travel portland staff

Travel Portland Sees Massive Decline In Tourism Revenue, Reduces Staff By 40%

Travel Portland, the destination marketing and management organization for the city, announced Wednesday it’s cutting staff by 40% due to a massive dropoff in tourism and hotel revenue amid the novel coronavirus outbreak.

“These unprecedented times are unfortunately calling for unprecedented measures,” Travel Portland President and CEO Jeff Miller said in a statement.

According to the organization, remaining staff will also see a reduction in salary, with the largest cuts from the CEO and executive levels. Those that are laid off will receive two weeks’ severance, three months of health benefits and a payout for accrued time off.

“As we have watched the city we love and have the honor of promoting suffer the impacts of this pandemic, we have had to reevaluate how we do our work,” Miller said. “The work we do now, both internally and externally, will define how Portland comes out of this when recovery begins. We are doing what we need to do now to ensure our ability to be poised and ready for this work.”

According to the most recent hotel and lodging metrics, the City of Portland showed a “devastating loss” of business that started to decline the first week of March.

For the week of March 15–21, room demand for lodging was 74.9% lower, with hotel revenue down 80.6% in comparison to the year prior.

For the following week of March 22 — typically a healthy week of business from occupants on spring break — the demand for lodging saw an even bigger dip: room demand was 79.4% lower and revenue was down by 85.5%. Hotels in the Portland area maintained an occupancy of just 15.5%, a decline of over 80%.

Travel Portland said it will continue to work on advocacy for the hospitality community, convention sales, marketing, communications and operations. Travel Portland and its partners are convening task forces to identify “the immediate and long-term needs” of the industry, and will assess the economic impact on local businesses and lodging.

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Meet the Executive Team

Millicent Williams - Director

Millicent Williams is a career public servant and graduate of Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University’s School of Business and Industry in Tallahassee, FL.  

Throughout her career she has demonstrated a strong commitment to providing meaningful service to the residents, businesses, and visitors of every jurisdiction she has worked in.  

Her desire to serve and ensure equitable distribution of critical resources and services is exemplified by her work in communities across the U.S., throughout the Caribbean, in western, central, and southern Africa, and in southern India. Her passion, however, is to connect with and serve local communities, demonstrating how their government can (and does) work to serve their interests.  

Millicent is a five-time mayoral appointee, having served as agency director or senior executive for three separate agencies under three consecutive Washington, D.C. mayors. Previous leadership roles include Executive Director of Serve DC - The Mayor’s Office on Volunteerism and Partnerships; President/CEO of the DC Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation; and Director of the DC Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency. 

While living in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, she supported community growth at the City of Glenn Heights working in various roles in emergency management, parks planning, and community engagement.  

Millicent rejoined PBOT in the summer of 2023 after managing PBOT’s Capital Delivery division from 2017 to 2020, then serving as PBOT Deputy Director until May 2021. After her years at PBOT, Millicent served as Otak’s Oregon/SW Washington Regional Director for the Public Sector and as Corporate Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. 

Millicent lives in Portland and is the proud mother of a 24-year-old son, Ethan. Ethan was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome in early childhood. Since then, Millicent has created solutions to ensure her son—and families struggling with being classified as other-abled—mature into full, independent members of society. Her experience with her son has also influenced the way she manages teams and structures her work. 

Affiliations and memberships

• Rail-volution National Steering Committee 
• WTS International 
• Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO), Immediate Past President, Oregon/SW Washington Chapter 
• Black Emergency Managers Association (BEMA) 
• International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) 
• Project Management Institute (PMI) 
• National Forum for Black Public Administrators (NFBPA) 
• Women’s Home & Overseas Missionary Society, AME Zion Church 
• Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. 
• US Autism and Asperger’s Association 
• Autism Society of America 

Alex Bejarano - Right-of-Way Management & Services Group Director (Interim)

Alex has worked for PBOT since 1994. He started at the city as an Engineering Technician, then as a Transportation Plan Review Engineer. Since 1998, Alex has progressively undertaken more responsibility in supervisory and management roles at PBOT. He looks forward to bringing his skills and experience as Interim Group Director of the Right-of-Way Management & Services group, formerly known as Development, Permitting & Transit. 

At PBOT Alex’s primary focus has been managing and creating policies, procedures, permitting, and inspection practices for public and private utility franchises. Over the years, he’s also led many PBOT initiatives. This includes writing PBOT’s first diversity plan, creating the co-located Public Works Permitting section, implementing small cellular wireless facility permits, and helping craft rules for electric vehicle charging, among many others. 

Alex is a Licensed Professional Civil Engineer and has a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Portland State University. He is also a third generation U.S. Army veteran. When he is away from work, he enjoys spending time with his family, traveling, walking around and exploring Portland, and very much appreciates—occasionally—being accepted by his two cats. 

Wendy Cawley - Traffic Systems & Operations Group Director

Wendy Cawley returned to her role as Group Director of PBOT's Traffic Systems & Operations after serving as Interim Deputy Director during the search for a new director. She began working for PBOT in 1997 because she wanted to interact more with people in their neighborhoods. Since that time Wendy has worked in Traffic Operations, Traffic Design, Project Management, and Development Review. In 2010, Wendy accepted a position as PBOT’s Traffic Safety Engineer and helped shape the High Crash Corridor program that eventually became the Vision Zero program. Wendy was appointed as PBOT’s first female City Traffic Engineer in March 2020.

As Traffic Systems & Operations Group Director, she was responsible for managing the Signals & Street Lighting, Traffic Design, Traffic Operations, and Temporary Traffic Control sections. These sections are responsible for designing new streets, redesigning existing streets, creating traffic control plans to help people move through and around construction sights, designing street lighting systems to help Portlanders move safely in dark conditions, designing and timing traffic signals to keep Portlanders moving safely and efficiently through busy intersections, and investigating and responding to neighborhood safety concerns, such as requests for new crosswalks or stop signs. Wendy remains proud to have managed the 80 staff that make up this group – they are some of the most talented traffic engineers and technicians in the nation. 

Wendy has a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Washington. Outside of work, Wendy likes to travel with her husband, visit her kids at college, hike, golf, and play piano.

Shoshana Cohen - Intergovernmental Resources & Policy Affairs Manager

Shoshana Cohen joined PBOT in 2015. Since that time, she has worked in a variety of roles related to intergovernmental policy, revenue development, mobility, climate, and equity. Shoshana now manages the Intergovernmental, Resources & Policy Affairs team within the Office of the Director. Working closely with the city’s Office of Government Relations, Shoshana and her team track state, regional, tribal, and federal transportation policy and funding initiatives as well as help to advance PBOT goals. Her team also leads revenue development for the bureau and liaises with city hall. Shoshana has helped lead PBOT’s congestion pricing policy work since 2017 and served as the co-project manager for the Pricing Options for Equitable Mobility Task Force. She has enjoyed grappling with complex pricing and funding challenges and hopes to help chart a path toward a more stable, sustainable, and equitable transportation funding future.

Shoshana began her career as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Senegal, West Africa. Prior to PBOT, she also worked for a variety of small nonprofits in both Portland and Chicago. She worked part-time for a number of years while caring for her daughters who are now teenagers. 

She holds a Master of Urban Planning and Policy degree from the University of Illinois Chicago and a Bachelor of Science degree in Natural Resources & Environmental Sciences from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. 

Todd Liles -  Engineering Services Group Director (Interim)

A native Oregonian, Todd has been working in the public sector and the transportation field since 1990 when he began his career as a construction engineer with the Oregon Department of Transportation. In 1996 Todd joined PBOT, going on to design and construct local improvement districts (LIDs), housing and community development projects, as well as dozens of federally funded multimodal projects.  

In 1999, Todd became the supervisor of PBOT’s Construction & Inspection division where he worked with Maintenance Operations to develop a program to help with capital construction, now known as the Quick Build Program. Over Todd’s many years with the bureau, he has designed and overseen construction for many projects, including the Chinatown Streetscape, the E Burnside Street Couplet, SW Naito Parkway, the Lower Albina Overcrossing, along with pavement rehab projects across the city. He also played a large role in getting PBOT self-certified in construction contract administration.  

In 2007, Todd took a supervising engineer role as Pavement Manager in PBOT’s Construction & Pavement Management division. He was promoted to Division Manager in 2015, where he has implemented the new Microsurfacing & Pavement Preservation Program.  

Todd has a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the Oregon Institute of Technology and has been a Professional Civil Engineer since 1996. In his spare time, he enjoys water and snow sports and is a big outdoor enthusiast including hiking and elk hunting. He also enjoys spending time with his grown-up kids’ families, taking them on camping trips, and playing board games. 

Jeramy Patton -  Business Services Group Director 

Jeramy was appointed as the Business Services Group Manager in February of 2017. Business Services is the backbone of the bureau, providing efficient and comprehensive back-office support to over 900 employees. With a staff of around 70 employees, Jeramy manages the bureau’s work regarding technology services, administrative support, personnel management, procurement & contracts, timekeeping, employee safety & training, risk management, finance, budget, strategic planning, process improvement, and performance management.

Jeramy joined the City of Portland in 2003 as a financial analyst in the City Budget Office. Throughout his 13 years in the office, Jeramy coordinated the City’s budget process, provided budget and policy analysis for five Mayors, served on the City’s implementation team for a new Enterprise Resource Planning system, and was the office’s first Deputy Director, serving in that capacity for four years. Before joining the City, Jeramy spent two years with the State of Oregon Budget and Management Division and was a legislative assistant during the 2001 State Legislative Session. Jeramy has a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from Oregon State University.

Outside of work, Jeramy enjoys spending time outdoors camping, hiking, fishing, hunting, and coaching youth soccer.

Art Pearce -  Policy, Planning & Projects Group Director 

Art has been with PBOT since 1998. He started as Group Manager in December 2013. He oversees the Transportation Planning, Project Management, and Active Transportation & Safety divisions in the group, with a staff of over 70 people. The group guides transportation ideas through the long-range planning and policy, project development, and construction stages.

Prior to his current position, Art was a Senior Capital Project Manager for PBOT. His work focused on public transit corridor development and neighborhood revitalization. His projects included the planning and implementation of Portland’s South Waterfront District, and the Portland Aerial Tram. In 2009, Art led the planning and funding for the reconstruction of SW Moody Avenue, including a $23 million dollar “Innovation Quadrant” TIGER Grant award.

Art has a Bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies from the College of Wooster in Wooster, OH, and a Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Portland State University.

Katie Root - Asset Manager / Strategy, Data & Performance Manager

Katie joined PBOT in 2018, initially supporting PBOT’s Office of Strategy & Innovation and now as the Asset Manager. In that capacity, she is responsible for developing and overseeing the bureau’s overall strategic asset management goals, as well as managing and monitoring PBOT’s assets and current conditions.

Katie’s experience includes 20 years of leading the strategy and management of federal and local programs and projects, applying continuous improvement. This includes human-centered design, lean, and agile principles to promote innovative thinking, continuous improvement, and rapid delivery of services.

She holds a Juris Doctorate from Catholic University and Bachelor of Art in English and Political Science from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.

Hannah Schafer - Communications Director

A born-and-raised Portlander, Hannah spent the first 10 years of her career in Israel working on cross-cultural, transboundary environmental initiatives. Her work put her at the forefront of Israel’s environmental movement and creation of the nation’s solar energy industry.  

Since her return to Portland in 2015, Hannah has had the pleasure of wonking out on local transportation issues and leading award-winning communication campaigns on a variety of topics including Vision Zero, Fixing Our Streets, Better Naito, Parking Kitty, and more.   

Today, Hannah leads a small but mighty team of talented communicators focused on building public awareness and engagement around PBOT’s numerous projects, programs, and policies to advance safety, mobility, equity, and transportation justice. Outside of work, Hannah can usually be found e-biking around the city or working in her garden. 

Mark Williams -  Parking & Regulatory Services Group Director (Interim)

A native of Northeast Portland, Mark has dedicated his career to public service since 1990. Over a span of approximately 23 years, he held six distinct positions at Metro, including the role of Director of Event Services at the Oregon Convention Center and Business Operations Manager at the Oregon Zoo. In 2014, he transitioned to the City of Portland, serving as Regulatory Division Manager at PBOT. Beyond his professional pursuits, Mark cherishes his leisure time which he often spends camping and enjoying the company of his wife, three adult children, and two 5-year-old grandsons. Additionally he finds fulfillment in his volunteer work as a Board Member of Donate Life Northwest and the Cascade Life Alliance.

Jody Yates - Maintenance Operations Group Director

Jody Yates first joined PBOT in 2007 as a Project Manager, working on the U.S. Congresswoman Darlene Hooley Pedestrian Bridge at S Gibbs Street and served as the city’s liaison to Multnomah County’s Sellwood Bridge project – through the design phase. She went on to become a Division Manager in Maintenance Operations, interim Group Manager for Parking Services, Principal Engineer in Development, Permitting & Transit, before leaving PBOT in 2018 to work for the City of Beaverton. Jody Yates returned to PBOT Maintenance Operations, as Group Director, in February 2022.  

Jody is a Licensed Professional Environmental Civil Engineer and has bachelor's and master's degrees in civil engineering with an emphasis on environmental engineering. She also brings over 23 years of public works experience at the local level with experience in capital project design, construction management, development and permit engineering, maintenance operations management, and parking management. “I am excited to return to PBOT and be part of the Maintenance Operations team!" Jody said on her return to PBOT. "As a team, we will maintain, repair, and operate the city's transportation, sewer, and storm assets.  Additionally, we will provide emergency response services to our community.”

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Tourism Commission Members

The commission aims to improve oregonians’ quality of life by strengthening the economic impacts of the state’s multi-billion-dollar tourism industry, which employs tens of thousands of oregonians..

The Oregon Tourism Commission (OTC) is a nine-person governor-appointed board that oversees and approves the budget and strategic plan that directs the actions of the Travel Oregon staff. Those appointed to the commission includes: three tourism promotion representatives, five lodging representatives and one public-at-large representative. ( ORS 284.107 )

Commissioners are appointed to four-year terms and are eligible to serve two terms. A chair and vice-chair of the commission are confirmed on an annual basis via recommendation from an appointed commission nominating committee.

Chair - Lucinda DiNovo

Term of Office 7/1/19 - 6/30/27

Lucinda DiNovo began her career in the gaming and hospitality industry 22 years ago. She is the Director of Sales and Events for The Mill Casino • Hotel & RV Park owned and operated by The Coquille Indian Tribe in North Bend, Oregon. Lucinda has a degree in Business Management and Marketing from Oregon State University. She is a Coos Bay City Councilor, Coos Bay-North Bend Visitor & Convention Bureau Board Member, Past President of the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce, American Leadership Forum Senior Fellow, and has served on numerous boards including the Oregon Restaurant and Lodging Association, Board of Trustees for Coos History Museum, Steering Committee Member for the foundation of Travel Southern Oregon Coast, and Advisory Committee Member for the International Port of Coos Bay.

Vice Chair - Greg Willitts

Greg Willitts is President and partner at FivePine Lodge and Spa in Sisters. FivePine was a family effort, planned, designed and constructed by Greg and his parents. Greg has served as a board member and President for the Sisters Area Chamber and an advisor, sponsor and volunteer for some of Central Oregon's most renowned events: the state's largest MTB race, Sisters Stampede, the Fresh Hop Festival and host of the Happy Girls Run in FivePine's backyard, the Deschutes National Forest.

David Gremmels

Term of Office 7/1/22 - 6/30/26

David Gremmels has been President of Rogue Creamery since 2002 and is a leader in promoting and supporting sustainable and organic agriculture and Oregon's producers, makers and growers. In 2012, 2016 and 2021 David was appointed to the Governor’s Sustainability Board of Oregon. David also serves as an advisory board member for Oregon State University’s Food Science, Technology and Engineering Department. He led the creation and development of the Central Point’s Artisan Corridor in 2003 and the Oregon Cheese Festival in 2006 attracting thousands of visitors annually. David grew up on a farm in the Pacific Northwest and received his Bachelor of Business Administration and Marketing from Pacific Lutheran University in 2003.

Travis Hill

Term of Office 10/5/23 - 6/30/27

Travis Hill brings over 25 years of expertise to the tourism and hospitality industry. As Chief Operating Officer at Umpqua Indian Development Corporation (UIDC), he plays a pivotal role in the company’s growth and expansion, while also overseeing operations for nine businesses of the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians, including the notable Seven Feathers Casino Resort. Travis is a recognized leader who actively participates in various working groups, such as the Oregon Tribes Economic Development & Community Services and Travel Oregon’s Tribal Tourism, championing economic development alongside sustainable and responsible tourism practices. A Southern Oregon native, Travis resides in Roseburg, relishing the outdoors, cherishing time with family and actively supporting regional charitable events and organizations.

Harish Patel

Harish Patel has served, and currently serves, on several boards in the travel and hospitality industry, including Immediate Past Chair on the Oregon Restaurant and Lodging Association Board of Directors, Board of Directors on the Intercontinental Hotel Group (IHG) Owners Association and Vice Chairman of the Choice Hotel Owners Council Board of Directors. Harish is an Engineering Graduate with a Doctorate in Fluid Mechanics from the University of Birmingham, England and currently resides in Portland with his wife, Bina. In his current role as President of Florencein, Inc. he mentors individuals from disadvantaged and under-resourced communities to build successful careers in the hospitality industry.

David Penilton

Term of Office 11/19/21 – 6/30/25

For more than 15 years, David Penilton has been helping visitors from all over the world explore the wonders of Oregon though his tour companies America’s Hub World Tours and Oregon Tour Experts. David is passionate about building an all-inclusive community in the tourism ecosystem to educate and expose Oregon residents and visitors about all the state has to offer. Through his business he is committed to making sure the economic impact of tourism reaches all corners of the state, supporting local businesses, health and education. David serves on the Boards of Travel Lane County, Our Children Oregon, Travel Portland, Oregon Tourism Leadership Academy and Clackamas Tourism Development Council. In his free time, David enjoys being in the outdoors – running, camping, fishing, hiking and golfing around the state are some of his favorite past times.

Erin Stephenson

Erin Stephenson is the founder of a boutique lodging company with two brands: the award-winning luxury Atticus Hotel, and 3rd Street Flats, a curated collection of vacation rentals in two historic buildings in downtown McMinnville. Erin earned a degree in History from the University of Oregon before spending the early part of her career in non-profit management as the executive director of McMinnville’s Habitat for Humanity and then directing the charitable giving program for a regional bank. Erin continues to indulge her passion for nonprofit work through her role as board chair of Visit McMinnville and by volunteering with various local organizations. She was named Business Leader of the Year in 2015 by the McMinnville Area Chamber of Commerce; Woman of the Year through the Distinguished Service Awards in 2019; and received the Pillar of the Community award from McMinnville’s mayor in 2020.

Scott Youngblood

Term of Office 7/1/15 – 6/30/25

Scott Youngblood grew up near Willamette Falls in Oregon City and began his hospitality career bussing tables in the restaurant at Multnomah Falls Lodge at age fifteen. Working his way up in the hospitality industry, Scott has performed almost every responsibility from cleaning and cooking through sales management and operation of a diversity of hotels, both independent and nationally branded.

A new Commissioner will be appointed pending Senate confirmation in Spring 2024.

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