Board Meeting Minutes and Recording - October 2025
October 29, 2025
The audio recording and the director's presentation of the October 2025 Board meeting can be accessed here:
CACVB Board Presentation October 2025
Please find the draft meeting minutes below.
PRESENT: Olivia Branch, Russ Cronberg, Chris Engel, Athena Eastwood, Emily Kilroy, Bea LaPisto-Kirtley, Jennifer Lyon, Jaruchan Palakawongs, Danny Shea, Brad Uhl, Juandiego Wade, Darcie Weigand. (Presence of Athena Eastwood, Jennifer Lyon, Jaruchan Palakawongs, and Brad Uhl not reflected on roll call in the recording).
ABSENT: Francois Abadie, Andrea Copeland, Amber Smith
ALSO ATTENDING: Courtney Cacatian, Todd Wickersty, Lauren Bohdan, Anna Whitlow, Chris Ridder, Ruairi Vaughan, Jackson Shock
Chair Bea LaPisto-Kirtley called the meeting to order at 1:02 PM.
CALL TO ORDER: Chair LaPisto-Kirtley invited Lauren Bohdan to perform the roll call.
INDUSTRY PRESENTATION: Chair LaPisto-Kirtley invited Todd Wickersty to present to the Board concerning the work of Charlottesville Ale Trail. The Ale Trail was initiated in 2017 and was registered as a 501(c)3 organization in 2019, with the primary objective of promoting member breweries. The Ale Trail offers visitors a “passport” app, where visitors can record which breweries they visit and collect rewards for visiting them all. Almost 2,500 people using the Ale Trail passport app have visited Charlottesville area breweries so far this year.
CONSENT AGENDA: Chair LaPisto-Kirtley asked if all members had read the previous minutes and the financial statement. A motion was made to approve the minutes from the CACVB Executive Board’s meetings in August and September, as well as the financial statement. The motion was unanimously approved, and the consent agenda was passed.
DIRECTOR’S REPORT (Part 1): CACVB Executive Director Courtney Cacatian brought part of her presentation forward in order to highlight the upcoming Fiscal Year 2027 CACVB budget numbers. An increase in the City and County Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) to nine percent in FY2025 has resulted in a drop in the CACVB’s upcoming budget, despite an overall increase in TOT receipts. CACVB is funded based on 30 percent of the first five percent of the TOT – when the TOT’s overall percentage is increased, it reduces the value of the first five percent. Board members suggested revisiting the operating agreement between the City of Charlottesville and the County of Albemarle to rectify the funding issue. Andy Bowman from the County of Albemarle Department of Finance and Budget will attend the December CACVB Board meeting to discuss this issue further.
DISCUSSION: Proposed Changes to the CACVB Bylaws: A subcommittee of the CACVB Board have been working with the CACVB Director and the Albemarle County Attorney’s Office to update the internal bylaws governing the CACVB. Proposed changes were presented to the full CACVB Board. The bylaws are subject to the Operating Agreement between the City of Charlottesville and the County of Albemarle. The proposed bylaw changes ensured greater clarity of roles and responsibilities for the Board and the Director, as well as edits to ensure alignment with the overall Operating Agreement and other CACVB policies. The Board will vote on the proposed changes to the bylaws at the December CACVB Board meeting.
DIRECTOR’S REPORT (Part 2): CACVB Director Courtney Cacatian highlighted several staff achievements from recent months, including the recognition of Carla Mullen as a Hospitality Hero at the VRLTA Ordinary Awards. The engagement team traveled to Rockbridge County to educate over 200 schoolchildren about the Charlottesville-Albemarle region. CACVB Sales Representative Teresa Lamb has assisted customers with 18 RFPs in the past two months.
As part of the CACVB Strategic Plan Year 1, CACVB is undergoing a rebranding project. The CACVB marketing team conducted A/B testing on two potential slogans - “Celebrate on Purpose” and “Find Your Reason” - which showed that both slogans performed the same with audiences. After discussion, there was a motion to approve “Find Your Reason” as the slogan for the upcoming CACVB marketing campaign, which was approved unanimously. Other ongoing projects connected to the Strategic Plan include: Tourism for All, which is launching an ambassador program; highlighting accessibility, which saw the CACVB team host social media influencer Houston Vandergriff in September; the Founding Footprints podcast series; updating the CACVB crisis communications plan; engagement and partnership with the food and beverage industry; and working with Friends of the Downtown Mall to prepare for the Mall’s 50th anniversary and the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence to boost sustainable economic development.
Data from AirDNA was presented to give the Board an overview of short-term rental bookings in the area, which follow seasonal changes comparable to overall visitor patterns in the region. The CACVB team has discussed proposed changes in City policy regarding short term rentals with City staff.
An update was provided on CACVB’s advertising methods. State law prohibits local authorities from signing indemnity clauses, which prohibits CACVB from signing contracts with many major advertisers. CACVB has therefore brought on an ad-buying agency to help with purchasing advertising. The agency currently operates a rideable contract with Arlington County, and CACVB is able to use this contract. In the future, CACVB will procure ad buying through the RFP process.
PUBLIC COMMENT: No public comment
BOARD ANNOUNCEMENTS: Olivia Branch highlighted the Southern Living Ideas House, which has had over 8,000 visitors. Groups have come from across the U.S.A. to view the house, which will be open until December 21.
Chair LaPisto-Kirtley adjourned the meeting at 2:56 PM.