Three years into a successful tourism industry career, Bree Nidds recognized an opportunity to grow further. She returned to school to earn her master’s degree, gaining advanced knowledge and strengthening her professional credentials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While earning her online master’s degree in parks, recreation, tourism and sport management at North Carolina State University, Nidds served as a community mentor for the James Buzzard Leadership Development Program. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2019, Nidds graduated from NC State and soon joined Discover Lehigh Valley, the official destination marketing organization for Lehigh and Northampton counties in Pennsylvania, as its vice president of sales. She now serves as the organization’s chief operating officer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nidds has been recognized with the Smart Meetings Catalyst Award: Rising Star and has earned “20 in Their Twenties” and “30 Under 30” honors from the Professional Convention Management Association and Destinations International, respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the following Q&A, Nidds discusses her current role with Discover Lehigh Valley, her decision to pursue a graduate degree in parks, recreation and tourism management at NC State, how the program prepared her for a career, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bree Nidds:<\/strong> On any given day, I may be meeting with prospective event organizers about bringing a new event to the region, helping shape our next three-year strategic plan, evaluating lodging performance and tourism trends, reviewing advertising and media investments, or ensuring compliance with Destinations International accreditation standards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I work closely with our team to ensure they have the necessary tools to excel in their respective roles, while also partnering with our president and CEO to advance the organization’s strategic vision. The variety of responsibilities keeps the role exciting and allows me to have a direct impact on both our organization and the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nidds:<\/strong> I had been working for a destination organization in the tourism industry for about three years when I decided to pursue my master’s degree at NC State. While I had gained valuable professional experience, I wanted to deepen my knowledge and build additional credibility with the partners I worked alongside every day, including parks and recreation agencies, venue operators and destination stakeholders. The Master of Parks, Recreation, Tourism and Sport Management (MPRTSM) degree program provided an opportunity to strengthen both my practical and academic understanding of the industry in ways that I could apply immediately while also preparing me for future leadership roles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nidds:<\/strong> At its core, my job is about helping make the Lehigh Valley a better place to live, work and visit. Every dollar spent by a visitor at a hotel, restaurant, attraction, retail store or event contributes to the local economy and supports residents throughout our community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Discover Lehigh Valley plays a key role in creating that impact by putting the region on people’s radar as a destination for vacations, business travel, conferences, sporting events and visits with friends and family. By attracting visitors and encouraging spending within our community, we help generate economic activity that supports local businesses, creates jobs and enhances residents’ quality of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nidds:<\/strong> As I planned the trajectory of my career, I knew I needed a stronger understanding of budgeting, finance and the operational side of organizations, especially those that serve the public. While I wasn’t immediately applying every lesson from the MPRTSM degree program in my day-to-day responsibilities at the time, those learnings became increasingly valuable as I advanced into leadership roles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today, many of the concepts I studied related to financial management, strategic planning, and organizational leadership are highly applicable to my work as a chief operating officer. The program provided a well-rounded perspective that prepared me for greater responsibility and confident decision-making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nidds:<\/strong> Identify an event, venue or destination you admire and reach out to the professionals who are making that place or experience shine every day. Lead with, “I admire your work \u2014 how can I model what you’re doing?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n This advice applies whether you’re already working in the field or still exploring career opportunities. You’ll learn a tremendous amount through your coursework, but some of the most valuable lessons come from professionals who are doing the work every day.<\/p>\n","protected":false,"raw":"\n\n\n\n\n Three years into a successful tourism industry career, Bree Nidds recognized an opportunity to grow further. She returned to school to earn her master's degree, gaining advanced knowledge and strengthening her professional credentials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While earning her online master's degree in parks, recreation, tourism and sport management at North Carolina State University, Nidds served as a community mentor for the James Buzzard Leadership Development Program. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2019, Nidds graduated from NC State and soon joined Discover Lehigh Valley, the official destination marketing organization for Lehigh and Northampton counties in Pennsylvania, as its vice president of sales. She now serves as the organization's chief operating officer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Nidds has been recognized with the Smart Meetings Catalyst Award: Rising Star and has earned \"20 in Their Twenties\" and \"30 Under 30\" honors from the Professional Convention Management Association and Destinations International, respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the following Q&A, Nidds discusses her current role with Discover Lehigh Valley, her decision to pursue a graduate degree in parks, recreation and tourism management at NC State, how the program prepared her for a career, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bree Nidds:<\/strong> On any given day, I may be meeting with prospective event organizers about bringing a new event to the region, helping shape our next three-year strategic plan, evaluating lodging performance and tourism trends, reviewing advertising and media investments, or ensuring compliance with Destinations International accreditation standards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I work closely with our team to ensure they have the necessary tools to excel in their respective roles, while also partnering with our president and CEO to advance the organization's strategic vision. The variety of responsibilities keeps the role exciting and allows me to have a direct impact on both our organization and the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nidds:<\/strong> I had been working for a destination organization in the tourism industry for about three years when I decided to pursue my master's degree at NC State. While I had gained valuable professional experience, I wanted to deepen my knowledge and build additional credibility with the partners I worked alongside every day, including parks and recreation agencies, venue operators and destination stakeholders. The Master of Parks, Recreation, Tourism and Sport Management (MPRTSM) degree program provided an opportunity to strengthen both my practical and academic understanding of the industry in ways that I could apply immediately while also preparing me for future leadership roles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nidds:<\/strong> At its core, my job is about helping make the Lehigh Valley a better place to live, work and visit. Every dollar spent by a visitor at a hotel, restaurant, attraction, retail store or event contributes to the local economy and supports residents throughout our community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Discover Lehigh Valley plays a key role in creating that impact by putting the region on people's radar as a destination for vacations, business travel, conferences, sporting events and visits with friends and family. By attracting visitors and encouraging spending within our community, we help generate economic activity that supports local businesses, creates jobs and enhances residents' quality of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nidds:<\/strong> As I planned the trajectory of my career, I knew I needed a stronger understanding of budgeting, finance and the operational side of organizations, especially those that serve the public. While I wasn't immediately applying every lesson from the MPRTSM degree program in my day-to-day responsibilities at the time, those learnings became increasingly valuable as I advanced into leadership roles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today, many of the concepts I studied related to financial management, strategic planning, and organizational leadership are highly applicable to my work as a chief operating officer. The program provided a well-rounded perspective that prepared me for greater responsibility and confident decision-making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nidds:<\/strong> Identify an event, venue or destination you admire and reach out to the professionals who are making that place or experience shine every day. Lead with, \"I admire your work \u2014 how can I model what you're doing?\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n This advice applies whether you're already working in the field or still exploring career opportunities. You'll learn a tremendous amount through your coursework, but some of the most valuable lessons come from professionals who are doing the work every day.<\/p>\n"},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Nidds has leveraged her master’s degree from NC State to advance from a tourism industry professional to a leadership role as chief operating officer of Discover Lehigh Valley.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":183,"featured_media":42644,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"","ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"{\"displayCategoryID\":173,\"showAuthor\":true,\"showDate\":true,\"showFeaturedVideo\":false}","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","ncst_content_audit_display":false,"ncst_backToTopFlag":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[173,1,102],"tags":[98,89,42],"_ncst_magazine_issue":[],"class_list":["post-42640","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni-and-friends","category-hidden-news","category-hidden-newswire","tag-alumni-profile","tag-graduate-programs","tag-parks-recreation-and-tourism-management"],"displayCategory":{"term_id":173,"name":"Alumni and Friends","slug":"alumni-and-friends","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":173,"taxonomy":"category","description":"Learn about the career paths our alumni set out on to make the world a better place. Discover their dedication to protect the environment, enhance parks and recreation and develop sustainable materials and technologies.","parent":0,"count":167,"filter":"raw"},"acf":{"ncst_posts_meta_modified_date":null},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42640","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/183"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42640"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42640\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43701,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42640\/revisions\/43701"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42644"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42640"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42640"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42640"},{"taxonomy":"_ncst_magazine_issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/_ncst_magazine_issue?post=42640"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}What inspired you to study parks, recreation, tourism and sport management?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What impact are you making through your position?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How did the college prepare you for your current position?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What advice do you have for current College of Natural Resources students?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What is a typical day in your job like?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What inspired you to study parks, recreation, tourism and sport management?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What impact are you making through your position?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How did the college prepare you for your current position?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What advice do you have for current College of Natural Resources students?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n