Convention Sales & Services

Staff Bios

Sarah Atilano
(satilano@visitsacramento.com)
Chief of Strategy & Market Growth

Sarah serves as the strategic leader of the Convention Sales and Services team.  Sarah oversees the development, implementation and monitoring of all sales strategies to ensure Visit Sacramento’s sales goals are achieved.  Sarah’s career in the hospitality industry started in 1993 at an independently owned hotel in Folsom, CA.  In 1999 Sarah moved to the San Francisco bay area to work for Hilton Hotels Worldwide and spent the rest of her hotel career with Hilton prior starting with Visit Sacramento at the end of 2010.

Narimel Tarver
(ntarver@visitsacramento.com)
Director of Sales

Susan Babich
(sbabich@visitsacramento.com)
Director of National Accounts

As Director of National Accounts, Susan Babich handles all accounts from the eastern seaboard as well as faith-based religious organizations and federal government accounts throughout the country. She's a 10-year Visit Sacramento veteran, and was most recently Director of Convention Sales. Babich previously served as an Account Executive at the Baltimore Convention Center and holds a degree in the criminal justice field. She's a member of ASAE, IAEM, RCMA, and PCMA.

David Eadie
(deadie@visitsacramento.com)
Chief of Sports & Entertainment

David joined the Visit Sacramento Sports Commission in July 2019 and was named the fourth-ever Director of the Sports Commission in March 2020. In this role, he leads Visit Sacramento’s sports events strategy, which includes directing bid processes, generating new business opportunities, and ensuring the successful implementation of hosting commitments.

Prior to joining the Visit Sacramento team, David served as Deputy Executive Director of the San Jose Sports Authority (SJSA) – San Jose’s sports commission – for more than 11 years. He was at the forefront of showcasing the South Bay as a destination for premier sporting events, establishing an impressive track record of hosting world-class events such as the Amgen Tour of California, U.S. Figure Skating Championships, U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Gymnastics, NCAA Men’s Basketball Championships, Super Bowl 50 events, College Football Playoff National Championship and NHL and MLS All-Star Games.

Before joining the SJSA, David served in various roles over more than seven years with the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) in Sacramento. These included directing several state championships, managing the association’s corporate partnership program and serving as the CCCAA’s communications director while leading a statewide evolution into electronic and online information and sports statistics systems.

A native of Buffalo, NY, David earned a bachelor’s degree from Ithaca College in sports management and began his career in sports working for the Buffalo Wings (professional roller hockey) and Buffalo Blizzard (professional indoor soccer). He is also a proud Sacramento State Hornet, where he earned an MBA degree in the Executive MBA program.

Betsy Longmire
(Blongmire@visitsacramento.com)
Director of National Accounts

Betsy comes to Visit Sacramento with extensive experience in the hospitality industry. Betsy began her career in San Francisco, where she worked in the hotel industry for ten years before returning home to Sacramento. After a successful career in hotel sales at various properties in the Sacramento market, Betsy joined Visit Sacramento as Sales Manager and is responsible for booking meetings and conventions related to state government, SMERF groups (social, military, educational, reunions and fraternal) as well as western U.S. corporations and western regional associations.

Betsy is a member of the Society of Government Meeting Planners and past member of Meeting Planners International and Religious Conference Meetings Association. She was awarded the Sacramento SGMP Chapter Supplier of the Year in 2009.

A Sacramento native, Betsy loves meeting new people and introducing them to all that her hometown has to offer. In her free time she enjoys tent camping and cooking up delicious meals. 

Jeff Dougherty
(jdougherty@visitsacramento.com)
Director - California State Association Sales

No one ever forgets Jeff. Steve Hammond, former President and CEO of Visit Sacramento, said it best, "Jeff's personality and his enthusiasm for what he does is electric." Jeff's abundance of energy is why he is a perfect fit for Visit Sacramento. His enthusiasm and energy are infectious - all necessary to take on the California State Association market.

Jeff joined Visit Sacramento with five years of Sacramento hotel sales experience; most recently with the Holiday Inn Capitol Plaza. Jeff served three terms as a Board Member for the SGMP Sacramento Chapter. He was awarded the SGMP Sacramento Chapter Supplier of the Year in 2008 and Co-Presidents Award in 2009. Jeff currently sits on the Board of Directors for the local chapter of Meeting Professionals International and is a Capital Region Council member for the California Society of Association Executives.

Jeff moved to Sacramento for college where he graduated from Sacramento State with a Bachelor of Science in Recreation Administration. He lives in Folsom with his wife Natalie, two children, and the dogs Tia and Zoe. In his free time, you will find Jeff exploring Sacramento's endless entertainment options from 2nd Saturday to cool galleries and museums and hot, new restaurants and nightlife. 

Beth Peters
(bpeters@visitsacramento.com)
Business Development Manager

Jennifer St. Amour
(jstamour@visitsacramento.com)
Convention Engagement & Services Manager

Jill Culbertson
(jculbertson@visitsacramento.com)
Sports Development Manager

Erika Navarro
(exnavarro@visitsacramento.com)
Sales Coordinator

Scott Parsons
(sparsons1@visitsacramento.com)
Convention Sales & Sports Commission Coordinator