OUR TEAM OF EXPERTS
Wayne Ingram
President & CEO
Wayne Ingram is President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Tourism and Heritage Association (NTHA), a position he assumed on June 26, 2007. The cooperation of communities, humanitarian organizations, and tourism professionals as heritage partners, enables N.T.H.A. to promote heritage and cultural education, encouraging tourism development. This collaboration creates extensive community and economic development via the tourism industry.
Prior to assuming his position with the N.T.H.A., Wayne Ingram served as the President of THE NATIONAL GROUP a tour and travel development consortium. The consortium consisted of National Tour Service, National Tour Service/AMTRAK and National Promotional Services. During his more than 27 years of experience in the tourism industry, he has developed a national network of professional tourism consultants whose purpose is to service organized groups with their tour arrangements within the United States and Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean.
Wayne Ingram is known across the country for adopting one of the oldest clichés as his
mantra, “THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT.”
His association with tour and travel professionals and marketing executives since 1979 has provided the opportunity for him to learn the business from the ground up. These associations have been enhanced over the years and will serve as resources for N.T.H.A…
At TNG Wayne was given the opportunity to market and promote three Smithsonian Institution exhibitions: “From Field To Factory”, “Climbing Jacob’s Ladder “and “Beyond Category-The Musical Genius of Duke Ellington.” These exhibits were produced by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) and had tremendous cultural awareness impact on communities across the United States. Partnering with institutions of this caliber will continue to be his goal.
Wayne frequently speaks on leadership, sales, marketing and management at
Corporate meetings and conferences. He has written a how to guide, “Turning Heritage Into Tourism.” This guide educates and trains communities on becoming a tourist destinations. “Helping Them To Help Themselves,” is the motto of this guide. He has
also coined and copyrighted the concept “Innerism.” “Innerism” describes a process of total community involvement.
A native of Tennessee, Wayne earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Welfare from Tennessee State University in 1972.
He serves as a resource for public and private school systems and institutions of higher education. His involvement underscores the value of students having a well rounded
cultural experience and exposes them to the many career opportunities in the tourism industry. His involvement with national organizations has given him the opportunity
to share his ingenuity in ways that called for the inclusion of other critical thinkers.
Wayne co-founded and is the Project Director of The Etiquette School of Tennessee.
The Etiquette School of Tennessee’s main focus is the communication, training and the enhancement of social behavior standards. These standards are regarded by Wayne as foundational for an industry such as tourism and other business endeavors.
Wayne Ingram believes in the concept of neighborhood, as well as sharing knowledge, mentoring, and building business opportunities for others. He is considered a social scientists who understands the relationship between community and economic development. His involvement with the Madison Towers Senior Citizens Housing Center in Memphis by creating a reading program for seniors, for over 10 years continued his community development process. This center is a development of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church.
When a friend who was employed with the Mid-South Aging Commission asked him about “Caregiving” and the relationship to the Senior reading program. That question led to National Tourism and Heritage Association creating two Caregiving Conferences in conjunction with the City of Memphis -Housing and Community Development Office in 2021, and with AARP -West Memphis, Arkansas Chapter also produced in 2021. Both conferences were virtual with national professionals and caregivers making presentations. The theme for both conferences was, “Our Health Is Our Wealth-Coalition Building.”
Wayne has been recognized by fellow industry leaders as a community and economic development ambassador for telling the story of “Come See and Discover America”, by Turning Heritage Into Tourism A Business Development Model.
Lynn Howell Tharpe
Chief Financial Officer and Project Director
Lynn has spent the majority of her professional career in Human Resources Management, in Memphis, TN where she served as a Vice-President, Director and Manager. Her experience includes work at Universal Life Insurance Company, United American of Tennessee (Omnicare Health Plan) and the Home Depot. She also gained experience in Volunteer Management having served as Director of Volunteer Services at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Volunteer Manager at Meharry-Hubbard Hospital in Nashville TN and Volunteer Coordinator for Meals on Wheels, a program of the Metropolitan Inter- Faith Association in Memphis. While Lynn was Director of Volunteer Services at St. Jude, hospital volunteers were presented the second Points of Light Award from former President George Herbert Walker Bush. The International Volunteers also won a Volunteers of the Year Award, presented by the Volunteer Center of Memphis.
Lynn started her professional career as a Job Developer and Counselor for the Memphis Urban League’s, On- the-Job Training (OJT) Program. There she combined her formal training in Business Administration with her love for helping others. Later, her fondness for working with students led her to work for Jobs for Tennessee Graduates where she assisted students who chose not to go directly to college with post high school career planning. She has also provided students at three Memphis high schools with ACT/SAT test preparation classes and served as a resource to parents, providing them information on and assistance with the completion of the Financial Aid application process.
Lynn holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Fisk University, Nashville, TN and a Master’s Degree in Counseling and Student Personnel Services from the University of Memphis, where she served as a Graduate Assistant in the Center for the Study of Higher Education. She also attended classes at the American Management Association in Chicago, IL.
Lynn is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority; a former member of the American Society for Training and Development, Memphis Chapter, LINKS, Inc., Emanons and Jack and Jill, Inc. of America.
She is currently a Human Resources consultant.
Charmaine Campbell
Career Development Advisor and Secretary
Charmaine has this philosophy: Our personal and professional success depends on our knowledge and display of the appropriate image, proper etiquette and a poised disposition at all times. Looking great and acting the part goes hand in hand.
Ms. Campbell entered the image and fashion industry as a swimsuit model in the late 1970s. She has worked as a Client Relationship Consultant for Fortune 100 companies. She earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from Columbia UC. She later entered Johns Hopkins University in pursuit of her MBA. It was during this time that she decided to launch CHIC International Incorporated, an etiquette and image consulting company that helps individuals achieve their personal and professional best. Her passion for image and etiquette has taken her to different regions of the world, which includes Europe, Canada, Africa and the Caribbean.
The following are Ms. Campbell’s qualifications:
- Author of Money Can Not Buy Class
- VP of Communication for the Association of Image Consultants International (AICI), State of Florida
- Certified Etiquette and International Protocol Consultant
- Certified Image, Etiquette and Communication Consultant
- Paris, France: Sponsorship of International Protocol seminar facilitated by Ms. Campbell, CHIC International, December 2007
- Sponsorship by the Etiquette Group and CHIC International of luncheon honoring wives and mothers of U.S. Army 82nd Airborne personnel on active duty in the Middle East, with ABC-TV 11 covering the event.
- Volunteer: Big Brothers and Big Sisters, Women of Tomorrow and Heart Menders Organizations.
James Thornton
Director of Grants and Gifts
James is a graduate of Denison University, Granville, OH. He received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science and a Master of Arts Degree from the Elliott School of International Affairs of George Washington University in Washington D.C. His fields of specialization are in U. S. Foreign Policy and African Politics and Governments. He has also passed formal proficiency examinations in French.
James’ philosophy is to “use my education and professional experience to translate concepts and ideas into programs and projects that improve the social, economic and political conditions of my community”. His background brings to TEST, an individual who understands that foundational character principals are essential to the growth and development of any community.
James’ experience with the City of Memphis, Department of Housing and Community Development, provided him with an opportunity to provide grant management and technical assistance to numerous non-profits, in accordance with local, state and Federal regulations and requirements. He also provided support to the Grant Selection Committee in their efforts to allocate funding to area non-profits. Additionally, he spearheaded the formation of the Mayor’s Fair Housing Task Force, in which stakeholders identified and addressed the impediments to fair housing choices in the City of Memphis. James’ experience with the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center includes the preparation of grant proposals submitted to both public and private foundations and the development of fundraising strategies. He is a Certified DDI Facilitator.
An experienced international traveler, James has traveled to South Africa, Brazil and Mexico where he gained first-hand knowledge of community and economic development in foreign locations. His South Africa visit was sponsored by the Center for Global Education for the purpose of studying the effects of development and environmental apartheid. In Brazil, James studied Afro-Brazilian history and culture. Travel to Mexico was as part of a delegation from the Tennessee Industrial Renewal Network (TIRN) and Witness for Peace organization to study the effects of globalization on the Mexican economy.
Through his education, career experiences, exposure, and national and international travel, James developed a robust commitment to the progress of all students and their development in the areas of character education and cultural and heritage principles. He understands that in order for students to succeed in life, they need self-confidence and the ability to know how to handle different situations in positive ways throughout their lives.
James is a former member of the Board of Directors Mid-South Peace and Justice Center, Stakeholder in Memphis CAN (Civic Action Now), Task Force-FAIR Housing Alliance of Greater Memphis and the Center for Independent Living Advisory Board.