Stan Cook, Jr. is President of Stan Cook Sea-Kayak Adventures, a family-owned adventure tourism operation. Mr. Cook is the Chair of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada and founding President of the Adventure Tourism Association of Newfoundland and Labrador. He is past Chair of Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador (2003-2004) and the Atlantic Canada Tourism Partnership. Mr. Cook is also Chair of the Gros Morne Institute for Sustainable Tourism, past Chair of Brand Experiences with the Canadian Tourism Commission, and a member of the Canadian Sustainable Tourism Advisory Council.

Bruce Sparkes is the Managing Director of Clayton Inns Inc., a 30-year-old family hospitality business with holdings in hotels, food and restaurant supply, tourism packaging, and real estate. Mr. Sparkes was appointed Chair of Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador in 2007 and is the past Chair of Canada Select Newfoundland and Labrador. He has been instrumental in the development of Uncommon Potential: A Vision for Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism and is very involved in tourism and community developments in his hometown of Gander. In 2009 he was presented, along with his siblings Steve Sparkes and Judy Sparkes-Giannou, with the Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation�s Doug Wheeler Award for contribution to the development and promotion of the tourism industry in Newfoundland and Labrador.

John Dicks is the Manager of Marketing and Systems for Steele Hotels. He was appointed Vice-Chair of Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador in 2009 and serves on the Board of Directors for Destination Gander. Mr. Dicks has extensive experience within the tourism industry including having served as Director of Marketing, Destination St. John�s (1998-2005) and Chair of the East Coast Music Awards and Conference (2004). He has served on numerous culture and tourism committees over the last 30 years, including the East Coast Music Association, Resource Centre for the Arts, Canadian Theater Festival Society, St. John�s Cultural Tourism Steering Committee, Quintessential Vocal Ensemble and St. John�s Board of Trade. In 1996, he received HNL�s Golden Umbrella Award for contribution to professional development in the tourism industry, and in 1993 received the St. John�s Board of Trade Business Achievement Award for marketing and promotion excellence.

Yvonne Power was appointed Executive Director of the Cruise Association of Newfoundland and Labrador in 2003, and is a director on the Board of the Atlantic Canada Cruise Association. Ms. Power formerly held the position of Executive Director of Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador 1998-2001. During her term with HNL, she served on numerous tourism boards both provincially and nationally, including Canada Select, the Canadian Tourism Human Resources Council, the Canadian Tourism Commission�s sub-committee on transportation and the Hotel Association of Canada. Prior to returning to her home province of Newfoundland and Labrador in 1997, Ms. Power worked in economic development in British Columbia and served there on a regional tourism development board, North by NorthWest.

Jill Curran is co-owner of Lighthouse Picnics, an authentic culinary attraction located in Ferryland. Ms. Curran has served as Secretary/Treasurer on Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador�s Board of Directors since 2005, and on the Board of Directors with Destination St. John�s since 2006. She is a member of the Bonavista Institute of Cultural Tourism and the Ferryland Tourism Committee.

Jack Cooper is owner/operator of Coopers� Minipi Camps � a world-class resort/lodging operation on Minipi Lake in Labrador. He is a pioneer in the fly-fishing industry in Newfoundland and Labrador. He was the first outfitter in Labrador to impose catch-and-release of all fish angled and a one-fish-per-week limit on guests who stay at his lodge. Catch-and-release has now become so popular that most visitors to the resort observe this practice. Mr. Cooper was the recipient of the National Recreational Fisheries Award in 2000 and his lodging operation has been recognized by Explore Magazine as being among the top 50 adventure trips in Canada and beyond.

Maria Matthews is the owner/operator of Vision the Atlantic Canada Co., a wholesale tour operator that specializes in packaging and selling Atlantic Canada travel products to the international travel trade. She is chair of the Western Destination Marketing Organization and has served on numerous other tourism committees over the last 16 years, including as Vice-Chair of Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador, industry representative on behalf of Newfoundland and Labrador for the Atlantic Canada Tourism Partnership, and steering committee member of the Newfoundland and Labrador Product Development Study and Winter Tourism Strategy. Ms. Matthews has recently started M3B/Visit Humber Valley, a marketing company that operates 25 chalets on the west coast, with two other partners.

Danny Huxter is the operator of Riverwood Inn, a luxury inn located in Springdale. He is the newly-elected Chair of the Central Destination Marketing Organization. Mr. Huxter previously served on the National Rural Advisory Committee and is a current member of the International Youth Employment and Enterprise Summit. He is active as a volunteer in his hometown of Springdale.

Mark McCarthy is President of McCarthy�s Party Ltd., a tour operator specializing in group tour and incentive travel in Newfoundland and Labrador. He is Chair of Destination St. John�s and serves on the board of directors for the St. John�s Board of Trade. Mr. McCarthy previously served as an executive of the board with the Avalon Convention and Visitors Bureau, and was a member on the U.S. Committee of the Atlantic Canada Tourism Partnership.

Cathy Duke was appointed Deputy Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation in January, 2009, having previously served as Deputy Minister of the Department of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development (INTRD). Prior to that she was Executive Director of the Ireland Business Partnerships in that department, leading the province�s efforts in identifying, fostering and promoting trade and partnership opportunities with Ireland in business, education and culture. She previously worked in the private sector as President of Sports Villas Resort, Inc., and operator of the Terra Nova Golf Resort and its related real estate and hotel operations. Ms. Duke�s experience in the tourism industry includes her tenure as Executive Director of Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador. She also has considerable experience in the business development field, having served as a business consultant with Coastal Associates and Consultants Limited, business development co-ordinator and later Executive Director of the Economic Recovery Commission, and account manager with the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA).

Mary Taylor-Ash was appointed Assistant Deputy Minister of Tourism in May 2006. She has extensive experience within the tourism industry, including having served as Executive Director of Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador; Director of Sales and Marketing, and Director of Human Resources, with The Fairmont Newfoundland; Manager of Projects and Programs, Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador; and, Sales Manager, Air Atlantic-Canadian Airlines. In 2001, she received Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador�s Golden Umbrella Award for contribution to professional development in the tourism industry.

Rita Malone was appointed Assistant Deputy Minister in the Department of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development in 2004. Since joining the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador in 1985, she has held a number of progressively responsible positions, including management positions in the Department of Transportation and Communications, and in the Public Service Commission. Ms. Malone has been involved in economic and community development, holding senior management positions in the Newfoundland and Labrador Development Corporation, Department of Development and Rural Renewal, and the Department of Industry, Trade and Rural Development.