Central Ohio Transit Authority

David is operator of the Living Forest Ocean Campground. His expertise in the camping business has been generously shared on many occasions at conferences and various meetings. In addition, he has received national certification as a professional campground operator, one of the very few in B.C. to do so. David is responsible for COTA's Marine Transportation Portfolio. While David's main business interests are in the accommodations sector, he still operates Bastion City Wildlife Tourism, which he started with his father in 1976. David keeps up to date on activity in the marine tourism sector and is familiar with all the coastline of B.C., having seen firsthand the marine access issues that communities such as Prince Rupert and Bella Coola face. David has a special interest in BC Ferries issues and has long been a proponent of the Gabriola Island to Iona Island ferry crossing to solve fleet aging concerns. David's first love is the wilderness and is a passionate supporter of our supernatural image and the wilderness tourism sector where he first entered the industry. David believes absolutely that tourism is the future of this province and promotes BC's sustainable tourism product, both here and abroad. In addition to his appointment to COTA's board, David sits on the board of Tourism Nanaimo. From 1996 David has sat on the board of BCLCA and was president 1999 - 2002. David represented BCLCA nationally on the Campgrounds Campings Canada and sat a number of years on the Highway Service and Attractions Signage Advisory Committee.

Mary Mahon Jones has been COTA's CEO since 1998. With 18 years of experience working as a staff and a Board member for several industry organizations, she has developed strong advocacy and government relations skills. Her work for COTA and the tourism industry has resulted in numerous successes, including landmark symposiums on transportation and land use, which helped focus COTA's approach to these key issues. She also represents COTA on the steering committee of the BC Business Summit, the Coalition of BC Businesses, and Provinces & Territories Tourism Industry Association, and she leads COTA's involvement in the annual B.C. Tourism Industry Conference.