Meet our Sales & Services Team

John Sneed has been in the hospitality industry since 1993 including working for several restaurants, hotels and convention and visitors bureaus (CVB). He joined the Wilmington and Beaches CVB team in 2009. As parents of four children, John, and wife Kristy, love outings to the natural and historic areas Wilmington and the surrounding beaches have to offer. John's father was one of the schoolchildren that contributed coins to the "Save Our Ship" campaign to buy the USS North Carolina and his favorite memory is visiting the ship in Wilmington as a child on numerous family vacations. John has traveled extensively and the USS North Carolina remains one of his favorite attractions.

Molly Johnson has been in the hospitality industry since 1991 with experience ranging from operations to sales. After moving multiple times to six different states, Molly finally felt at home when she moved to Wilmington. She started at the Wilmington and Beaches CVB in 2015. She currently serves on the Meeting Professionals International Chapter and Member Advisory Council as well as the Sustainability Advisory Council. Molly is a Past President of the Southeast Chapter of Professional Conference Management Association and a Past President of the Carolinas Chapter of Meeting Professionals International. Recent awards include PCMA Southeast Chapter 2023 President’s Award, PCMA Global Chair’s 2022 Award, AENC 2022 Outstanding Affiliate Member Award, MPI-CC 2019 Corey D. Bizell Award of Excellence, MPI-CC 2018 Hall of Fame Award, MPI-CC 2017 President’s Award. Molly spends her free time serving on the board of directors for A Safe Place, a local non-profit..

Joel Smith has held various management roles within the recreation and leisure industry, and completed his Master’s degree in Parks, Recreation, Sports and Tourism Management, at North Carolina State University. Joel joined the Wilmington and Beaches CVB in 2017. He is currently serving as the Second Vice President for the North Carolina Society of Government Meeting Professionals, was named NC SGMP Supplier of the Year for 2020-2021 and a National SGMP Top Young Professional for 2022. He and his wife Hilary have three children, and thoroughly enjoy the local eateries and attractions in Wilmington. Joel spends his free time fishing, sunset chasing with his family and supporting his community.

Karen Warren has been employed with the Wilmington and Beaches CVB since 1998. In her role, she provides support services for individuals, organizations, meeting planners and group tour operators. She spends as much time at the beach as possible and enjoys the theater, art and restaurant scene. Karen caught the archaeology bug at an early age, courtesy of Howard Carter and King Tut, and received a degree in anthropology with a focus on Meso-American archaeology with a side bar in Egyptian hieroglyphs. She loves to travel and one of her most memorable trips was to the ethereal Incan site of Machu Picchu.

Ashley Ackary joined the Wilmington and Beaches CVB in 2021 after graduating from Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C. with her BSBA in Hospitality and Tourism Management. In her role, Ashley greets visitors at the CVB’s front desk, answers phone and email inquiries and assists the sales team with pre-event planning in the SMERF market. During her free time, Ashley enjoys hiking, yoga, pottery, crafting, listening to live music and playing with her two kittens, Pluto and Venus.