September 15, 2010
For more information, contact Tiffany Tauscheck
Greater Des Moines Convention & Visitors Bureau
(515) 699-3433 or ttauscheck@desmoinescvb.com

Des Moines, IA – The Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau (GDMCVB) is proud to announce this year’s Board of Directors and Officers.

Executive Committee
Chairman – Chris Coleman
Coleman is President of the Better Business Bureau (BBB) serving Iowa and parts of Illinois, South Dakota and Nebraska. He also continues to serve as a city-wide Des Moines City Council Member and has served in this role since 1998. Coleman has been active in regional community leadership as Chair of the Board of the Metro Waste Authority, Vice Chair of the Board of the Metropolitan Planning Organization and Chair of the Homelessness Taskforce recently created to coordinate efforts dealing with homeless and funding from the county, city, United Way, Greater Des Moines Partnership and Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines.

Coleman will serve as Chairman of the GDMCVB Board of Directors through June 2012. One way he has demonstrated his commitment to the travel and tourism industry is through serving on the GDMCVB Board since 2001.

“The hospitality industry plays a strong role in building and sustaining a positive quality of life for locals through visitor dollars spent within our communities,” said Coleman. “The economic impact we create touches small businesses, retailers, restaurants, attractions, transportation companies, corporations and families. I’m proud to serve in a role that has such a profound impact on Greater Des Moines.”

Vice Chair - Paul Rottenberg
Rottenberg created Orchestrate Management in 2001 and continues to shape the future of the hospitality industry throughout Greater Des Moines. He has been credited for his strong development and management track record for nearly thirty years. Rottenberg was named one of Des Moines’ most influential business leaders by the Des Moines Register in 2006 and was recognized as a finalist in the Central Midwest for Ernst and Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year.

Secretary/Treasurer – Rick Messerschmidt
Messerschmidt is the Chairman of the Board of Directors and Executive Vice President of First Bank in West Des Moines. He’s been with First Bank since 1980, and most recently served as President and CEO. Messerschmidt is Chair of the West Des Moines Historical Society and is a West Des Moines Park Board Commissioner. He has also served in various other community leadership roles, such as the Interim Mayor of West Des Moines, West Des Moines Community Schools Foundation for Educational Excellence, American Heart Association, Saint Boniface Catholic Church and the West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce.

Immediate Past Chair – Terry McLane

McLane is General Manager of the Des Moines Marriott Downtown and has served in this role since January 2008. He served as Chairman of the GDMCVB Board from 2008-2010. Previously, he was the Market General Manager at the West Des Moines Marriott and is a 33-year Marriott veteran, working in various positions within the organization at nine hotels in seven states and the District of Columbia. McLane also serves currently on the Iowa Lodging Association Board where he was President from 2007-2009.

At Large – Paula Dierenfeld
Dierenfeld serves as the Mayor of Johnston and is a shareholder in the Nyemaster Goode Law Firm in Des Moines. Previously, she served as a Commissioner on the Iowa Utilities Board, as legal counsel to Governor Terry Branstad, as director of the Republican Research Staff in the Iowa Senate and as staff assistant to U.S. Senator Charles Grassley.

Board of Directors
Mayor Tom Armstrong, City of Grimes
Mayor Bob Andeweg, City of Urbandale
Mayor Tim Burget, City of Altoona
Mayor Scott Cirksena, City of Clive
Mayor Jason Dively, City of Pleasant Hill
Mayor Jay Pattee, City of Perry
Mayor Jerry Sullivan, City of Windsor Heights
Mayor Steve Van Oort, City of Ankeny
Angela Connolly, Polk County Supervisor
Jim Sandager, City of West Des Moines
Ann Atkin, Prairie Meadows Racetrack & Casino
Sandy Hatfield Clubb, Drake University
Matt Homan, Iowa Events Center
Libby Jacobs, The Jacobs Group
Tom Murray, Country Inn & Suites
Art Slusark, Meredith Corporation
Kirk Tyler, Atlantic Bottling Co.