About us:

Kathy Dahnk, president of White Mountain Tourism Solutions has a long history in the Arizona tourism industry; over 30 years! After graduating from Glendale Community College with a degree in Communications, Kathy started her career in tourism with the AAA Arizona, in the travel department. During those years at AAA, Kathy created the position of training specialist for the travel department. Through this position, Kathy would keep all the travel counselors throughout Arizona up to date on all aspects of travel. When Kathy left AAA Arizona, it was for a stint as a stay-at-home-mom, raising her three children.

As soon as the youngest was off to school, Kathy resumed her tourism career with a position at the Arizona Office of Tourism. She started at the front travel desk, speaking with visitors to the office and on the phone. At this position, she helped the office move to a state of the art computer and phone system with their very first 800 number for travel requests. Kathy moved up the ladder within AOT and was soon the Director of Visitor Services. This position had Kathy wearing many hats for the state tourism office. She was responsible for a budget of over $1.5 million dollars for services that included, the state Welcome Center program, the printing of the state map and visitor guide, the travel information division and the contracts that handled those services, and was the permanent chair of the annual Governor’s Conference on Tourism. During this time she created the program that is now known as Grand Impressions. This program was a customer service training program which included a “virtual tour” of Arizona for all the “front line” staff throughout the state.

In December of 2000, Kathy retired from the Arizona Office of Tourism and moved with her husband, John to a place they had always dreamed of living; Pinetop-Lakeside, Arizona. There, Kathy started her tourism consulting business; White Mountain Tourism Solutions. She is currently also involved with other tourism related projects. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Pinetop-Lakeside Chamber of Commerce, and is a member of the Pinetop-Lakeside Advertising & Promotions Committee, responsible for public relations and tourism advertising monies spent on behalf of the town, and planned the first Pinetop-Lakeside Nature Festival for the fall of 2006.

Kathy and her husband, John have been married for over 35 years and have three children; Noelle; Christine; and James. They are enjoying their “retired” life in Pinetop-Lakeside with their Siberian husky, Sandy.