SPEAKERS
Dennis Snow
Dennis Snow’s customer service abilities were honed over 20 years with the Walt Disney World Company. There, he developed his passion for service excellence and the experience he brings to the worldwide speaking and consulting he does today.
He began his Disney career in 1979 as a front-line attractions operator. As he advanced through the company, Dennis managed various operating areas throughout the park, learning and applying the skills it takes to run a world-class, service-driven organization.
Dennis launched a division of the Disney Institute responsible for consulting with some of the world’s largest companies including Exxon, AT&T, General Motors and Coca Cola. During this time, he presented to audiences in diverse locations around the world, such as South Africa, Australia, Mexico, England and Argentina. This division quickly became the fastest growing venture of the Disney Institute and experienced repeat business of nearly 100%.
He also spent several years with the Disney University, teaching corporate philosophy and business practices to cast members and the leadership team. While there, he coordinated the Disney Traditions program which is universally recognized as a benchmark in corporate training. In his last year with Walt Disney World®, Dennis’ leadership performance was ranked in the top 3% of the company’s leadership team.
Today, Dennis is a full-time speaker, trainer and consultant who helps organizations achieve goals related to customer service, employee development and leadership. Some of his clients include Wachovia, Blockbuster Video, BMW Financial Services, Florida State University and Johns Hopkins Hospital. His articles appear in a number of industry publications and he is a featured guest “expert” on customer service, on several business news-talk radio shows. He is the author of the book, Unleashing Excellence: The Complete Guide to Ultimate Customer Service, which has been used in organizations around the world as a blueprint for organizational excellence.
Drew Holderbein
Sales Development Manager
Drew Holderbein manages the Sales Development team for Wells Fargo Bank Alaska. He travels statewide with the primary responsibility of increasing effectiveness of retail team members and coordinating the bank’s focus with market needs. He develops action plans and provides ongoing coaching for stores. He also facilitates training classes and assists in development of statewide retail strategies to achieve company goals.
Prior to coming to Alaska, Drew was a Branch Manager in Stockton, California where he lead his team to achieve gold and platinum customer experience rating levels. He earned the Western Region “Supernova” award in 2004 for outstanding customer service and “Gold for Gold” award in 2005 and 2006 for outstanding sales performance. In 2007 his branch was the only Wells Fargo location in Northern California to achieve Platinum levels in customer service. Drew has also served as a Youth Pastor where he organized and managed the youth ministry for his congregation and mentored young church members.
Drew resides in Anchorage with his wife Kim; a son, Mason; a daughter, Emily; a dog, Magnus and a cat, Mikey.
Don Krohn
Don Krohn is one of Alaska’s experts on fraud prevention. His 30-year career in law enforcement began in the Air Force. He served with U.S. Customs for 9 years before moving on to the Anchorage Police Department. As a detective with APD, Don worked the major crimes unit and specialized in white-collar crimes. His experience with white-collar criminals is what has given him the edge in his position at First National Bank Alaska.
As the Security Officer for First National Bank Alaska for the past 5 years, Don has developed and implemented programs that have resulted in an 80% reduction in successful criminal attacks against the bank and its customers.
Josh Perlstein
As a recognized thought leader and innovator in the Internet marketing space since 1996, Josh has helped the world's most trusted brands from companies such as P&G, Disney, IBM, Pfizer, Nestle' and ConAgra Foods find customers online and build long-term, valuable, profitable relationships through innovative Internet channels.
Josh is a regular contributor to industry-leading publications as Ad Age, Chief Marketer, DM News, Target Marketing, Catalog Success, MediaPost, iMedia Connection, WSJ, Direct and Multichannel Merchant and has presented with passion at events such as National Center for Database Marketing, The DMA Annual, OMMA, Email Evolution Conference, Interactive Advertising Bureau's Leadership Summits, ad:tech, e-Tail Conference and multiple travel and CPG industry-specific events.
Camille Ferguson
Camille Ferguson has 21 professional years experience in the tourism industry and currently is the Economic Development Director for Sitka Tribal Enterprise for the Sitka Tribe of Alaska. She is a certified Alaska Host customer service trainer and tourism development consultant for small communities in Alaska helping with cultural awareness.
Camille has been employed with the Sitka Tribe of Alaska since 1997, developing and expanding Sitka Tribal Tours cultural tourism programs and the Community House Convention Facility. She contributed to the establishment of the Community Ride Public Transit System, the Tribe’s Travel Department, Bingo & Wild Game Pull Tab Parlor, and the Made in Sitka Artist Gift Shop.
Her public involvement include 6 years on Sitka Convention & Visitors Bureau (serving 5 years as President), Sitka Native Education Board (3 years as President), 2 years with Sitka Chamber of Commerce Board, 3 years Sitka Public Transit System (Co-chair) and 2 years on Sitka’s Heritage and Cultural Tourism Conference Board(Founder). Camille has been serving as President and the Alaska representative of the American Indian/ Alaska Native Tourism Association for four years.
She was born and raised in Sitka and is from the Kiksadi Clay House. Her long-time commitment to tourism, family, friends and community keep her involved in many projects.
Pam Dobbeck
Pam is a marketing strategist with 17 years experience working on the ATIA program as a consultant to Bradley/Reid and Associates. Her responsibility is to apply research and response data to guide development of direct and online marketing strategies that keep the ATIA program relevant, compelling and efficient at delivering the marketing goals of ATIA.
Pam’s background includes 20 years as a specialist in the area of direct marketing. Before starting her own consulting business, she spent time as the Director of Online Marketing at FPG (now Getty Images) and 12 years at Herring/Newman where she was Media Director and Director of Online and Relationship/Direct Marketing. In addition to her work with Bradley/Reid and Associates, her accounts have included: Westin Hotels, Holiday Inn, Preview Travel (now Travelocity), Australian Tourism Marketing Council, American Express Sky Guide, Gap, Nike, Apple Computer, Sun Microsystems, Hewlett Packard, Airborne Express, Microsoft, Seattle Opera, Pacific Northwest Ballet and Pyramid Breweries.
Jacqi Todd
Jacqi's career started in 1973 with Thomson Holidays, now part of the TUI group and in 1979 moved to Jetsave, a leading US specialist tour operator and from there joined the management team formed to set up CP Air Holidays a subsidiary of the Canadian airline.
Jacqi joined MGA in 1985 and has been involved in all MGA account development thereafter with particular emphasis on public relations and destination representation.
Currently Managing Director of MGA Communications Ltd which was formed in 2004 to specifically look after the Alaska Travel Industry Association
Jacqi was the PR chair of the Visit USA Association for 5 years until 2007 and stills works closely with the committee and the US Embassy to promote tourism to the USA.
Takaku Wataru
Team Director
Wataru Takaku has over 10 years experience in the hospitality industry and tourism marketing. He has had a range of sales and marketing experience with leading travel industry players in Japan including HIS, the fastest growing travel agency in Japan, UTELL Reservations service, and Preferred Hotel Group, an independent luxury hotel group in Japan. He has passed the state examination as a certified general travel service supervisor. For the past two years, he has been managing the ATIA’s travel trade relationships.
1997 – 1998: HIS Co Ltd, Travel Consultant
1999 – 2002: Pegasus Solutions Inc, Reservation Sales Agent
2002 – 2004: Preferred Hotel Group, Coordinator of Sales
2004 – 2007: Marketing Garden Ltd, Account Manager
Since 2007: Marketing Garden, an AVIAREPS Company, Account Manager
Mike Miller
In Pennsylvania on Valentines Day Mike was born. He grew up in the backwoods and farmland of New Jersey.
After graduating from High School in Orange County California, Mike attended Orange Coast Community College to continue his education. Then completing Firefighting training in 1978 and proceeded to serve as a firefighter and Construction Contractor in Mammoth Lakes, California.
After this moving to Nome in 1982 and was employed as a Construction Coordinator for the Nome Eskimo Community. His experience in rural Alaska continued fulfilling construction contracts in villages along the Yukon River in the early 1980’s.
In the Valley he then constructed, owned and operated six 4-plex apartments. While living in Palmer, he became owner of a small herd of Plains Bison and became involved in captive wildlife management which eventually led to his present day position.
In 1993 Big Game Alaska opened, a for profit organization, that served as a place where visitors and Alaskan residents could view wildlife in a natural setting. In 2000 BGA became a nonprofit 501-C-3 organization, to better reflect our mission of preserving Alaska’s wildlife. Mike currently is the Executive Director of this nonprofit, the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center (AWCC). Since our opening in 1993, AWCC has seen over 3 million visitors. The center cares for orphaned, injured, relocated brown bears, grizzly bears, black bears, plains bison, wood bison, moose, musk ox, elk, deer, caribou, birds of prey and an assortment of small animals. The Center’s focus has changed from visitor entertainment, to visitor education with the idea that in the end, visitors will only conserve what they care about and they will only care about what they understand.
As owner and operator of AWCC, Mike has formed positive relationships with the USDA Forest Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, the Alaska Tourism Industry, and many community leaders and residents.
Alaska has been Mike Miller’s home for 26 years. His grandparents moved to this state in the early 50’s and now over 250 of his relatives call Alaska home.
Randy Rogers
Wildlife Planner, Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Randy Rogers is originally from Denver, Colorado but has now lived in Fairbanks for over 30 years. Randy received a B.S. in Resource Conservation from the University of Montana in 1979 and an M.S. in Natural Resource Management from the University of Alaska-Fairbanks in 1989. Mr. Rogers has worked in a variety natural resource management related positions in Alaska including serving as Recreational Trail Planner for the Fairbanks North Star Borough and working on oil spill contingency plans and spill response for the Department of Environmental Conservation. He has been in his current position as Wildlife Planner for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game for 10 years. Randy enjoys working with different wildlife interest groups to develop collaborative solutions to challenging wildlife management issues.
Randy is married to Elizabeth Peltola and they have a 16 year old daughter named Teal and a 12 year old son named Luke. They enjoy wilderness rafting in Alaska in the summer and travelling to foreign countries in the winter.
Paul Anderson
Denali National Park & Preserve Superintendent
Paul Anderson will provide updates and answer questions on the South Denali Facilities development project as well as the Park Road Vehicle Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement which is currently in preparation. The National Park Service would like your input as they develop a plan to manage vehicles along the Denali Park Road, including defining the maximum number of vehicles that can be accommodated on the park road during the core summer season . They will look at options for providing the most efficient and effective transportation system possible -- one that optimizes access to the park while providing the highest quality visitor experience and protecting park resources. This will be a great opportunity for you to share your ideas on how to improve the park’s transportation system and its components such as bus scheduling and spacing, allocation of vehicle types, size and type of buses, new tour services, and enhancing educational opportunities and interpretive services.
