Panel Session Title:
March to the 250th: Creating Partnerships Through History
Heritage Tourism is a significant part of tourism revenue; panelists will highlight the economic impact of heritage tourism and hear how planning efforts for the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution in 2026 fit into the state’s plans to market and promote tourism in New Jersey by leveraging partnerships and collaborations between Destination Marketing Organizations, historic places, and marketing agencies.
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Ashley AbruzzoHeritage Tourism Program Manager – Crossroads of the American Revolution | Grant JacobyMarketing Manager - Morven Museum & Garden | Marc LorencChief Public Historian – New Jersey Historical Commission | Ashley ParkerHeritage Tourism Coordinator – New Jersey Historic Trust |
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About Ashley Abruzzo
Ashley Abruzzo is the Heritage Tourism Program Manager for Crossroads of the American Revolution. She brings experience from the Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area, the 180-mile corridor from Charlottesville, VA to Gettysburg, PA. As Tourism and Marketing Manager there, she was a liaison for historic sites, DMOs/CVBs, hotels and local businesses across four states and 15 counties and was program manager for the Certified Tourism Ambassador program. More recently, she was Membership Development Manager at Historic Germanna in Locust Grove, Virginia. She earned her Master’s Degree in Applied History at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania and her Bachelors in History at the University of Illinois at Springfield.
About Grant Jacoby
About Marc Lorenc
Marc Lorenc, Ph.D. is the Chief Public Historian at the New Jersey Historical Commission overseeing multiple aspects of RevolutionNJ, New Jersey's official commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. He earned his doctorate in anthropology from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and holds a graduate certificate in African Diaspora Studies. He is also the Director of the Dr. James Still Community Archaeology Project, sits on the board of the Dr. James Still Historic Office Association, and is the Founder of Unstuck in Time Gaming, an anthropological board game company.
About Ashley Parker
Ashley Parker is a Senior Historic Preservation Specialist and the Heritage Tourism and Communications Coordinator for the New Jersey Historic Trust. She holds a Master of Arts in Anthropology from Monmouth University with a concentration in applied anthropology. She is interested in gathering qualitative data to help strengthen programs and visitor experiences at heritage tourism destinations. In recent years, she has been greatly magnifying the Trust’s outreach capabilities and expanding Journey Through Jersey, an award winning website dedicated to all things heritage tourism in New Jersey.
About the NJTIA Annual Conference on Tourism
November 30 & December 1
Resorts Casino Hotel - Atlantic City
Our Annual Conference on Tourism brings together professionals from all sectors of New Jersey’s multibillion dollar tourism industry including associations, businesses, resorts, attractions, destination marketing organizations, transportation companies, as well as cultural, arts, and historic organizations to explore the latest trends and opportunities for the tourism industry.
Our conference will feature over 15 specialized speakers with vital industry topics such as NJ-focused tourism trends and forecasts, branding, education, heritage tourism, customer experience, film updates, podcasting, arts & cultural and more.