President & Executive Staff

Paul Casso joined Houston First Corporation in October 2014 as Vice President of Event Services.

With a wide-ranging background in the hospitality industry, Casso’s career has afforded him a variety of roles. Before joining Houston First he was food and beverage manager, catering manager, convention services manager and sales manager for Starwood Hotels and Resorts. Prior to that he was sales manager for the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau, manager of worldwide event operations for BMC Software and senior account director for 2020 Exhibits. Casso holds a degree in business management from Texas State University and is a member of Meeting Planners International and the Event Services Professionals Association.

Rick Ferguson has worked for the Houston Film Commission since 1988, serving as its executive director for many years.

Under his leadership, direct film production expenditures in the Houston/Galveston area exceeded $100 million over the past six years. This figure equates to an economic impact of more than $300 million. With some 320 film commissions throughout the world working to bring filmmakers to their areas, the rivalry for production dollars is becoming increasingly more competitive.

He is a member of numerous civic and professional industry organizations.

Jorge Franz is vice president of tourism and international group sales for the Greater Houston and Convention and Visitors Bureau.

He oversees the international promotion of Houston through sales, marketing and public relations efforts. He has also represented Houston personally in more than 22 countries.

He was born in Santiago, Chile, and has also lived in Venezuela and Spain. He has a bachelors degree in mass communications from the University of Houston.

Mary Ann Grant oversees all aspects of Houston First’s information technology services.

Previously, she spent 28 years with the city of Houston, including various management positions in IT and served as a deputy city controller in the Controller’s Office. Before her tenure with the city, she worked for Texaco and Phillips Petroleum.

She received an accounting degree from Southern University, earned a masters in public administration from Texas Southern University and also attended Harvard University, John F. Kennedy Senior Executive Program in Government.

Rob Jackson develops political and community-related strategies for Houston First. He serves as the corporation's primary liaison with federal, state and local elected officials and governmental agencies. He is also responsible for helping to implement the corporation’s annual legislative agenda.

Previously, he served as chief of staff for Houston City Council Member C.O. Bradford. He retired as a lieutenant from the Houston Police Department after 25 years of service.

He is a U.S. Army veteran and earned a law degree from the University of Houston Law Center.

Lisa Hargrove has been Houston First’s chief lawyer since 2012. She joined the city’s Convention & Entertainment Facilities Department in 2007 and helped lay the groundwork to establish Houston First.

She began her career at Houston Lighting & Power Co., joining the city’s Legal Department in 1992. She played a key role in high-profile projects such as the Hobby Center, the Downtown Aquarium site and the Hilton Americas-Houston hotel.

She is a graduate of the University of Texas and earned a law degree from South Texas School of Law.

Peter McStravick manages the development and implementation of entrepreneurial and business development opportunities (new and existing) for the corporation.

Previously, he was Houston First's point person in implementing corporation strategy at the Hilton Americas-Houston.

He was responsible for all aspects of the Houston Convention Center Hotel Corporation's operations, from 2001 to 2011, and was deputy director of the Convention & Entertainment Facilities Department, deputy city controller for public finance, and an assistant director in the city's Finance and Administration Department.

He received a degree in finance from the University of Houston.

Judi Quesonova serves as Vice President of Client Services for Houston First Corporation. Her team provides the tools and service components for conventions and meetings in Houston and she is the liaison for meeting professionals and the member partners of the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau. She joined the GHCVB in 1989 and has held various positions in sales and services.

Quesonova earned a degree in business education from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.

As Chief Marketing Officer, Holly Clapham-Rosenow leads the strategic direction for marketing and advertising for Houston as well as the Houston First Corporation.

Since assuming the role in 2003, Clapham-Rosenow has led the brand position for Houston as a Culinary and Cultural Capital. Under her leadership the marketing team has received more than 60 awards.

Prior to joining Houston First, she worked as marketing director for CBS Radio, Houston for five years. She has also worked as the promotions director for the Houston Museum of Natural Science and was the client services director for two Houston advertising agencies.

Ms. Clapham-Rosenow graduated with a degree in Radio, Television, Film from the Dan Rather School of Communications at Sam Houston State University. She is a member of the American Marketing Association and sits on the Theater District Association board and the Discovery Green Advisory Committee. She served on the 2004 Super Bowl Marketing Committee, the 2016 NCAA Men’s Final Four Executive Team and 2017 Super Bowl Marketing Committee. She was inducted into the Houston Business Journal's "40 Under 40" class of 2013.

Joining the Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau in March 2012 as COO, John Rolfe oversaw the daily operations of the GHCVB, including leadership of departments and programs to develop alternative revenue sources.

He currently serves as a Board of Director for the Texas Travel Industry Association and Destination Marketing Association International. Previously, he was the CEO and president of Go Wichita Convention & Visitors Bureau, in Wichita, Kansas.

He holds a B.A. in business administration from Wichita State University.

John Solis joined the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau as vice president of sales in 2010, after spending a year and a half consulting on sales strategy.

He retired from the San Antonio CVB as assistant executive director in 2008. During his tenure, he was involved in coordinating bids for citywide conventions and major events. His responsibilities included managing strategies related to marketing, public relations and the convention and tourism group sales and services efforts.

He earned a BBA in finance from St. Mary's University.

Sheila Turkiewicz supervises the management teams at Wortham Center, Jones Hall, Miller Outdoor Theatre, Talento Bilingue de Houston, Ray C. Fish Plaza, Jones Plaza and various other assets and art pieces. She oversees the department’s off-street parking operations and also works with Talento Bilingue de Houston, Wortham Center Operating Company, and Foundation for Jones Hall. Most recently, Turkiewicz helped lead her team through the rebuilding process after the Theater District properties managed by Houston First sustained extensive damage from flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey.

Before coming to the City of Houston's Convention & Entertainment Facilities department in 2003, Turkiewicz spent 20 years in the live entertainment industry. Her significant management roles in theater and music allowed her experience to span through accounting, venue management, planning and management of live productions and new business development, domestically and internationally.

Roksan works with various public and private entities in the Houston region to further enhance its quality place for both Houstonians and visitors. This entails leading creative efforts to improve the physical appeal of the region, defining and creating iconic places, and beautifying our freeway system.

Her previous experience includes 11 years as executive director of Houston Parks Board, 2 years as director of the Houston Parks & Recreation Department, and 6 years as the executive director of the Hermann Park Conservancy. Prior to that, she managed numerous architectural projects throughout the US.

A native of Turkey, she owns a master’s degree in architecture from Rice University and a bachelor’s in architecture and urban planning from Istanbul Technical University. She is also a life-time member of the American Institute of Architects, College of Fellows.  

Luther Villagomez has been associated with the city's convention center since it opened in 1987. He has directed day-to-day operations at the George R. Brown since 1990 and was promoted to COO when Houston First was formed in 2011.

He has been involved in many major events at the GRB, from its construction in the mid-1980s to the completion of a $165 million expansion project that virtually doubled its size in 2003. He oversaw operations of the GRB which served as a shelter in 2005 for many displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

Frank Wilson was promoted to chief financial officer in February 2018, after joining Houston First Corporation in November 2016 as Senior Vice President of Finance and Administration. He is responsible for the Finance, Accounting, Audit, Procurement and Human Resource departments. Wilson also serves as investment officer for the local government corporation that promotes Houston as a world-class destination and manages city-owned real estate.   

Before moving to Houston, the Oklahoma City native spent 20 years in the “Windy City” as chief financial officer for the City of Chicago’s Department of Police. While there, he managed a $1.3 billion budget and led its Finance Division. This division included budgeting & accounting, purchasing, payroll & timekeeping and a small IT group. His extensive experience in finance also includes eight years spent in the investment banking industry. He began his career in commercial banking, where he worked closely with the bank’s chief economist. 

Wilson earned his BA degree in Economics from Morehouse College, and an MBA from the Thunderbird School of Global Management with an international management concentration. He previously held Series 7 (general securities representative) and Series 63 (Uniform Securities State Law) licenses. 

Pamela Walko serves as the official liaison to both the Houston First and Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau board of directors.