Tulsa Regional Tourism Hires Nationally Known Sports Professionals

Tulsa Regional Tourism, a division of the Tulsa Regional Chamber, recently welcomed to its staff two nationally known sports professionals. Ashleigh Bachert, previously with the Durham Sports Commission, joined Tulsa Regional Tourism as vice president of sales. Joel Koester, previously with the Chicago Southland Convention and Visitors Bureau, joined as its new director of sports sales.
“I’m thrilled to have Ashleigh and Joel join the team, and I look forward to them bringing their incredible skill sets to Tulsa,” says Ray Hoyt, president of Tulsa Regional Tourism. “They’ll help us not only implement big ideas, but also recruit new business that best fits our growing, world-class city.”
Bachert comes to Tulsa from the Durham Sports Commission, where she had been executive director since 2017. During her tenure, she doubled sports tourism’s economic impact in Durham and was named a Connect Sports Game Changer in 2019. She graduated from the University of Connecticut, where she also played softball, and received her master’s degree in sports administration from the University of Southern Missouri.
“I’m excited to be part of the Tulsa Regional Tourism family and thankful to Ray and the team for trusting me to lead their dynamic and successful sales staff,” says Bachert..”
Joel Koester joins Tulsa Regional Tourism from the Chicago Southland Convention and Visitors Bureau, where he had worked since 2012 after 12 years in the golf industry. A graduate of the University of Nevada Las Vegas, he worked at some of the best resort golf courses in the country. In 2017, he received the Connect Sports Game Changer award for advancing sports tourism in the Chicago Southland.
“I am extremely excited to be part of this wonderful team in Tulsa – they have incredible experience and knowledge, and the possibilities moving forward are endless,” says Koester. “Tulsa has so much to offer and is quickly becoming a major sports destination.”