Debbie Welder Elected to Serve as President, Will Sit on NBTA Board

CONTACT:       

Caleb Tiller, +1 703-684-0836 ext. 138, ctiller@nbta.org

Nicole Hayes, +1 703-684-0836 ext. 133, nhayes@nbta.org

Alexandria, VA (September 16, 2009) – The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) and the Chapter Presidents’ Council (CPC) announced that Debbie Welder, CCTE, GLP, Director of Travel at CHG Healthcare Services, was elected to serve a two-year term as the CPC President. Welder, who sits on the Utah Business Travel Association (UBTA) Board as the UBTA Immediate Past President, will also sit on the NBTA Board of Directors.

NBTA President & CEO Craig Banikowski, CCTE, C.P.M, CMM, said, “Debbie has been an active participant in NBTA and NBTA Chapter activities for many years. Her experience and industry expertise have already proven valuable to the Chapter Presidents’ Council and NBTA leadership. I look forward to working with her in our new positions and helping to coordinate efforts between NBTA and its network of 40 U.S. chapters.”

Welder has been in the travel industry for nearly 20 years, having served as both a travel supplier and buyer. She is a founding board member of the UBTA, and served as Vice President of the CPC from 2007 to 2009. Welder earned her Certified Corporate Travel Executive (CCTE) designation in 2007 and was a member of the inaugural Global Leadership Program (GLP) Designation program, graduating last year.

Denise Truso, CCTE, will serve as the new CPC Vice President. Truso is the Global Travel Manager at St. Jude Medical and Chairperson of the North Central Business Travel Association. Tim Nall, CCTE, will serve as the CPC Secretary/Treasurer. He is a National Account Manager at The Hertz Corporation and President of the Virginia Business Travel Association.

Banikowski continued, “In recent years, the CPC has made huge strides in enhancing chapter standardization and harmonization, and chapter involvement is at an all-time high. Travel professionals across the United States are increasingly more aware of the resources and education opportunities local chapters have to offer. I am confident that these industry professionals will work diligently to continue to guide NBTA’s chapters in local initiatives and programs.” 

The CPC represents the unified local chapters of NBTA across the United States and is the principal liaison between local chapters and NBTA. The CPC’s membership includes leaders of each of NBTA’s chapters. For more information, please visit www.nbta-cpc.org.

The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) is the world’s premier business travel and corporate meetings organization. NBTA and its regional affiliates – NBTA Australia / New Zealand, the Brazilian Business Travel Association (ABGEV), NBTA Canada, NBTA Europe, NBTA Mexico, and NBTA USA – serve a network of more than 17,000 business travel professionals around the globe with industry-leading events, networking, education & professional development, research, news & information, and advocacy. NBTA members, numbering more than 5,000 in 30 nations, are corporate and government travel and meetings managers, as well as travel service providers. They collectively manage and direct more than US$340 billion of global business travel and meetings expenditures annually on behalf of more than 13 million business travelers within their organizations. For more information, visit www.nbta.org