Melyssa Reeves, CDME, grew up with a first-hand view of the tourism industry through her parent’s small travel agency. As a result, she has a keen interest in destination marketing and travel–especially from a small DMO leadership perspective. She served as Chief Executive Officer of Visit Vacaville, a small DMO in Northern California for 16 years since 2007. In November of 2023, she took the helm of the Destination Marketing Association of the West, as their first President & CEO. Melyssa is a Board Member for Destinations International and a founding member of their Small DMO Task Force. When not busy promoting destination tourism herself, she loves to travel and explore new places, experience new cultures, and sample new foods with her husband, Craig.