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Monta M. Potter, Chief Executive Officer
Monta Potter joined the Carmel Chamber of Commerce as Chief Executive Officer in 2003. She is also active with the Rotary Club of Carmel-by-the-Sea and Leadership Monterey Peninsula. She has a Bachelors degree from the University of Washington in Recreation Administration, a Masters degree from the University of Oregon in Recreation Administration, and a masters degree in Public Administration from Golden Gate University earned in 2004. She has previously served as CEO of other non profits and as a college basketball coach.
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Lee Larrew, Membership Services Manager
Lee Larrew joined the Carmel Chamber staff as Membership Services Manager in 2009 after assisting the chamber with advertising sales and volunteering in the visitor center. Lee has a Bachelors degree in Communication from the University of Colorado at Denver and has worked with business owners in the fields of marketing, business development, community relations, and outreach. Lee is a Carmel resident and is a kayak naturalist with the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and a volunteer for the Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District. She is also on the Steering Committee of Sustainable Carmel and is a Community Emergency Response Team member. |
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Lisa Budlong, Visitor Center Manager
Lisa Budlong joined the Carmel Chamber of Commerce as a volunteer in 2001 and has worked her way up to be the Visitor Center Manager since 2005. She enjoys talking with people from all over the world each & every day, helping them make their stay here a memorable one. She also works with the many travel writers that inquire about our town and promotes the businesses in our area. She is a California girl born & raised who moved to Carmel in 1993 and enjoys living in a vintage Carmel cottage complete with the white picket fence and the cats in the yard. She went to Diablo Valley College, Grossmont College & San Diego State University. She is a member of the Carmel Residents Association, the Carmel Women’s Club, YES for Carmel!, Carmel Heritage Society & American Legion Post 512.
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Kyle Stewart, Administrative Services Manager
Kyle Stewart joined the Carmel Chamber staff as a part-time Administrative Services Manager in 2009. She has a Bachelors degree from Louisiana State University in Russian Language and a Masters of Business Administration from California State University – Northridge with an emphasis in accounting and finance. Her career experience includes 30 years in public service with state and local governments and 10 years experience in the private sector. Usually working behind the scenes, she focuses on the Chamber’s accounting and administrative systems. Kyle enjoys getting to know the businesses and their stories at our events.
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Tamara Swanson, Event Coordinator
Tamara Swanson grew up on the Monterey Peninsula and submerged herself into the hospitality industry, being one of the first graduates of the Academy of Travel & Tourism. She has completed businees management, marketing and entrepreneurial courses through Kaplan University. She is also a notary public and certified wedding planner. Tamara is an extreme advocate for volunteerism and has volunteered for the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, and numerous other organizations.
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Dennis Riphenburg, Visitor Center Staff
Dennis Riphenburg is proud to say that his family has been from this area for many generations. His great-grandmother was baptized at the Carmel Mission in 1825 when Alta California was part of Mexico. Dennis has deep experience in the travel and hospitality industries, including working for international airlines and being an innkeeper. He also taught himself how to build websites in the mid-90's when they could only be designed through html coding. If Dennis isn't working with us at the Chamber, you'll most likely find him happily volunteering at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. He also enjoys cooking and gardening and even has an orchid named after him.
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Audie Housman, Visitor Center Staff
Audie Housman is in charge of the Visitor Center every Sunday and is back-up for the visitor center manager plus volunteering at events when needed. The breadth and depth of her experience in Carmel is hard to match. She and her husband Bud used to run a hardware store in town and Audie also worked at two of Carmel’s inns. She also volunteers at Pt. Lobos State Reserve (25 years) and at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. She says the big plus of working in the visitor center is “meeting and sharing our Carmel and giving visitor information that I know is going to make them enjoy our area and return”. She also said that ”visitors are happy travelers and wonderful to talk to and share information with and local residents are just as much fun”. Audie joined the visitor center staff as one of the first volunteers in 2004. |