A leader in the travel, tourism and relationship marketing industries, Nelson serves on the World Economic Forum's Board of Governors for Travel and Tourism. In addition, she serves on the Singapore Tourism Board, she was 2000 National Chair of the Travel Industry Association of America, a delegate to the White House Conference on Tourism and served as a board member of the U.S.A.'s National Tourism Organization.
Outside her industry, Nelson serves on the boards of Exxon-Mobil Corporation, Qwest Communications International, Inc. and the Mayo Clinic Foundation. She is listed regularly by Fortune magazine as one of the Most Powerful Women in Business, and she has been selected by Business Week as one of the "Top 25 Executives in Business."
Nelson attended the Sorbonne in Paris and the Institute des Hautes Etudes Economiques Politiques in Geneva, Switzerland, to study political science and international economics. She graduated with honors from Smith College in Northampton, Mass., with a degree in international economics and a minor in theater.
In 1965, after working as a securities analyst, she joined the Gold Bond Stamp Company, the progenitor of today's Carlson Companies. She served in a variety of leadership positions with the company and was named chief executive officer in 1998, when her father and company founder Curtis L. Carlson retired. A global leader in the relationship marketing, business and leisure travel, and hospitality industries, Carlson Companies brands and services employ about 190,000 people in more than 140 countries.
Established in 1994, the 10-member National Women's Business Council is a bi-partisan federal government council comprised of prominent women business owners and women business organization leaders. Members include representatives from The Alamo Travel Group and the national Association of Women Business Owners.
The council has established public and private sector partnerships to promote an economic environment conducive to business growth and development for women-owned businesses. Among the council's objectives are program and policy development to increase access to capital and credit for women entrepreneurs, and expand public and private marketing opportunities for women-owned businesses.
Carlson Companies, Inc., is a global leader in providing corporate solutions and consumer services in the marketing, travel and hospitality industries. Among the names in the Carlson family of brands and services are: Carlson Marketing Group®, Carlson Wagonlit Travel®, Regent® International Hotels, Radisson® Hotels & Resorts, Country Inns & Suites By Carlson®, Park Plaza® and Park Inn® hotels, Results Travel, Cruise Holidays, Radisson Seven Seas Cruises®, and T.G.I. Friday's® and Pick Up Stix® restaurants. Recognized by both Fortune and Working Mother magazines as one of the "100 best places to work for in America," Carlson Companies' corporate headquarters are in Minneapolis, Minn. www.carlson.com
