Rutherford County CVB Staff Earns Awards and Industry Designations

Sep 27, 2012 at 12:45 pm by bryan


Two Rutherford County Convention and Visitors Bureau staff members were recognized recently at the Tennessee Governor’s Conference on Tourism held in Sevierville on September 19-21, 2012.

Mona K. Herring, vice president of the Rutherford County Convention and Visitors Bureau was awarded with the 2012 Tennessee Tourism Roundtable Excalibur Award. This special award was created in 2009 and is presented to Tennessee tourism legends upon their retirement from the industry. Herring announced her plans to retire in April 2013 earlier this year. She was given the award in recognition of her many years of service to and leadership in the Tennessee tourism industry.

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“There are numerous reasons why Mona Herring was chosen to receive the TTR Excalibur Award,” said Tennessee Tourism Roundtable Chair Brenda McCroskey. “She has been a constant source of inspiration for many of us along the way. She is as much of a part of the tourism culture in Tennessee as anyone I can call to mind, and stands for integrity, knowledge, and tradition in our industry. I can only aspire to be as highly regarded at the end of my career as Mona.”

Herring began her career with the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce in 1987 and was promoted to tourism director in 1995. She received a bachelor of science in business from Missouri Southern State University. She earned industry designations as a Certified Tennessee Tourism Professional from the Tennessee Tourism Roundtable and as a Travel Marketing Professional from the Southeast Tourism Society. She is a graduate of Leadership Rutherford and currently serves as the treasurer for the Tennessee Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus (TACVB). She is the current chair of the Middle Tennessee Tourism Council, and a member of Bank Travel, American Bus Association (ABA), Tennessee Society of Association Executives (TNSAE) and Southeast Tourism Society (STS). She also serves on the board of directors for the Tennessee Miller Coliseum.

Stacie Pierce, visitor relations specialist of the Rutherford County Convention and Visitors Bureau was one of 11 tourism representatives from across the state recognized at the conference for her participation in the Certified Tennessee Tourism Professional (CTTP) program. Pierce completed the CTTP program by receiving certification before a crowd of over 400 of her peers.

Completion of the CTTP program requires candidates to have a minimum of three years’ work experience in a tourism/hospitality field. The course structure is designed to provide credit for one’s work and practical experiences, higher education achievements, successful completion of CTTP curriculum, and passing the final CTTP testing and applied principles project.

Pierce, a Murfreesboro native, is a 2005 cum laude graduate of Middle Tennessee State University with a B.S. degree in mass communication with a concentration in journalism. She received her Travel Marketing Professional (TMP) designation in 2010 from the Southeast Tourism Society. Pierce joined the Convention and Visitors Bureau in 2007.

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