JoNell Modys
JoNell has been with the Naples, Marco Island, Everglades Convention and Visitors Bureau for 8 years – 6 of those years in-house and two as the public relations director for the bureau’s previous marketing agency. She handles travel public relations and communications, working closely with travel writers and editors from around the country and the world to publicize the area as a premiere vacation and business travel destination, and with the bureau to ensure the quality of its promotional materials.
When Lee and Charlotte Counties were developing their Blueway paddling trail systems beginning about 8 years ago, JoNell approached the Collier County Parks & Recreation department with the idea of initiating development of a Blueway system in Collier County. No action was taken for a number of years. Then, when there was additional interest from segments of the community like the Collier County Health Department, the idea was brought forward and a committee of interested government and private industry volunteers set out to create the first phase of the Paradise Coast Blueway. The Convention and Visitors Bureau has sponsored marketing efforts for the Blueway, including the creation of a Web site and ongoing efforts to complete and publicize a full Paradise Coast Blueway system.