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Public Policy Committee

Advocacy Pillar:

  • Public Policy Committee develops the annual policy platform, participates in the annual legislative events, evaluates legislative affairs, and works to solve specific issues for the destination marketing industry at the Capitol. The official purpose of the committee is to educate elected officials about the tourism industry and to keep the membership abreast of bills in the state legislature, laws, government requirements and other issues that affect destination marketing organizations. 

2024 Public Policy Committee

  • Joseph Marinelli, Visit Savannah - Committee Chair 
  • Peter Bowden, VisitColumbusGA
  • Bennish Brown, Destination Augusta
  • Gary Wheat, Visit Macon
  • Lisa Smith, Georgia's Rome Office of Tourism 
  • David DiSalvo, Visit Valdosta
  • Scott McQuade, Golden Isles CVB
  • Mark Vaughan, Atlanta CVB
  • Leah Poole, Liberty County Chamber & CVB
  • Andy Williams, Visit Roswell - GACVB President 
  • Lee Hughes, Hughes Public Affairs - GACVB Public Affairs Staff 
  • Jay Markwalter, GACVB Staff

- Lee Hughes, Hughes Public Affairs / GACVB Public Affairs Staff moderating panel at Winter Conference 2019
- Jay Markwalter, GACVB Staff with State Representatives Ron Stephens (Joint Committee Chair) and Matthew Gambill (Committee Member) following Joint House & Senate Committee on Economic Development & Tourism meeting at the 2019 Georgia Governor's Tourism Conference in LaGrange

- Joseph Marinelli, Visit Savannah / GACVB Public Policy Chair, Cheryl Hargrove, Explore Georgia, Jay Markwalter, GACVB, U.S. Representative Austin Scott representative Alice Johnson (Tifton, GA office), and 2020 Annual Conference host Chris Hamilton, Valdosta-Lowndes Co. Conference Center & Tourism Authority.