Staff Profiles

Patrick Lynch, CMP, CHSP Executive Director Contact Me With over a decade of hospitality and destination marketing experience, Mr. Lynch came to Worcester to start Destination Worcester in June 2007 and was given the mission to build Destination Worcester into a successful Destination Marketing Organization, recognized as the “go to” organization for meeting and event planners looking to book in Worcester. Mr. Lynch holds a Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) certificate from the Convention Industry Council and a Certified Hospitality Sales Professional (CHSP) certificate from the American Hotel & Lodging Association. He is a member of several industry organizations and is the 2007/2008 President of the New England Chapter of Meeting Professionals International.
Diana Casavecchia Convention Sales Manager Contact Me Diana started in the hospitality industry as a part-time housekeeper at the age of sixteen and has held a myriad of positions in the industry since. She has sold limited-service, extended-stay, and full-service hotels as well as the entire central Massachusetts region. Most recently Diana was part of the opening team for the Residence Inn by Marriott-Worcester, which opened in 2007. Her experience in the hospitality industry makes her well suited to sell Worcester as a destination for meetings and events. Diana was a recipient of Worcester Business Journal’s Top 40 Business Professionals under 40 in 2004. Diana is a member of Professional Convention Management Association, the New England Society of Association Executives, and Meeting Professionals International.
Robert Murdock Sport & Event Sales Manager Contact Me Bob joined Destination Worcester in November 2007 to promote and sell the City of Worcester as a destination for sports, events, trade shows and reunions. Bob has over fifteen years of experience in the field including sports marketing agencies, the sports commission for Massachusetts and World Championship events. He has managed high-end corporate hospitality functions and events, not-for-profit foundations of professional athletes and served as the Executive Director for the 2006 Men’s World Curling Championship. He is a member of the National Association of Sports Commissions and the International Association of Exhibitions and Events.
Board of Advisors
Michael V. O’Brien, Worcester City Manager, is Chairman of the Destination Worcester Advisory Board. Under his leadership and direction, New England’s second largest city is in the midst of an incredible transformation - with more than $1.3 billion in private and public investment in economic development now underway, including a $563 million downtown revitalization project. During his tenure as City Manager, he has forged a number of partnerships to ensure that arts and culture play a vital role in planning and development with examples such as the $31 million restoration of the Hanover Theater for the Performing Arts. He was instrumental in helping to recruit new sports teams to the region, including hockey, football and baseball. Destination Worcester is a result of a 2005 effort when he appointed a 13-member Task Force charged with re-energizing event and convention promotion efforts. Subsequently funding was secured to create this organization.
Mark Bilotta is CEO of the Colleges of Worcester Consortium, a not-for-profit association of 13 public and private colleges and universities located in central Massachusetts. Prior to the Consortium, he held several administrative positions within the higher education community, including eight years in a cabinet-level position at Assumption College and admissions positions at Worcester State College and the College of the Holy Cross. Mark is actively involved in local nonprofit boards, including the United Way of Central Massachusetts, Worcester City Manager’s Advisory Committee on Youth, the Worcester Regional Research Bureau and Spectrum Health Systems, Inc. He is also a cooperator for Webster Five Cents Savings Bank and the Greater Worcester Community Foundation.
Brian J. Buckley is a Director with the law firm, Fletcher, Tilton & Whipple, P.C. whose practice concentrates in the areas of criminal defense, personal injury, commercial litigation and appellate matters. Committed to the community he has served for over 25 years, Mr. Buckley is active in many organizations throughout Worcester. In addition to his participation on the Advisory Board for Destination Worcester, Mr. Buckley is President of the Worcester Public Library Foundation and President of The Worcester Regional Research Bureau. He is also an active member of the Worcester County Bar Association, where he has been editor of the organization’s newsletter since 1990. He previously served on the WCBA’s elected Executive Committee and was President in 2002.
Michael Covino, President of Niche Hospitality Group, is a catalyst for the development of Worcester's Canal District with the opening of Block 5 Bistro and Bocado Tapas Wine Bar as well as the recent opening of Mezcal Tequila Cantina on 'Restaurant Row' along Shrewsbury Street. He is a firm believer in the eminent growth of Worcester through hospitality by welcoming both residents of Worcester and out of town guests to his restaurants and Worcester proper. Mr. Covino is committed to making Worcester an iconic destination as a host for conventions as well as a city that entertains events and supports business growth and development. Michael has been a resident of Worcester for over 9 years with his wife Debra and their three children.
Sandy L. Dunn, General Manager of the DCU Center, has worked in the entertainment and hospitality industry for nearly thirty years. The past twenty-four years she has been with SMG in Worcester, MA and Niagara Falls, NY. SMG is the world’s largest private management firm for public facilities including convention centers, arenas, theaters and stadiums. While at the DCU Center the property has been awarded the “Prime Site Venue” award for both the Arena and Convention Center and the Arena consistently ranks as a “Top Ten Facility” internationally.
David P. Forsberg is President of the Worcester Business Development Corporation (WBDC), an innovative and leading force in the economic development of the central Massachusetts region. Prior to being appointed President of the WBDC, Mr. Forsberg was the Chief Development Officer for Massport where he was responsible for the development strategy and asset management of the organization’s real estate portfolio. From 1992-1997, Mr. Forsberg was the Chief Development Officer for the City of Worcester responsible for a $1 billion economic development agenda. In 1990, Mr. Forsberg was appointed Secretary of the Executive Office of Health and Human Services for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. As a member of the Governor’s cabinet, he was responsible for human service and healthcare policy, as well as managing a $6 billion budget and seventeen different departments, agencies and offices. From 1989 to 1990, Mr. Forsberg served as the New England Regional Administrator-Regional Housing Commissioner for the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) during the former Bush administration, reporting to then Secretary of HUD, Jack Kemp. In this role, David managed and coordinated all HUD programs including Federal and Public Housing, Community Planning and Development, and Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity for the six New England states. In 1975, Mr. Forsberg was elected to the Worcester City Council as an at-large councilor. He was then re-elected in 1987 and served as a District 1 City Councilor.
Richard B. Kennedy, President and CEO of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce is a lifelong Worcester resident and business Professional. He has over 30 years of marketing and sales experience in the high tech and manufacturing industries. Mr. Kennedy’s extensive marketing and management experience bring a unique perspective to the Destination Worcester Board. As a global marketing leader at Saint-Gobain, he directed marketing strategies and execution on five continents with $1.7 billion in sales. His skills as a communicator and his recognition of the importance of communication within an organization and to its audience make him an effective leader.
Paula Lawrence is the Director of Sales and Marketing for the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Worcester which is owned and operated by Lodgian. She’s a graduate of Assumption College and a 25-year veteran in the hospitality industry. She has held various positions in operations and sales for Marriott, Sheraton, Wyndham and Intercontinental Hotels Group. In her tenure, Paula has received various industry awards including the MA Lodging Association Stars of the Industry Outstanding Manager of the Year, and the Massachusetts Governor’s Conference Hospitality Award for her leadership and commitment to tourism in the Central Massachusetts region.
Kate McEvoy-Zdonczyk is Director of Community & Government Affairs at Fallon Community Health Plan. During her 6-year tenure at FCHP, Kate has also held the position of Director of Marketing and Sales for FCHP’s PACE program and Summit ElderCare, where she managed the re-branding of the program. An active volunteer in central Massachusetts’ political and non-profit communities, Kate was selected as one of the Worcester Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” award winners in 2002, and was named one of the “25 to Watch in 2005” by Pulse Magazine. She currently serves on Worcester State College’s Alumni Advisory Board and on the Board of Directors for the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Worcester, where she is the Vice President of Leadership.
Thomas Plunkett, General Manager of the Hilton Garden Inn, is a 30 year veteran of the hotel profession. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, Mr. Plunkett has worked as a chef in various hotels and restaurants in Pennsylvania, Florida, and Texas. Mr. Plunkett moved from his position as Chef when was promoted to Food and Beverage Director at the Hershey Corpus Christi Hotel, he spent 12 years with Hershey Hotels. Eventually recruited to the Sturbridge Host Hotel in Massachusetts, owned by Fine Hotels Corp. where he spent the next 10 years, Mr. Plunkett ran food and beverage for 5 years. He was then promoted to General Manager for the Holiday Inn Worcester and spent 3 years at that property before receiving a promotion to the Sturbridge Host Hotel as General Manager. More recently, Mr. Plunkett was Food and Beverage Director for the Sheraton Springfield for 4 years before being promoted to opening General Manger at the Hilton Garden Inn Worcester in July 2006.
Dan R. Verrico is a Vice President with Cocard of Canton Mass. He has been active in Central Massachusetts as a volunteer in various organizations. He was the cofounder and chairman of the Ambassadors Committee of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce. He has also served on the boards of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Marlborough Regional Chamber of Commerce, and the Marlborough Public Library, as a trustee and its chair. Most recently he just finished chairmanship of the Central Mass. Convention and Visitors Bureau, after serving 4 years on its board.
Erin Williams, the Cultural Development Officer for the City of Worcester, serves as the Executive Director of the Worcester Cultural Coalition, representing 52 cultural organizations within the City. Committed to cultural economic development she has spent more than 25 years in the arts and cultural arena and has overseen development of Worcester Wayfinding and public art programs; increasing the visibility of Worcester’s cultural organizations building a broad network of supporters, and fostering greater awareness of the role arts and culture play in economic revitalization, and attracting meeting and events. She also serves on the boards of the Western Massachusetts Arts Alliance, Worcester Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative and numerous committees supporting non-profit efforts. She is an active member of MAASH and the Americans for the Arts and local community organizations.
Mark Waxler, Vice President and General Manager, Beechwood Hotel has been in the hospitality industry for over thirty years. He started at the Front Desk of the Watergate Hotel and has worked for Hyatt Hotels, Doubletree Hotels and Marriott Hotels in various management positions before joining the Beechwood Hotel. During his tenure as Vice President and General Manager for the past twelve years, he has helped upgrade the property from the Beechwood Inn to the premier property in Central Massachusetts. Mark is on the Board of Directors of MA Lodging Association, New England Inns and Resorts, Destination Worcester, Hospitality Advisory Committee for Worcester Vocational High School, Worcester Regional Research Bureau.
Funding for www.DestinationWorcester.org was provided via a grant from the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority.