Real West Virginian of the Week: Kara Dense — Promoting the place she calls home

By Hannah Yost, Real WV

LEWISBURG, W.Va  — When Kara Dense talks about the Greenbrier Valley, it doesn’t take long for the emotion to rise to the surface.

“To be able to come to work every day and promote this beautiful area, it’s more than just a job to me,” Dense says. “It’s a part of who I am.”

After nearly two decades as executive director of the Greenbrier Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau, Dense has helped shape how thousands of visitors experience one of West Virginia’s most beloved destinations. From award-winning marketing campaigns to weathering natural disasters and welcoming record numbers of travelers, her work has centered around one mission — ensuring the place she proudly calls home continues to thrive.

A Greenbrier County native, Dense grew up in Rainelle before graduating from Greenbrier West High School in 1992. She later earned a bachelor’s degree in Travel Industry Management from Concord College, now Concord University. While many young professionals leave West Virginia to build their careers, Dense’s path eventually led her back home.

Her first experiences in tourism came while working summer jobs at the State Fair of West Virginia, where she discovered a passion for the industry under the mentorship of then-assistant director Marlene Pearson-Jolliffe.

“I thought this is something I could really see myself doing,” Dense recalls. “She really took me under her wing.”

After graduating from Concord, Dense began her career with what is now Visit Southern West Virginia before pursuing opportunities in East Tennessee. She worked for the Knoxville Symphony, Louise Mandrell’s theater in Pigeon Forge, the Park Vista Hotel in Gatlinburg, and eventually the Gatlinburg Convention and Visitors Bureau, where she advanced from sales to managing five visitor centers before becoming director of sales for the city’s convention center.

Then came an unexpected opportunity.

A close friend encouraged Dense to apply for the executive director position at the Greenbrier Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau shortly after the birth of her daughter in 2006. What began as a leap of faith became a career she says she still feels honored to hold.

“It was something I was really honored to be able to do,” she says. “And I still feel that way today.”

Since arriving in February 2007, Dense has watched the Greenbrier Valley evolve into one of West Virginia’s premier tourism destinations while helping guide much of that growth herself.

One of her earliest accomplishments was overseeing the creation of the Greenbrier Valley Visitor Center. Before opening the current location in downtown Lewisburg in 2010, the organization operated out of a small rented office that welcomed roughly 2,900 visitors each year. During the first year in the new facility, that number jumped to approximately 30,000.

“It’s been wonderful to have a true home here in the Greenbrier Valley,” Dense says.

She also led the marketing campaign that helped Lewisburg earn national recognition as America’s Coolest Small Town in Budget Travel magazine’s 2011 contest.

Dense remembers the campaign becoming something much bigger than a competition.

“It became something of pride, not just for Lewisburg and not just for Greenbrier County, but for the entire state,” she says.

That designation continues to pay dividends more than a decade later, with visitors still stopping at the Greenbrier Valley Visitor Center after seeing the interstate sign recognizing Lewisburg’s title.

Throughout her career, Dense has also helped the region navigate some of its most challenging moments, including the 2012 derecho, the devastating 2016 floods, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

While many destinations struggled during the pandemic, the Greenbrier Valley experienced the opposite.

“We were one of those destinations that actually thrived,” Dense says. “We had exactly what people were looking for — great small towns, wonderful restaurants, wide-open spaces, and room to disconnect.”

Today, Dense believes those qualities continue to define the region.

From the Greenbrier River Trail and Meadow River Rail Trail to nationally recognized restaurants and outdoor recreation, she says the Greenbrier Valley offers something increasingly rare.

“We’re a great place for people to just go and kind of get away,” Dense says. “To disconnect.”

Of course, no conversation about tourism in Greenbrier County is complete without mentioning The Greenbrier.

“The Greenbrier is our crown jewel,” Dense says. “The Greenbrier is the reason the tourism industry in Greenbrier County is what it is.”

She credits the iconic resort with drawing generations of visitors who then explore Lewisburg and the surrounding communities, supporting locally owned shops, restaurants, attractions, and small businesses throughout the county.

Dense also believes tourism succeeds because of the people who call the area home.

“My work has allowed me to see just how caring and dedicated the people who live and work here really are,” she says. “Everyone moved here intentionally, they stay here intentionally, and they work hard to support this community.”

Beyond leading the Greenbrier Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau, Dense serves as vice president of the West Virginia Convention and Visitors Bureau Association, advocating for tourism organizations across the state while helping shape legislation that impacts the industry.

She says tourism offers far more career opportunities than many young people realize.

“There are amazing opportunities all over West Virginia,” Dense says. “The biggest thing is having the right attitude, showing up, working hard, and being willing to learn.”

She encourages young West Virginians interested in hospitality and tourism to seek internships, ask questions, and find mentors who can help guide them, just as someone once did for her.

Looking back, Dense hopes people understand that her career has never simply been about marketing a destination.

It’s about helping sustain a community she deeply loves.

“I absolutely 100% believe that the work my staff and I do every day makes a difference in the lives of everyone here in the Greenbrier Valley,” she says. “The more people we can bring here, the more they experience our Southern hospitality, our businesses, and our communities.”

For Dense, that’s what makes the work worthwhile.

“They say if you do something you love, you’ll never work a day in your life,” she says. “There are a few days that are work, but most days are just doing something that I love.”

Know someone who should be featured? Email your nomination to news@therealwv.com.