About Us
Meet the Staff and Board of Directors
Rebecca Bond, Executive Director
Rebecca is the Executive Director and official spokesperson for the Albany Visitors Association (AVA). Since joining the AVA in 1996, she has advanced through the ranks holding every position at some point during her tenure. She’s most widely known for her work with Albany’s historic resources, assisting with organization, project management, marketing, event planning and volunteer coordination. She is now actively involved in leading AVA’s marketing and operational planning. She also serves as a liaison to many partners including the Historic Carousel & Museum, Albany Downtown Association, Transient Lodging Tax (TLT) shareholder committee, Linn County Cultural Coalition and the Willamette Valley Visitors Association. Rebecca’s experience in tourism marketing is well-known, and she has boundless enthusiasm and love for the community in which she lives and works.
Email: rebecca@albanyvisitors.com
Kim Jackson, Marketing Manager
Kim is the former city editor of the Albany Democrat-Herald. He oversees AVA's historical resources and group marketing. His duties include promoting sports tourism, outdoor recreation, and serving on the public relations committee for the Willamette Valley Visitors Association. Jackson graduated Oregon State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Technical Journalism. He spent three years as sports editor at the Gresham Outlook before moving to the Albany Democrat-Herald in 1986, where he held positions as sports writer, sports editor, news editor and city editor. He resides in Albany with his wife, Julie. They have two children.
Email: kjackson@albanyvisitors.com
Alicen Arsenault, Marketing Specialist
As the Marketing Specialist, Alicen keeps up all of the social media, posts to the AVA website, writes blogs and designs ads. She is a graduate of Linn-Benton Community College with an AA in Visual Communication. Before rejoining the workforce, she was a stay-at-home mom and homeschooled her children. In her free time, she enjoys drawing, painting, and hiking. Alicen and her husband, Joe, have been married for over 20 years and have a daughter and a son.
Email: alicen@albanyvisitors.com
Lonna Capaci, Visitor Services Manager
Lonna Capaci, the AVA's Visitor Services Manager, is the public's first point of contact with the AVA. She answers the phones, adds events to the event calendar, orders and stocks brochures, and works diligently in keeping the Visitor Center a friendly and welcoming place for locals and visitors alike.
Email: info@albanyvisitors.com
Don Vance, Volunteer Coordinator
Don has been with AVA for 25 years. He’s one of the friendly smiling faces you’ll see when you walk through our front doors and gladly dispenses maps or directions to anywhere you'd like to go in Linn County. Don also coordinates the volunteer staff and training at our “Little Blue House” visitor information center at the southbound I-5 Santiam Rest Area. These volunteers serve free coffee and hot chocolate, and help guide travelers towards the best sights in Albany.
Email: info@albanyvisitors.com
AVA Board of Directors
Our Mission
To grow the economic impact of tourism by fostering local experiences.
The Albany Visitors Association carries out our mission by...
- Encouraging over night stays and visitor expenditures
- Seeking new tourism opportunities (including local, regional and state-wide partnerships)
- Promoting Albany and the surrounding area
- Assisting visitors in discovering enriching experiences
- Supporting events, attractions, and facilities
...while honoring our history, celebrating culture, building community identity and involvement, maintaining a positive quality of life and developing and strengthening partnerships.