Three new members appointed to Missouri Tourism Commission
June 24, 2020
Gov. Mike Parson recently appointed three new members to the Missouri Tourism Commission. The appointees are:
Jennifer Blair Dowdney, Osage Beach, is a lifelong native of the Lake of the Ozarks area and has served as owner and operator of Blair & Co. Confectionary since 2007. Blair & Co. is a third generation, 61-year-old candy, gift, and lake living store at the Lake of the Ozarks. Dowdney is responsible for community outreach and all advertising needs for Blair & Co. as well as several businesses, owned by her family, in the Osage Beach Shopping Village. Dowdney holds a Bachelor of Arts in marketing and graphic design from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Joseph S. Passanise, Rogersville, is a partner at Wampler and Passanise Law Office in Springfield where he practices criminal defense in federal, state, and municipal courts. Passanise is a member of the Missouri Bar Association, the National Child Abuse Defense & Resource Center, and the Missouri Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. He has been selected as a Fellow by the American Board of Criminal Lawyers, an honor only five Missouri attorneys have received. He has also received the Lifetime Achievement Award from America’s Top 100 Attorneys and has been recognized as a “Best Lawyer” in America by his peers since 2007 in white collar, non-white collar and DUI defense. Passanise holds a Bachelor of Science in political science and communication from Missouri State University, a Master of Business Administration from the University of London – Imperial College in London, England, and a Juris Doctorate from Washburn University School of Law.
Jeanette Prenger, Kansas City, is the president and CEO of ECCO Select, which she founded in 1995. The company has offices in Kansas City and Washington, D.C., and has grown into a leading provider of technology talent for Fortune 1000 companies and government agencies. Prenger has served on a number of corporate boards and committees, including the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, Latino Coalition, Women Impacting Public Policy, and United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. She was previously appointed to serve on the Small Business Administration’s Regulatory Fairness Board, Congressman Sam Graves’ Women’s Advisory Board, Visit KC and other local nonprofit committees in the Kansas City area. She has received multiple professional awards and recognitions, including Power 100 by the Kansas City Business Journal, Ingram’s 250 by Ingram Magazine, and Twenty in 20 by Enterprising Women. Prenger holds a Bachelor of Science in management information systems from Park University.
The Missouri Tourism Commission is comprised of 10 members, including the lieutenant governor, two members of the Missouri Senate appointed by the president pro tem, two members of the Missouri House of Representatives appointed by speaker of the house, and five members appointed by the governor.
Created in 1967 by the Missouri General Assembly, the commission is responsible for appointing the director of the Missouri Division of Tourism, recommending programs to increase tourism in the state and promoting the exchange of travel and tourism information among state and local agencies, chambers of commerce, convention and visitors bureaus, travel organizations, tourism-related businesses and individuals who work in the industry.
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About the Missouri Division of Tourism
The Missouri Division of Tourism works to showcase Missouri experiences through compelling storytelling to inspire travel, support healthy communities and strengthen the state’s economy. In fiscal year 2019, Missouri welcomed 42.9 million visitors and saw $17.7 billion in tourism-related spending.
