The Vermont Chamber of Commerce has announced recent key staff changes that further the overall mission of the Chamber to help Vermont businesses thrive.
Tori Ossola will join the Vermont Chamber as Vice President of Tourism, and beresponsible for producing the Vermont Chamber’s print and digital tourism materials.
Ossola, who is currently planning events at Durango Mountain Resort, will bring her valuable marketing expertise to Vermont Chamber members having served as Vice President of Marketing for the Vermont Ski Areas Association and the International Sales Manager for TourMappers, Inc. Her online and mobile app experience will help promote Vermont Chamber programs and members through multiple online platforms as well as traditional media.
Ossola is a graduate of St. Michael’s College. She and her husband, Jack Turner, are excited to return to Vermont and look forward to skiing, hiking, biking and catching up with family and friends they have missed while living out of state.
Karen Ballard has been named the President of the Vermont Attractions Association, where she will lead the organization in promoting family destinations with a focus on education to enhance the visitor experience. VAA members offer unique experiences in the areas of agricultural tourism, art, excursions, galleries, guided tours, history, museums, recreation, shopping, and specialty foods. The VAA also publishes 1.1 million copies annually of theOfficial Vermont Road Map and Guide to Vermont Attractions, which is used to fulfill visitor inquiries from around the globe, as well as distributed in Vermont's visitor markets.
Ballard will also continue to serve as the program director for the Vermont Tourism Network, a Vermont Chamber program that promotes group travel to Vermont and VTN member businesses. She has more than 30 years of experience in sales, marketing and promotion and previously represented the Vermont Chamber in hospitality and tourism membership development.
Ballard and her husband live in Northfield and love taking in Vermont’s scenic beauty by motorcycle; they also enjoy snowshoeing, hiking and local food.
Wendy Knight has agreed to serve as the Communications Director for the Vermont Chamber where she will be responsible for external communications and media relations. Knight is a seasoned communications executive who has secured press coverage for clients on the TODAY Show, Fox News, Marketplace/NPR, and the Wall Street Journal. She will use her experience in creating and implementing communications strategies to effectively communicate the mission of the Vermont Chamber and the positive contributions of its member companies. A former freelance journalist for the New York Times and ABC News Now, Knight will also leverage her media experience on behalf of Vermont Chamber members.
A graduate of Cornell University, Knight returned to Addison County in 2011, after a four-year stint in Manhattan. She lives in Panton and enjoys kayaking, cross-country skiing and cooking.
In business since 1912, the Vermont Chamber of Commerce is a private, not-for-profit business organization with approximately1,500 members employing more than 45,000 people and representing all sectors of the state's economy. Its mission is to create an economic climate conducive to business growth and preservation of the Vermont quality of life.
