![]() |
Rita Connor Rita Connor is the founder and president of Elite Resorts & Spas specializing in group and individual representation for independent, upscale hotels, resorts and spas. The company is based in Los Angeles. With more than 20 years in the industry, Rita has focused on planning group and personal travel around various forms of themed, experiential travel. Her passion and knowledge about the transformative powers of spa hotels and resorts has led Rita to represent destinations that are upscale and environmentally-friendly and have programming that rejuvenate, uplift and enhance people’s lives. Rita has developed “Elite Retreats” that put executives and groups in touch with personal goals, life enhancements and experiential, informative topics. Prior to forming Elite Resorts & Spas, Rita served as regional director of sales for Meridien Hotels and Preferred Hotels and Resorts. |
||
![]() |
|||
![]() |
Tony Kingsbury Tony Kingsbury is Founder and President of TKingsbury LLC where he leads a consulting practice assisting companies and organization improve the sustainability of their plastics and chemicals. Kingsbury honed his sustainability expertise during a nearly three decade long career at Dow Chemical in a variety of roles including Global Plastics Sustainability Leader. He is a recognized expert in green chemistry, environmentally preferred purchasing, value chain sustainability challenges, public policy, life cycle thinking, environmental and societal issues associated with corporate and product sustainability. He has worked with Fortune 500 companies around the globe in supply chains ranging from consumer electronics to packaging, apparel to toys. He is known for using his wide ranging knowledge of the whole supply chain to find workable solutions to complex challenges and for distilling complex messages into understandable language. Kingsbury spent the period between 2007 and 2012 as an Executive in Residence at UC Berkeley. In this role, Kingsbury led the multidisciplinary sustainability center and taught a variety of graduate level courses on sustainability. In 2012 and 2013 he led Cardno ChemRisk’s sustainability consulting practice. |
||
![]() |
|||
Ray Grant Ray Grant has enjoyed a multi-faceted and celebrated career in the arts, education, business and cultural tourism. He is Southern Utah University’s Distinguished Fellow for Creative Engagement and Acting Director of the Utah Center for Arts Administration, a professional service of SUU’s College of Performing and Visual Arts, by providing consulting and training services to a wide range of commercial and not-for-profit organizations. His mission is to work to advance, animate, and stimulate leadership in the creative economy among university faculty, staff, community partners and constituents. Ray is credited with heading the successful 2002 Olympic Arts Festival from 1998-2002, managing the Salt Lake City Organizing Committee for the 2002 Winter Games and also held the post of Artistic Director of the Cultural Olympiad. As the former Executive Director-Programming for Robert Redford’s Sundance Resort, he headed creative development, programming, conferencing, and retreats reporting directly to Redford. He also spearheaded an extensive Artist-in-Residence program and the Weekend of Discovery initiative for the thought-inspiring resort. During his tenure at Sundance, Ray focused programming on the balance of art and nature with a specific call to fostering independent voice. During his professional career, Ray served in New York City as General Manager of the American Symphony Orchestra and as Director of the Tisch Center for the Arts. He has produced major events in Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall and New York’s Central Park. Ray headed the Performing Arts and Film programs of the Disney Institute, a division of the Walt Disney Company and a project of Walt Disney Imagineering. There, he directed a 365-day per year performance schedule featuring artists in the fields of music, theater, dance, film and television, science and architecture. He facilitated the development of three multi-million dollar performance facilities and consulted for Walt Disney Attractions, Inc. |
|||
![]() |
|||
|
|||
![]() |
|||
|
|||
![]() |
|||
|
|||
![]() |
|||
|
|||
![]() |
|||
|
|||
![]() |
|||
|