Jessica Meath

Executive Director

Jessica gained experience working with membership management and destination marketing during her time with the Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association in western Colorado. She then began work as a freelance designer and marketer. Projects include creative direction and design for several destination magazines and maps as well as collateral for local attractions. Her work in the health care industry includes clients in both private practices and hospitals along with employment as the Marketing & PR Assistant at Valley View Hospital in Glenwood Springs, CO.

The combination of working within both the health care and tourism industries aligns well with her current focus of wellness tourism. Travel and wellness experiences are also a personal passion of hers.

Her role as Executive Director for the Hot Springs Association is a natural fit. She has worked with the association’s previous Executive Director, Vicky Nash, for over a decade. She helped brand, design and launch the Hot Springs of America website and has played an active role in the Hot Springs Connection conference since its inception. She also oversees the Colorado Historic Hot Springs Loop marketing collaboration.

Jessica learned to swim as a young girl in a hot springs pool. She looks forward to learning much more through her work in the industry and is excited to serve those within it.

Vicky Nash

Director of Event and Tour Management

vicky@hotspringsassociation.com

With extensive tourism industry experience spanning 40 years, Vicky Nash specializes in geothermal tourism management and marketing, providing a global perspective and unique expertise in this field.

She is well-known throughout the industry for originating the Hot Springs Connection conference and the Hot Springs of America website. The Hot Springs Association recruited Nash in 2021 to serve as Executive Director for the organization which she fulfilled through 2023 when she transitioned to the Director of Event and Tour Management.

Nash is actively involved with the Global Wellness Institute’s Hot Springs Initiative and has an impressive network of owners and operators worldwide.

After gaining experience in group tour operation and destination marketing, Nash established the tourism communications firm Resort Trends, Inc. 20 years ago and has worked with over 50 clients including visitor bureaus, tourism associations, historic properties, attractions, resorts, hotels, hot springs and spas.

Her passion for international travel has taken her to five continents, over 20 countries and more than 100 hot springs facilities.

Jeff Birkby

Geothermal Consultant

jeff@birkbyconsulting.com

Jeff Birkby has worked on geothermal energy and hot springs resort issues for over 40 years. His career began in the 1980s when he served as a geothermal energy specialist for the Montana Department of Natural Resources, helping hot spring owners develop their resources for space heating and recreational use. He started Birkby Consulting LLC in 2003, and has assisted a wide variety of clients with geothermal development and hot springs resort issues. He has conducted geothermal energy assessments for private landowners, Native American tribes, and state and federal agencies.

Birkby’s work for the Hot Springs Association includes helping hot springs owners find engineering and technical advice for development projects, and compiling state and international regulations that affect the health and safety of bathers at hot springs resorts.

Birkby also writes and lectures on the history and use of geothermal energy for electric power generation, space heating and hot springs tourism. He is the author of Geothermal Energy in Montana–A Consumers’ Guide, Touring Montana and Wyoming Hot Springs and Touring Oregon and Washington Hot Springs.