Our Board

DEDICATED TOURISM PROFESSIONALS

Board of Directors

Our board volunteers are selected for their leadership in tourism, preservation, marketing, education, and legislative affairs.

The purpose of the board is to:

• set policy for the region
• manage the legal obligations of the organization
• maintain ownership and accountability of the nonprofit development
• ensure the quality and performance of the regional work
• plan, hire, evaluate, support, and appropriately compensate the director
• recruit qualified new members to improve quality of the organization

Board members commit to a three-year term with an optional second term. Partners interested in joining the Texas Forest Region board may request an application from the director. Our Board volunteers represent the North, Central, and South areas of our 35-county region of East Texas. Each representative is selected for their leadership in tourism, preservation, marketing, education or legislative affairs.

FISCAL YEAR 2025

Meet Our Board

Ashley Morgan
President

Executive Director
Visit Nacogdoches
888-564-7351
936-564-7351
info@visitnacogdoches.org
200 E Main St, Nacogdoches, TX

Bio Coming Soon!

Kathy Lovier
Secretary

Kathy has worked for the City of Mt. Vernon since 1996. Prior to that, she worked for Franklin County in the County/District Clerk and Justice of the Peace. Kathy is a graduate of the NTCC legal assistant program, and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education from the Louisiana Baptist University.

City of Mount Vernon
Economic Development
109 North Kaufman Street
Mount Vernon, TX 75457
klovier@comvtx.com
Office: 903-537-4495

Cassie Ham
Treasurer

Tourism Manager
Visit Palestine
Palestine Visitor Center
825 W Spring St., Palestine, TX
(903) 723-3014
VisitorCenter@palestine-tx.org

Bio Coming Soon!

Kelsey Knox
Member

Bio Coming Soon

Tourism & Visitor Center Director City of Atlanta, TX
Office: 903-650-2582 KKnox@atlantatexas.org

Del Polikretis
Member

Bio Coming Soon

Hideaway, Texas
General Manager
101 Hide-A-Way Lane Central
Hideaway, TX 75771
Office: 903-882-6151

Seong MacLaren
Member

Bio Coming Soon

Visit Lindale
Director, Downtown Development & Tourism
55 Miranda Lambert Way, Ste. 3
Lindale, TX 75771
seongm@lindaletx.gov
Office: 903-617-9132

Nancy Windham
Member

Nancy C. Windham is President & CEO of the Texas Forest Country Partnership (TFCP), a 12-county economic development organization whose mission is to enrich the economic and well-being of rural East Texas through marketing, business development and advocacy. She is responsible for leading the organization’s economic development efforts by managing the relationships with alliances and partners serving the Texas Forest region for new and expanding business opportunities, infrastructure projects, site selection, incentive negotiations, workforce development and available land sites. The focus of the TFCP are in the areas of Advanced Manufacturing, Forest & Wood Products, Healthcare and Tourism.

Texas Forest Country Partnership
President / CEO
PO Box 747
Lufkin, TX 75901
nwindham@ texasforestcountry.com
Office: 936-632-3552

Megan Payne
Member

Megan Payne has been a resident of East Texas for over eight years. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communications from Stephen F. Austin State University and a Master of Arts from Texas Tech University. As the Tourism and Marketing Manager for Visit Kilgore, Megan is passionate about promoting the charm and attractions of her town. In her free time, she enjoys sewing, embarking on adventures with friends, and spending quality time with her husband, Grant, and their two beloved dogs, Gumbo and Cookie.

Tourism Manager
Visit Kilgore
815 N Kilgore St., Kilgore, TX
903-218-6896
megan.payne@cityofkilgore.com

Sherry Chaney Morgan
Past President / ED

In Memoriam:

Sherry Chaney Morgan was a native East Texan. Sherry held a Bachelor of Arts in Teaching from Sam Houston State University, a Master of Education from Stephen F. Austin State University, and was recognized as a Certified Tourism Executive by the Texas Travel Industry Association. When not promoting East Texas tourism, Sherry enjoyed writing, photography, cooking, and spending time with her two daughters, Zoë and Sadie. She is missed.

TEXAS FOREST TRAIL

Meet Our Executive Director

Jay M. Jones

Born and raised in Port Arthur with family roots in Tyler County, Jay brings a deep connection to East Texas to his role as Executive Director.

A graduate of Texas State University in San Marcos, Jay has served in leadership and communications roles across several mission-driven organizations, including Texas Parks & Wildlife, the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation, and the Texas State Historical Association. His career has focused on storytelling, community engagement, and promoting the preservation of Texas’ cultural and historic resources.

As Executive Director of the Texas Forest Trail Region, Jay leads efforts to expand heritage tourism, foster regional partnerships, and promote East Texas history and culture.

Mission Statement

The Texas Forest Trail Region is a network of partners working together to foster regional economic development by promoting heritage tourism and the preservation of cultural and historic resources.