Hopkins County Tourist & Convention Commission executive director since January 2007, Tricia Noel now has one of the state’s top career honors on her resume — after being named the Kentucky Association of Conventions and Visitors Bureau’s 2024 Mary Hammond Tourism “Director of the Year.”
Announced at last week’s KACVB December meeting in Franklin, the award annually recognizes outstanding leadership, innovation and dedication to advancing tourism in the Commonwealth.
Following a calendar in which she was responsible not just for Madisonville and Hopkins County promotion — but also several multi-jurisdictional projects and the full reporting of American Rescue Plan Act federal tourism dollars — Noel called this a “lifetime achievement,” and something she doesn’t take lightly.
Those multi-jurisdictional projects, she noted, included the Bluegrass, Blues, BBQ Region, the West Kentucky BBQ Trail and the Kentucky Sports Alliance.
The trophy is currently in her conference room — operating as a kind reminder of the work done, and the work still ahead.
She is the past president of both KACVB and the Kentucky Tourism Industry Association — and this past year, she served as chairperson for KTIA.
Lori Murphy-Tatum, KACVB president, said Noel exemplifies the qualities of the award: vision, collaboration and unwavering support for her community, and the industry as a whole. Her leadership and advocacy, she added, extends beyond Madisonville, and benefits the entire state.
Noel has championed statewide initiatives that highlight the vital role of tourism in Kentucky’s economy, which generates billions of dollars annually while preserving the state’s cultural and natural heritage.
The award is now named for Hammond, who died in 2024 after serving as a tourism trailblazer in Paducah and McCracken County, transforming the area into a cultural and tourism hub.
And like Hammond, Murphy-Tatum said Noel has left an indelible mark on the industry.
Originally from London, Kentucky, and a graduate of Eastern Kentucky University with a Bachelor of Science in retail merchandising, Noel moved into tourism following a lengthy career in retail management.
She graduated from the Southeast Tourism Society Marketing College in 2010.
The award does have a short, but strong, history. Now in its third year, Mary Quinn K. Ramer, president for VisitLex, took home the inaugural honor in 2022. Murray Convention & Visitors Bureau Executive Director Erin Carrico was tabbed its recipient in 2023.
Funded by the transient room tax levied on hotel, motel, and bed & breakfast accommodations, as well as a restaurant tax levied on Madisonville establishments, the Visitor Center can be found at 28 Sugg Street.
