Maryland Tourism Development Board

Owner/Captain
Oxford Bellevue Ferry

Not only does Judy Bixler captain the Oxford-Bellevue Ferry, she also steers the Maryland Tourism Development Board. As the owner of the oldest privately-operated ferry in America, she works diligently to protect the long legacy of the ferry which was established in 1683!

In the spring of 2022, the Captains Bixler will begin their 21st season as owners of the ferry, thus proving that “ferry tales can come true.” Captain Tom likes to tell people that Judy didn’t know which end of an oar to hold when he married her, but she now holds a 100-ton Masters License from the U.S. Coast Guard.  She pilots the ferry as it dances with the working watermen, young sailors at the Tred Avon Yacht Club, and intrepid sailors at the annual log canoe races as they run back and forth across the Tred Avon River from April through mid-November.

Judy has led many organizations in her career; currently serving as chairman of the Talbot County Tourism Board and director of the Oxford Business Association. She is a member of the Circle of Excellence (3-time winner) of the Top 100 Women in Maryland and the Top 100 Minority Business Owners.  The Bixler’s enjoy spending time with their three children and four grandchildren.

Heather Shaffer Braue is Director of Marketing and Public Relations for the Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, Maryland. Ms. Braue has over 20 years of experience in the live entertainment event industry. In addition to her role with the Maryland Tourism Development Board, Ms. Braue serves on the parent advisory board for both the Gilman School and Roland Park Country School and has previously served on the Board of Directors of the Fallston Swim and Tennis Club and the Fallston Country Pre-K School. Ms. Braue is a member of Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Society, Sigma Tau Delta English Honor Society and Zeta Tau Alpha Sorority. She has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Corporate Communications and English from Elon College (University) in North Carolina. Ms. Braue resides in Monkton, MD.

Ashley Chenault is a Norfolk State University alumna, is the Tourism Chief for Explore Charles County with Charles County Recreation, Parks, and Tourism. In her professional career she has worked with tourism agencies that received the following awards:  Best Destination Guide (2017), Maryland Tourism Development Board Market Expansion Award (2019) and Best Printed Promotional Material (2022), She is a member of the following organizations: Maryland Tourism Development Board, Southern Maryland Heritage Area Consortium and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She enjoys traveling and is passionate about marketing Charles County as a travel destination to support hospitality business partners and organizations.

Mr. Ebersberger has more than 40 years of experience in the insurance industry. His agency was among the largest and most successful in the state prior to his temporary retirement in the early 1990s. He currently provides financial planning services for his clients on a part-time basis. Mr. Ebersberger served in the Navy as a legal officer.

Mr. Howarth is park president of Six Flags America and is responsible for all park operations, strategic direction and general management for the 131-acre theme and water park located in Bowie, Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C.

A native of Largo, Maryland, Mr. Howarth began his career in the theme park industry in 1992 as a finance intern at Wild World while studying at the University of Maryland in College Park. Wild World later became known as Adventure World before being rebranded as Six Flags America in 1999.

Melonie Johnson is the President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of MGM National Harbor. In her leadership role, Johnson provides strategic direction and oversees daily operations of the property. She is committed to supporting the local Prince George’s County community and is dedicated to fostering an engaged and diverse local workforce. A graduate of the University of New Orleans with a bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Melonie’s gaming and hospitality career spans nearly 25 years, during which she held key leadership positions at major properties throughout the United States. Johnson has been with MGM Resorts since 2015, most recently serving as President & COO of Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa prior to her return to MGM National Harbor in 2022, which she had led from December 2017 through May 2020. Before making her move to the East Coast, Johnson started her MGM Resorts career with Gold Strike Casino Resort in Mississippi. She has consistently worked to nurture a service-oriented employee culture and developed strategic plans that ensured properties met both their short and long-term goals. Melonie’s decades of leadership experience at regional gaming properties -- along with her financial expertise and strategic thinking -- has served her well in a number of high-profile gaming positions including, Assistant General Manager at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races in West Virginia, CFO/Interim General Manager at Hollywood Casino Aurora in Illinois and as Regional Vice President of Operations and Vice President of Finance for Caesars Entertainment Corporation, among other roles. Melonie and her husband Mark share six children and six grandchildren

Cara Hergan Joyce is the visionary behind Urban Pirates, a successful tourist attraction, founded nine years ago in Baltimore. Urban Pirates has expanded, the new location in National Harbor, Maryland opened in April 2016. Her business is consistently recognized as one of the Top 5 Attractions; entertaining over 500,000 customers. Cara sits on The White House Business Forward Leadership Council, the Board of the Fell’s Point Preservation Society and she is actively involved with the Baltimore Tourism Association among other organizations. Cara taught Special Education for over two decades in Anne Arundel County Public Schools and has remained involved in athletics by teaching and coaching youth sports.

Mr. Linares has served as General Manager of Tanger Outlets National Harbor since 2014, prior to which he served in several leadership positions within Tanger Outlets including Corporate Director of Marketing and General Manager of the San Marcos and Terrell locations. In addition to his new role with the Maryland Tourism Board, Mr. Linares serves on the boards of Prince George’s County Workforce Development, Experience Prince George’s, and Visit National Harbor.

Jim was raised in Baltimore Maryland. He graduated from Calvert Hall College High School in Towson and continued his education at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. He graduated with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Political Science in 1974. He was formely the Maryland State Senator of District 38, Somerset, Wicomico and Worcester counties and the Business Development Officer, for Royal Plus, Inc.

Jim has spent his lifetime in the service of others. He served as a member of the Ocean City Board of Zoning Appeals, the Ocean City Council and then Mayor of the town of Ocean City Maryland. He served as Mayor from 1996 to 2006. That year he was appointed Delegate to the Maryland General Assembly, District 38B, and was elected as the Delegate in 2006, serving on the Economic Matters Committee. He maintained that role until 2011 when he was elected a Maryland State Senator, for District 38, being re-elected to the State Senate in 2014, serving on the Senate Finance Committee.

Baltimore native Chris Riehl knows Maryland as well as just about anyone! As a professional tour guide and owner of Rent-A-Tour since 2007, he's had the privilege of welcoming thousands of visitors to the region, sharing its unique charms, and helping create unforgettable experiences. More recently, he's begun offering virtual tour programming and has produced a series of online videos showcasing Baltimore stories.  A 2001 graduate of the University of Central Florida, he’s also Chair of the Maryland Tourism Coalition and past president of the Baltimore Tourism Association. He firmly believes that tourism and hospitality play a vital role, not just in our economy, supporting small businesses and jobs; but also in society, as a means of learning more about ourselves and the world around us. Chris currently lives in Columbia, MD with his wife, Jen, and they're both huge Oriole fans!

Ben Seidel, Founder, President and CEO of Maryland based, Real Hospitality Group, (RHG) the industry’s 12th largest operator of hotels in the US has over 40 years of experience in both the hotel and convention center field. Today, his company, founded in 2010 manages over 100 hotels, taking an ownership stake in several, operating in 19 states and China serving as an approved or preferred hotel operator for Marriott International, Hyatt Corporation, Hilton Worldwide, Intercontinental Hotels Group, Singapore based Far East Hospitality and Aspect Hotels, also headquartered in Singapore.

Mr. Seidel serves as a president of Marriott’s Franchise Advisory Council as well as an advisor on the Marriott Loyalty and Distribution boards. In addition to his company responsibilities, he serves the greater industry as a board member for both the American Hotel and Lodging Association and the Maryland Lodging Association and serves as a steering committee member of NYC & Co, one of the nation’s top destination marketing organizations for the city of New York.

As a renowned entrepreneur, and covenanted community leader, Mr. Albert Spence is a national prominent businessman who has delivered a consistent luxury product in the transportation industry for over 40 years. In addition to his role as President of A.S. Midway Tours, Mr. Spence is a leading national authority on the motorcoach industry, a former board member of the Baltimore County Board of Tourism, a fourth-term board member of the American Bus Association, and the third-term president of the Maryland Motorcoach Association.

Shelonda Stokes is a results-oriented executive named President of Downtown Partnership of Baltimore and the Downtown Management Authority's CEO in 2020. In these roles, she leads these two non-profits with multi-million-dollar budgets and programs that make the heart of Baltimore a more vibrant place where businesses, people, and culture thrive. Shelonda is also an integral partner to the City's COVID-19 recovery and future direction. She co-chaired former Mayor Young's Small Business Recovery Taskforce and served as the Co-chair of Mayor Scott's Business, Workforce, and Neighborhood Development Transition Committee.

Sandy is a graduate of Gettysburg College, and has a true passion for beautiful Cecil County and the Maryland tourism industry.  She’s been Cecil County’s Tourism Manager for 24 years and has received marketing awards for promotional campaigns, brochures, partnership projects, events, and a video.  While working at Cecil County Tourism, Sandy held state-wide leadership roles such as Chair of the MD Tourism Coalition, Chair of MD Destination Marketing Organizations, Vice Chair of MD Sportsmen’s Marketing Initiative, and Commissioner on the Governor’s State Park Advisory Commission. She currently serves as a member of the MD Horse Industry Board Oversight Marketing Committee. Sandy is honored to have been named to the MD Tourism Development Board and looks forward to working with Board Members and the amazing MD Office of Tourism team.

Cassandra Vanhooser is the director of economic development and tourism for Talbot County, Maryland.

She grew up on a dairy farm and holds a degree in agriculture from the University of Tennessee. Cassandra spent more than 14 years as a travel and features writer at Southern Living magazine, where she first covered Georgia and then Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and Washington, D.C. She has crisscrossed the region's highways and byways, writing about everything from the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial to the South's best fried chicken.

In addition to writing about food and travel, Cassandra also served for many years as the magazine's football editor. Her second book, The All-New SEC Tailgating Cookbook: Great Food, Legendary Teams, Cherished Traditions, was published by Time Inc./Oxmoor House Books in August 2018.

Today, Cassandra is Talbot County’s chief storyteller and business advocate.

Delegate Beitzel is a recent appointment to the Maryland Tourism Development Board. He is owner of the Accident Bakery and President of Beitzel Enterprises, Inc.

Senator Ferguson, was elected to the Maryland State Senate in 2010, then becoming the youngest ever-elected State Senator in Maryland’s history.

A lifelong Maryland resident, Bill made Baltimore City his home when he joined Teach for America after graduating from Davidson College with a double major in political science and economics. From 2005 to 2007, Bill taught U.S. history and U.S. government to ninth and tenth graders in a breakout academy of one of Baltimore’s most challenged high schools.

After teaching, Bill worked as a Community Liaison for the Baltimore City Council President’s Office; earned a law degree from the University of Maryland School of Law; and served as the Special Assistant to Dr. Andres Alonso, CEO of the Baltimore City Public Schools. Through these pursuits, Ferguson continually drew from his classroom experiences to find ways to bring new resources and greater attention to the city’s educational achievement gap. Senator Ferguson is married with two children and two dogs.