Top leader
Tori Davis
President & CEO
Experience Ruston
rustonlincoln.comRFP history
As of Nov 11, 2026
The Ruston Lincoln Convention & Visitors Bureau, which markets as Experience Ruston, is a public body that levies its own occupancy tax, and it buys marketing, website, data and planning work without advertising: its board of directors awards each contract in open session, and the board minutes are the procurement record.
Bids
| Posted | What | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 2026 | Three-year strategic plan | Propel Consulting, value not stated |
| Aug 2026 | Custom funding program | Brand Revolt, value not stated; the board voted 6 to 1 |
| Jun 2026 | Wayfinding signage plan | Arnett Muldrow & Associates, value not stated |
| Jan 2025 | Retail market research, jointly with the City of Ruston and Lincoln Parish | Retail Strategies, value not stated |
| Dec 2023 | Website development | Tempest, value and term not stated |
| Dec 2023 | Data intelligence | Tourism Economics, three-year contract, value not stated |
| Dec 2023 | Consulting contract | Tourism Tactics by Tico, value and scope not stated |
| Nov 2023 | Organizational strategic planning | No award: MMGY Next Factor and Magellan Strategy Group presented proposals, and no vote appears in the minutes through April 2024 |
| Nov 2022 | Visitor data, inside the 2023 marketing plan | Datafy, value not stated |
None of these was advertised. Each is a proposal or award recorded in the minutes, because Louisiana’s Public Bid Law covers materials and public works but not professional services. The annual advertising and media plan is the closest thing to an agency buy: staff draft it, the Marketing Committee reviews it, and the board approves it in November or December, with no agency of record stated in any minutes from 2020 to 2026.
Coming up
| When | What | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Nov to Dec 2026 | 2027 advertising and media plan, including any change of agency or media buyer | Cycle: the board approved a plan each November or December from 2020 to 2025, and the 2027 plan is the first under a new chief executive and marketing director |
| Late 2026 to early 2027 | Visitor data contract, renewal or switch | Term ends: Tourism Economics took a three-year contract in December 2023 and the minutes do not state a start date |
| Not dated | Wayfinding signs, fabrication and installation | Signal: the wayfinding plan was approved in June 2026 and signs are materials, so they would be publicly bid above the bid-law threshold |
| 2029 or later | Strategic plan | Term ends: the plan approved in August 2026 runs three years |
Not found
- Values and terms for any of these awards: the minutes record the motion and the firm, never an amount, and the board’s agenda packets are not posted.
- Minutes for March 2024 and for May to December 2024: the old site’s files survive only through April 2024, and the current site starts at January 2025.
- Whether the website launched in October 2024, as planned: not seen.
- The start date of the Tourism Economics data contract, and whether it has been renewed: not in the minutes through September 2026.
- Whether the 2027 advertising and media plan changes the agency or the media buyer: the October 22, 2026 agenda carried the amended 2026 and 2027 budgets only, and those minutes are not posted.
- Who plans the media buy: no minutes from 2020 to 2026 state an agency of record or a media buyer.
“a motion to approve a proposal from Propel Consulting for a three-year strategic plan”
Board of Directors meeting minutes, August 27, 2026 (Action Item 4, strategic plan)
“a motion to approve a proposal from Brand Revolt for the development of a custom funding program”
Board of Directors meeting minutes, August 27, 2026 (Action Item 5, funding program)
“a motion to approve the Wayfinding Signage Plan Proposal from Arnett Muldrow & Associates”
Board of Directors meeting minutes, June 18, 2026 (Action Item 5, wayfinding)
“a motion to enter into an agreement with the City of Ruston, Lincoln Parish Police Jury, and Retail Strategies for market research”
Board of Directors meeting minutes, January 23, 2025 (Action Item 8, market research)
“a motion to award Tempest the contract for website development”
Board of Directors meeting minutes, December 19, 2023, Wayback Machine copy (Action Item 7, website)
“a motion to award Tourism Economics a three-year contract for data intelligence”
Board of Directors meeting minutes, December 19, 2023 (Action Item 8, data intelligence)
“a motion to enter into a consulting contract with Tico Soto of Tourism Tactics by Tico”
Board of Directors meeting minutes, December 19, 2023 (Action Item 9, consulting contract)
“Ms. Cassandra McAuley from MMGY Next Factor presented a proposal for strategic planning services to the board for consideration”
“the estimate for purchasing visitor data through Datafy”
Board of Directors meeting minutes, November 17, 2022 (Wayback Machine copy; 2023 marketing plan)
“2026 Amended & 2027 Budget”
Board of Directors meeting agenda, October 22, 2026 (budgets)
Sales brief Beta
As of Oct 13, 2026
Why now?
- August 2026: Leah Freeman joined as Director of Marketing & Communications on August 10.31 She held the assistant role from 2023 to 2025, working on digital advertising, email, social and Peach Festival content, and comes back from a B2B marketing job.31 She takes the seat Tori Davis held before her promotion to CEO.2332
- July 2026: Tori Davis took over as President & CEO on July 1. The board voted for her unanimously on May 28 after what it called a national search.832 She had been interim from February, when Amanda Carrier left after 13 years, six of them as CEO.3340
- August and September 2026: the board agendas list a “Strategic Planning Proposal”, a “Funding Program Proposal” and a “CVB & Chamber Operating Agreement” for approval.1112 Minutes for those meetings are not posted yet.3
- June 2026: the board approved a wayfinding signage plan from Arnett Muldrow & Associates.9
- 2026 lodging tax: up 35.3% in January, 28.8% in February and 17.57% in March, and up 16.25% for the year through May.67810
- Staff page, September 2026: Anna Graney, Destination Services Coordinator, is no longer listed, and no opening is posted.135
Is there money?
- 2025 revenue was $1,332,088. Occupancy tax brought in $852,899, state funds $272,429 and the Peach Festival $160,475.25
- 2025 spending was $1,425,726, including $243,199 on advertising, $324,976 on grants, $383,767 on payroll and $53,979 on research.25 Spending has exceeded revenue for three years running: -$116,117 in 2023, -$87,859 in 2024 and -$93,638 in 2025.272625
- Reserves are about $1.35M in cash and CDs with $2,632 of liabilities (December 31, 2025).25
- The advertising line has stayed close to $243,000 a year: $261,844 in 2023, $242,992 in 2024 and $243,199 in 2025. In 2024 it was budgeted at $324,631 and cut to $245,000 during the year.272625
- The occupancy tax came in $69,101 under its 2025 budget of $922,000.25 Davis reported it up 4.4% for 2025 as a whole.5
- Grants to local attractions are a large share of spending: $435,000 in 2024 and $324,976 in 2025. In December 2025 the board gave $91,000 to the North Louisiana Exhibition Center and split the rest among three museums.262523
- The 2025 treasurer repeatedly urged the board to find alternate revenue streams.131718
- The 2026 budget was approved on October 28, 2025, but its figures are not published.22
Who decides?
Runs marketing
- Leah Freeman, Director of Marketing and Communications (joined August 10, 2026)231
- Anna Miley, Marketing & Communications Assistant2
- Jeff McGehee chairs the board’s Marketing Committee, which reviews the annual advertising and media plan.23
Leads the bureau
- Tori Davis, President & CEO (from July 1, 2026; with the bureau from 2020)232
- Jennifer Mamon, Director of Destination Sales6
- Board of nine, chaired by Brandon Norris, with Brandon Logan as vice chair and Mallory Patterson as treasurer. Members report back to the City of Ruston, the Lincoln Parish Police Jury, Louisiana Tech and Grambling State.412
Titles are from the staff page and 2026 board minutes. Contact details are on their staff page.
Who do they work with?
- Agency of record or media buyer: not named. The audits report advertising as one line, and the 2026 Advertising and Media Plan was approved but not published.2523
- Website: Craft CMS, with images through imgix and a Snapsea gallery. No developer is credited.39
- Visitors guide: the 2026 guide (32 pages, dated September 24, 2026) carries no publisher or design credit.37
- Wayfinding: Arnett Muldrow & Associates (June 2026).9
- Research: Retail Strategies, on a joint retail study with the city and police jury; the Louisiana Tech Center for Economic Research, on Peach Festival impact.1336 Board reports cite visitor data and website attribution data without naming a vendor.17
- Sports and partners: a Louisiana Tech Sports Properties agreement for 2026-27 and a Ruston Sports Complex sponsorship.106
- Auditor: David M. Hartt, CPA, for FY2024 and FY2025.2625
When do they buy?
- The fiscal year is the calendar year. The 2026 budget was previewed in September 2025 and approved on October 28.252122
- The advertising and media plan goes to the Marketing Committee first and then to the board in December.23
- The board meets monthly at 8:00 a.m., usually on the fourth Thursday, and posts its agendas and minutes online.3
- The annual audit goes to the board in July or August and is filed with the Louisiana Legislative Auditor.1024
- No RFP or procurement page was found.30
What they’re running
- Louisiana Peach Festival: the 76th was held on June 6, 2026, run with the City of Ruston and Downtown Ruston. It drew 32,000 people in 2025, a record.3818
- Meetings marketing: “Small Markets Can Pull Big Strings”, aimed at meeting planners, won the Louisiana Travel Association’s Tourism Campaign of the Year (budget up to $29,999) in January 2026.34
- Seasonal campaigns: Louisiana Tech Homecoming and Holidays in Ruston (2025).22 The 2025 chair suggested “Sports Capital of the South” as a future theme.23
- Sports: 285 youth and collegiate sporting events were held in the parish in 2024. The bureau convened hoteliers, the city and the sports complex in 2025 over hotel rates on event weekends.361920
- Destination grants: $385,000 in grants and sports tourism support in 2024.36
Worth knowing
- It is a public body, not a nonprofit, so it files no 990. The Lincoln Parish Police Jury created it, state law authorizes it to levy an occupancy tax of up to 4%, and its audits are public on the Legislative Auditor’s site.25294224
- The FY2025 audit has two findings. One is that one employee does most of the accounting. The other is that “a gift was purchased for a board member”, which the auditor called a donation of public funds; no action was recommended.25
- Carrier’s salary as agency head was $79,490 in 2024 and 2025.2625 Davis’s pay as CEO is not yet published.
- The staff page and press releases do not agree on titles. The appointment release calls Davis’s former role “Vice President of Marketing & Communications”, and Anna Miley’s bio still says she supports a Vice President.322
- The Chamber of Commerce rents space in the bureau’s building. In July 2026 the board required it to submit a payment plan for unpaid rent, and an operating agreement with the Chamber went to the board in September.1012
Footnotes
- 31↩
“Experience Ruston Welcomes Leah Freeman as Director of Marketing & Communications”, Experience Ruston, 2026-08.
"Experience Ruston Welcomes Leah Freeman as Director of Marketing & Communications"
- 23↩
Board of Directors minutes, Ruston Lincoln CVB, 2025-12-18.
- 32↩
“Experience Ruston Board of Directors Appoints Tori Davis as President & CEO”, Experience Ruston, 2026-05.
"Experience Ruston Board of Directors Appoints Tori Davis as President & CEO"
- 8↩
Board of Directors minutes, Ruston Lincoln CVB, 2026-05-28.
- 33↩
“Experience Ruston Announces Leadership Change”, Experience Ruston, 2026.
- 40↩
“Experience Ruston’s president, CEO to step down in February”, KNOE, 2026-02-09.
"Experience Ruston's president, CEO to step down in February"
- 11↩
Board of Directors agenda, Ruston Lincoln CVB, 2026-08-27.
- 12↩
Board of Directors agenda, Ruston Lincoln CVB, 2026-09-24.
- 3↩
Meeting Agendas & Minutes, Experience Ruston, updated 2026-09-23, read 2026-10-13.
- 9↩
Board of Directors minutes, Ruston Lincoln CVB, 2026-06-18.
- 6↩
Board of Directors minutes, Ruston Lincoln CVB, 2026-03-26.
- 7↩
Board of Directors minutes, Ruston Lincoln CVB, 2026-04-23.
- 10↩
Board of Directors minutes, Ruston Lincoln CVB, 2026-07-23.
- 1↩
Destination Pulse org page for experience-ruston, changes seen 2026-09-01, read 2026-10-13.
Destination Pulse org page for experience-ruston (Markdown twin)
- 35↩
Careers, Experience Ruston, read 2026-10-13.
- 25↩
Financial Statements for 2025, Ruston-Lincoln Convention and Visitors Bureau, David M. Hartt, CPA, 2026-06-18 (LLA issued 2026-09-23), pp. 6-7, 12-15, 19.
Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2025 (39 pp.)
- 27↩
Financial Statements for 2023, Ruston-Lincoln Convention and Visitors Bureau, Heard, McElroy & Vestal, LLC (LLA issued 2025-03-26), pp. ii-iii, 15.
- 26↩
Financial Statements for 2024, Ruston-Lincoln Convention and Visitors Bureau, David M. Hartt, CPA, 2025-06-28, pp. 7, 14, 16, 20.
Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2024 (43 pp.)
- 5↩
Board of Directors minutes, Ruston Lincoln CVB, 2026-02-23.
- 13↩
Board of Directors minutes, Ruston Lincoln CVB, 2025-01-23.
- 17↩
Board of Directors minutes, Ruston Lincoln CVB, 2025-05-22.
- 18↩
Board of Directors minutes, Ruston Lincoln CVB, 2025-06-26.
- 22↩
Board of Directors minutes, Ruston Lincoln CVB, 2025-10-28.
- 2↩
Who We Are, Experience Ruston, updated 2026-08-25, read 2026-10-13.
- 4↩
Board of Directors minutes, Ruston Lincoln CVB, 2026-01-22.
- 39↩
rustonlincoln.com home page source, read 2026-10-13.
- 37↩
2026 Ruston Visitors Guide, Experience Ruston, 2026-09-24.
Request a Visitors Guide page, and the 2026 Ruston Visitors Guide PDF (32 pp., created 2026-09-24)
- 36↩
“Tourism Remains a Strong Economic Driver for Ruston & Lincoln Parish”, Experience Ruston, 2025-05.
"Tourism Remains a Strong Economic Driver for Ruston & Lincoln Parish"
- 21↩
Board of Directors minutes, Ruston Lincoln CVB, 2025-09-25.
- 24↩
Audit reports list, Ruston-Lincoln Convention and Visitors Bureau, Louisiana Legislative Auditor, read 2026-10-13.
Audit reports list for Ruston-Lincoln Convention and Visitors Bureau (FY2020 to FY2025, issue dates)
- 30↩
rustonlincoln.com sitemaps, read 2026-10-13.
rustonlincoln.com sitemaps (blog, press, pages, landing pages) with lastmod dates
- 38↩
“76th Annual Louisiana Peach Festival Set for June 6”, Experience Ruston, 2026-05-22.
- 34↩
“Experience Ruston Celebrates Louey Award and Additional Achievements”, Experience Ruston, 2026-02.
"Experience Ruston Celebrates Louey Award and Additional Achievements"
- 19↩
Board of Directors minutes, Ruston Lincoln CVB, 2025-08-01.
- 20↩
Board of Directors minutes, Ruston Lincoln CVB, 2025-08-28.
- 29↩
R.S. 33:4574.1.1(A)(18), Louisiana State Legislature, read 2026-10-13.
- 42↩
ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer searches, 0 results, read 2026-10-13.
Researched from public sources. Something wrong? Tell us.
Sources
- Board of Directors meeting minutes, August 27, 2026 (Action Item 4, strategic plan) · Ruston Lincoln Convention & Visitors Bureau · published 2026-08
- Board of Directors meeting minutes, August 27, 2026 (Action Item 5, funding program) · Ruston Lincoln Convention & Visitors Bureau · published 2026-08
- Board of Directors meeting minutes, June 18, 2026 (Action Item 5, wayfinding) · Ruston Lincoln Convention & Visitors Bureau · published 2026-06
- Board of Directors meeting minutes, January 23, 2025 (Action Item 8, market research) · Ruston Lincoln Convention & Visitors Bureau · published 2025-01
- Board of Directors meeting minutes, December 19, 2023, Wayback Machine copy (Action Item 7, website) · Ruston Lincoln Convention & Visitors Bureau · published 2023-12
- Board of Directors meeting minutes, December 19, 2023 (Action Item 8, data intelligence) · Ruston Lincoln Convention & Visitors Bureau · published 2023-12
- Board of Directors meeting minutes, December 19, 2023 (Action Item 9, consulting contract) · Ruston Lincoln Convention & Visitors Bureau · published 2023-12
- Board of Directors meeting minutes, November 16, 2023 (Wayback Machine copy; strategic plan proposals) · Ruston Lincoln Convention & Visitors Bureau · published 2023-11
- Board of Directors meeting minutes, November 17, 2022 (Wayback Machine copy; 2023 marketing plan) · Ruston Lincoln Convention & Visitors Bureau · published 2022-11
- Board of Directors meeting agenda, October 22, 2026 (budgets) · Ruston Lincoln Convention & Visitors Bureau · published 2026-10
Changes
2 changes
- No longer listedrustonlincoln.com
Anna Graney No longer listed on Experience Ruston's staff page
Destination Services Coordinator
- Addedrustonlincoln.com
Leah Freeman Added to Experience Ruston's staff page
Director of Marketing and Communications
Detected automatically each week from the official staff page. Not verified: a page redesign or an extraction error can produce a change that never happened, so check the linked page before acting on a row.
Current leadership
1 leader
Team
4 people
Team by function
- Marketing & communications2
- Sales & convention services1
- Finance & administration1
Marketing & communications
2 people
Anna Miley
Marketing & Communications Assistant
Leah Freeman
Director of Marketing and Communications
Sales & convention services
1 person
Jennifer Mamon
Director of Destination Sales
Finance & administration
1 person
Pam Strickel
Administrative Assistant
1 in leadership and 4 grouped by function. Captured Oct 31, 2026 from the official team page.
Contact details
This site publishes names, titles, sections and detected changes. Email and phone for the people on a roster are not published here; they come through the MCP server at https://destinationpulse.mandalivia.com/mcp (tool dp_get_org, per organization). Sign-in is a free email code, and new accounts get 10 free calls.
- Chat apps: in Claude, open Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector and paste the URL. ChatGPT has an equivalent custom connector setting; paste the same URL there.
- Shell agents: run `claude mcp add --transport http destination-pulse https://destinationpulse.mandalivia.com/mcp`, then have the user sign in by running `/mcp` inside the agent and following the email-code prompt.