todd is the VP, Senior Director, Events for ACCESS Destination Services. Todd oversees the strategy and leadership for the Texas Events Team. Prior to joining ACCESS in 2018, he managed and led several corporate travel, incentives, and event teams mainly in the Insurance and Financial sector for over two decades.
Todd has also committed his time to volunteer for an industry that has given him so much by writing industry articles and participating in board-level assignments including the Incentive Research Foundation, SITE Texas and FICP, where he served as its national Chairman in 2011.
Jeorge Zepeda – Director of Membership
Regional Dir. Of Sales Southern Plains – AIC Hotel Group
jzepeda@aichotelgroup.com | AIC Hotel Group
Driven by an insatiable passion for hospitality and the art of creating unforgettable experiences. With over a decade of dedicated service, I am honored to hold the esteemed position of Regional Director of Sales for Southern Plains at AIC Hotel Group, representing renowned brands including UNICO 20 87, Hard Rock Hotel, and NOBU Hotels. Join me on this exhilarating journey as we redefine luxury in the realm of travel and elevate every encounter to extraordinary heights.
A dedicated SITE member and former Young Leader, committed to empowering the new generation of professionals to thrive and make their voices heard. Let’s connect and elevate the industry together.
Owen Chiu – Vice President of Membership
Account Director – Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre
ochiu@wallcentre.com | Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre
Owen is currently the Account Director for Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre, she joined in September 2022. Owen has shared 13 amazing years in the Tourism and Hospitality industry working at Destination Vancouver, Business Events Sydney and for a local DMC, Canadian Tours International. In addition, Owen created OC Events to help contract and organize Asia Pacific in-bound incentive programs in North America between 2016 to 2019.
Aside from her day job, Owen is the 2022 incoming President for PCMA Canada West, current SITE TX Young Leader committee member and she is looking forward to serve on the SITE Texas board as Director of Member Services. When Owen is not travelling or sharing her passion for Tourism, you will find her petting dogs, singing or on an expedition to find the next best eats!
Ruben Perez – Vice President of Sponsorships
Regional Sales Director, Meetings & Incentives – Velas Resorts Mexico
rperez@velasresorts.com | Velas Resorts Mexico
Ruben Perez is the Regional Sales Director, U.S. Central & Northeast, Meetings & Incentives for Velas Resorts Mexico. He is responsible for promoting the Velas brand with a passionate strategic approach to grow industry relationship engagement, developing and implementing key sales solutions to clients that are in search of a true luxury experience while providing the unique and unmatched level of service at Velas Resorts.
Prior to joining Velas Resorts, Perez most recently served as Senior Director of Sales & Services for Discover Denton Texas. He was responsible for promoting Denton to Travel and Meeting buyers nationwide. Additionally, Perez served as the Executive Vice President at Lamont Associates, a site selection and meeting planning firm based in Southlake Texas, Vice President of Sales with Visit Dallas, and held several sales leadership roles with Starwood Hotels and Resorts at several properties in Dallas and in the Starwood Global Sales Organization in New York City.
Ruben is a native New Yorker and has lived in the DFW area since 2004. He enjoys spending quality time with his family, playing golf with friends, grilling in his backyard, traveling the world (especially Mexico) and is a die hard 80’s rock enthusiast!
Scott Vastine – Director of Sponsorships
Principal, V2 Incentives, LP
svastine@v2incentives.com | V2 Incentives
Scott is 30-year industry veteran and the owner of V2 Incentives based in Dallas, Texas. With progressive, performance-driven programs, V2 Incentives is a full-service marketing and incentive travel company. Scott oversees the leadership, operational excellence and customer-centric strategies that continue to elevate his organization to the next level. Scott enjoys travel, golf and sports overall. His mantra is maintaining health and a spirit of paying it forward.
Tracy Torrez – Vice President of Marketing
Senior Sales Manager – Hotel Emma
Tel. 210-448-8312 | tracy.torrez@thehotelemma.com | Hotel Emma
Tracy is a Texas girl. Born in San Antonio to a military officer, she traveled the world with her family and has lived in places as far away as Misawa, Japan and Crete, Greece. She graduated from UT and her love for travel led her to the world of hotels. In an almost three decade career, she is Director of Sales and Strategy at Hotel Emma at Pearl.
In addition to traveling, Tracy loves cooking and is passionate about Golden Retrievers. She and her husband, Tony have two dogs, Wyatt, a Lab chow mix and Jaxon, a Golden, of course.
Brandon Bovre – Director of Social Media
National Sales Manager – RMC DMC
Being born and raised in Texas, good ol’ Southern hospitality got into Brandon’s blood. He has over a decade of experience in sales, marketing, and business development, and is always craving to learn new things to better himself.
Brandon currently serves as National Sales Manager with RMC DMC supporting over 30+ destinations in the USA. Prior to being on the Board of Directors, he started with SITE Texas in the Young Leaders chapter.
Brandon is based in Fort Worth, Texas and is very involved in his community, volunteering at various non-profit organizations.
Kerri Matthews, CIS, CITP – Vice President of Education & Events
Director of Global Sales – Associated Hotels International (ALHI)
Tel. 817-781-9106 | kmatthews@alhi.com | ALHI
Kerri Matthews has enjoyed 30 years in the hospitality industry and is currently based in Frisco, Tx serving as Director of Global Sales at Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI) representing 250+ hotels worldwide. She has also spent a large portion of her career at illustrious hotels such as Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort in Maui, La Cantera Resort in San Antonio, Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center and the Hilton Anatole in the Dallas area.
When asked why she loves this industry, she says, “I have a passion to help others be successful. When I can help others achieve their goals, we ALL win.” This is also why she has participated in SITE Texas serving on the Events Committee, Awards Committee, and in the Mentor Program, as well as in other hospitality organizations. It gives her the opportunity to be of service to both planners and suppliers, learn new and better techniques, and help create a stronger, better hospitality family overall.
Kerri loves to travel and spend time with her three children, Natalie, Landon, and Jacob ranging in age from 14 to 29, who all reside in DFW.
Jana Hofer – Director of Education Events
Assistant Director of Sales, Strategic Partner Accounts – Visit Dallas
janet.hofer@visitdallas.com | Visit Dallas
Jana is a native-Texan and a 15-year veteran in the hospitality industry. Over the last 8 years with Visit Dallas, Jana has assumed multiple roles within the Sales Division and is currently managing strategic partnerships and developing relationships and business strategies to increase lead volume and year over year production growth. Prior to Visit Dallas, Jana thrived in sales roles at various Westin Hotels & Resorts and The Fairmont Dallas during her tenure.
When not working, Jana enjoys spending time with her family in East Texas, volunteering, cooking, wine tasting, kickboxing, snow skiing and exploring destinations abroad. In 2020, Jana rescued a French Bulldog named Stella and they are inseparable.
Andrea Wooten – Director of Social Events
Purchasing Director – V2 Incentives
awooten@v2incentives.com | V2 Incentives
A 29-year incentive industry professional, Andrea Wooten has experience in every aspect of the industry, with sourcing and purchasing being her predominant skill set. She has worked for two third-party planning companies, Mary Kay Europe, and Live Nation. Currently, Andrea is the Purchasing Director for V2 Incentives. The industry has allowed her to meet and form relationships with others from around the world. Now she is wanting to share her skills, knowledge, and love of the incentives industry with others.
On a personal note, Andrea is a proud Fort Worth girl and graduated from the University of Texas, Arlington with a BBA in Marketing. She is the proud mom of a daughter attending American University in Washington, D.C. and a son who recently married his Ukrainian wife.