The Kerrville Convention & Visitors Bureau celebrated National Travel & Tourism week by unveiling the newest addition to their “Sudie N. Burditt Hall of Fame.”
Hosted by the Museum of Western Art, attendees were invited to a burger cookout at the museum’s pavilion where KCVB Board Member Jake Williamson began by emphasizing the significance of tourism and travel in Kerrville.
“ At KCVB, we celebrate tourism. It’s a great industry and Kerrville has a ton of it. We’re continuing to grow, but with that we also like to recognize people that have helped us along the way,” said Williamson.
The Wall of Fame was created at KCVB in 2016 in honor of longtime executive director Sudie N. Burditt.
“We started it in 2016 in honor of our executive director who had served the board forever – 27 years actually. So, the first Wall of Fame recipient was of course her,” said Williamson.
Those inducted are among a cast of strong community leaders throughout Kerrville’s history and present day.
“ There’s Founder of the Kerrville Folk Festival Rod Kennedy, Charlie Schreiner III, Charlie McIlvain-another former KCVB president. James Avery is up on that wall, and most recently, last year we inducted Corey Miller who owns Kerrville Kayak and Canoe,” said Williamson.
Joining the Hall of Fame this year was Nancy Foster, current marketing director for the Museum of Western Art and former KCVB publicity manager. When retiring to Kerrville in 2008, Foster found herself in the KCVB interested in her new hometown as somewhere to place her years of experience in tourism.
“ She already had a former career in tourism and destination marketing for nearly five decades. From ‘87 to 2006, she served as a leisure travel director for the St. Pete-Clearwater Area CVB where her leadership and expertise in tourism helped shape the region’s growth,” said Williamson.
Once retired to Kerrville, Foster found ways to use her experience in tourism to enrich her local community.
“She may have retired to Kerrville, but she immediately started working. She became the publicity manager for the Kerrville CVB and launched our social media platforms,” said Williamson.
Since joining the staff at the Museum of Western Art in 2012, Foster has used her experience to continue to elevate the museum’s prominence and increase tourism through arts and culture.
“It’s an honor to be among so many legends in this industry. I do believe in the power of tourism. This event is so important to not only me, but to all of us – working together does make it happen. We are a destination that can enrich lives. People come here, they go back with a wonderful memory – and that’s all it takes,” said Foster when inducted.
For more information about how the KCVB supports local tourism and travel, visit their website at www.kerrvilletexascvb.com.