State Fair of Texas Speakers Bureau

KARISSA CONDOIANIS

Senior Vice President of Public Relations

Karissa joined the State Fair of Texas in early 2014. In addition to serving on the leadership team for the State Fair, Karissa serves as the spokesperson for the nonprofit organization and event of the same name, which is the Fair’s largest community program and fundraiser each year. She oversees all public relations efforts and outreach functions, including communications, community relations, philanthropic fundraising initiatives, scholarship programs, media relations, and guest services.

Before joining the State Fair of Texas, Karissa was senior manager of marketing and public relations for BeautiControl, a subsidiary of Tupperware Brands Corporation, and before that, she was with Highland Capital Management, L.P. managing marketing, public relations, and advertising initiatives. In addition, Karissa has worked for numerous broadcast outlets, including Fox Sports Net (AKA, Fox Sports Southwest and Bally Sports), ABC Sports, ESPN, and News 9 in Oklahoma City. She is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication – Broadcasting & Electronic Media. Karissa is passionate about giving back, actively participating in community projects and organizations, and has previously served in volunteer leadership roles or on the board of organizations like the Junior League of Dallas, Women Helping Others Foundation, and Helping Hands for The Family Place. Karissa is Texas-born and bred, growing up in Dallas most of her life. She enjoys life with her husband, Danny, and their two children in the DFW area.

Leigh Danley

Director of Philanthropy

Leigh joined the State Fair team in August of 2022 as a member of the Development Department. With more than 20 years of experience producing events and chairing fundraisers, it became apparent that her true passion and expertise lay in leading a Philanthropy Team to help raise donations for the impactful work the Fair is doing in our community locally and statewide; so, she switched cowboy hats to build a Philanthropy team within the PR department at the State Fair in early 2023. A year later, Leigh used her extensive knowledge of fundraising, to bring development under her purview too, building a holistic approach to all Philanthropic Fundraising efforts throughout the organization. Promoted to Director of Philanthropy in 2024, Leigh will continue to lead fundraising for the State Fair of Texas to ultimately continue fulfilling the Fair’s nonprofit mission. Outside of work, Leigh has served on a number of boards including The Turtle Creek Conservancy, Community Partners of Dallas, Dallas CASA Children’s Council, Friends of Fair Park, and the Family Place. She is also a Sustaining Advisor for the Junior League of Dallas and a member of the Chi Omega Christmas Market Committee. In her free time, Leigh loves to travel and enjoy sporting events with her husband Brian, son, Maxwell, and two rescue pups.

Rusty Fitzgerald

Senior Vice President of Midway Operations

Rusty assumed the role of vice president of operations at the State Fair of Texas in 2001. Prior to joining the State Fair, he spent 23 years at Six Flags in operations management. In his current role as senior vice president, Rusty has oversight of the Midway and all if its operations. The department’s responsibilities include coordination and daily oversight of games, rides, guest relations, safety inspections, and, is in charge of all things regarding Big Tex.  Rusty also serves as the State Fair’s resident weather expert to ensure guest safety.

Mitchell Glieber

President

Mitchell joined the State Fair in 1999, spending the majority of his time working with corporate partners developing sponsorship, marketing, and promotional programs, more than tripling sponsorship revenue. To attest to Mitchell’s success during his presidency, he was recently named one of the most admired CEOs by the Dallas Business Journal in 2023. The Most Admired CEO Awards honor the executives who inspire those around them, hold their employees, products, and services in the highest regard, run their companies with integrity, and are shining examples of how all companies should be run and managed. Prior to joining the State Fair, Mitchell spent nearly a decade with the Dallas Mavericks marketing team, serving as the organization’s sales manager for season and group tickets. Raised in Dallas, Mitchell graduated from Southern Methodist University with a double-major in Finance and TV & Radio. He served as captain of the SMU Mustangs football team in 1989 and was chosen as one of only 11 National Football Foundation Scholar Athletes in the country, that same year. He is the former president of the SMU Letterman’s Association and is an active member of the Dallas Salesmanship Club, a nonprofit organization dedicated to transforming children’s futures by serving at-risk families in the Greater Dallas area. Mitchell is son to nationally-known CBS Sportscaster, Frank Glieber, who passed away in 1985. Mitchell and his wife, Lisa, are devoted parents to their three adult children; Thomas, Kaki, and Charlotte.

Nate Gross

Vice President of Fair Operations

With 30 years of operational and executive leadership experience in theme parks, Nate joined the State Fair of Texas in 2022 and quickly embraced the culture, while learning all aspects of the Fair.  He immediately began making an impact on the organization, so much so, that he was voted by State Fair employees to receive the “Outstanding Innovator” award his first year on the team. Nate became the Vice President of Fair Operations in 2024, leading the way on a robust capital projects lineup and introducing new systems and concepts to improve the guest experience and create a world-class operation. Nate has always been a PEOPLE FIRST leader and remains driven toward success. His tireless work ethic goes along with one of his favorite phrases…difficult takes a day, impossible takes a week!

Outside of work, Nate is a man of faith and family – he and his amazing wife, Lori, are the proud parents of six wonderful children, five boys and a baby girl (now 13), and they have just become grandparents for the first time. Nate and his family remain committed to education and their children’s extracurricular activities, most particularly competitive dance and hockey. They also love to be outdoors and are avid Dallas Stars fans!

Jason Hays

Senior Vice President of Brand Experience

Jason joined the State Fair of Texas team in 2008 as an intern in public relations. While working seasonally for the organization, Jason worked as an associate producer of advanced graphics for Sportvision, where he worked with ESPN, ABC, FOX, SKY, BBC, and other major broadcast networks in various sporting events. During his tenure with Sportvision, Jason was part of two teams awarded Emmys for outstanding technical achievement in America’s Cup and NASCAR productions. In 2013, Jason joined the State Fair family full-time as director of creative services. He focused on the organization’s brand development, essential marketing and revenue initiatives, in-park enhancements, and mission-related projects such as the Big Tex Urban Farms system. Jason was named creative director of the State Fair, where he further focused on brand and marketing strategy. In 2017, Jason was promoted to VP of brand experience, which brought oversight of all entertainment and non-Midway attractions under his purview. In 2022, he took on the role of senior vice president, and in 2024, he assumed leadership over Big Tex Urban Farms and Horticulture.

Jason is a graduate of Texas Tech University with a Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations and Electronic Media & Communications. Originally from Allen, Jason currently lives in East Dallas with his wife, Molly, and daughter Birdie.

Melanie Linnear

Senior Vice President of Food & Beverage

Melanie started her journey with the State Fair of Texas in January 1989 as a secretary in the concessions department. She has certainly moved up through the ranks as she was promoted to coordinator, then director, and now, senior vice president. In 2013, Melanie received a Leadership Certificate from the Texas Event Leadership Program (TELP) through the Texas Association of Fairs and Events (TAFE) in conjunction with the Texas Agri-Life Extension Program at Texas A&M College Station. In December 2018, she graduated from the IAFE Institute of Fair Management (IFM) after having completed a two-year curriculum in fair operations and fair management. In 2023 she completed certification as a Certified Fair Executive (CFE). She currently serves on the Board of Directors for EWI as a Board Advisor after having served as Board President in 2017-2018. In December 2018, she was selected to serve on the National Independent Concessionaire Association (NICA) Advisory Board for a 3-year term.

In her current role as senior vice president of concessions, Melanie works with the State Fair’s manager of community relations and events to implement the Big Tex Business Masterclass, a program that educates and helps to incorporate minority vendors as participants within fairs, festivals, and events. In 2021, she chaired the International Association of Fairs & Expositions (IAFE) Concessions/Exhibits Committee. She serves on the Executive Board and board of directors for the Texas Association of Fairs & Events (TAFE) and is Lead Ambassador for the TAFE Texas Young Professionals. Most recently, she joined the Executive Board and Board of Directors for the Greater Dallas Texas Restaurant Association (TRA.) When she is not working on all things “Food and Fair-related”, Melanie enjoys reading, cooking, and spending time with her family.

Jaime Navarro

Chief Operating Officer

Jaime joined the State Fair of Texas in 2001 as a senior accountant. After serving in other accounting and finance roles, in 2013 he moved into the position of chief financial officer. In 2022, he was promoted to chief operating officer. In this role, Jaime oversees all Fair & Midway operations, agriculture & livestock, concessions, and the safety & security aspects of the organization. Before joining the State Fair of Texas, Jaime began his career in telecommunications and public accounting. In addition to his professional responsibilities, he actively serves as Treasurer on the International Association of Fairs & Expositions (IAFE) Executive Committee, and on the investment and safety & security committees of the State Fair of Texas. He is a graduate of the University of Texas of the Permian Basin with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting. Jaime enjoys spending his free time with his wife, Joyce, and their two daughters, Isabella and Olivia.

Taylor Pulfer

Director of Communications

After graduating from the University of Kansas with a degree in strategic communications, Taylor landed an internship on the media relations team at the State Fair of Texas. After working for KU Athletics in college, Taylor found that the Fair was the perfect blend of sports, entertainment, and community that she was looking for, so she was thrilled to land a full-time job as a PR coordinator. She continued to grow in her role, being promoted in 2021 to PR manager and in 2024 to director of communications. Today, Taylor leads the charge on external, internal, crisis, and corporate communications for the Fair. She also oversees the media relations team and scholarships team, as well as initiatives like the Big Tex Choice Awards food competition and Sensory-Friendly Mornings at the Fair. Throughout her career, she’s led projects generating millions of dollars’ worth of earned media for the Fair including: ESPN College GameDay, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Dude Perfect, The Player’s Tribune, Insider, VICE, Best Ever Food Review Show, and Deep Fried Dynasty – an entire season highlighting the State Fair of Texas on A&E and Hulu. In her free time, Taylor runs an Etsy business, loves to bake, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Randall, and rescue dog, Rosie.

Daryl Real

Senior Vice President of Livestock & Agriculture

Daryl joined the State Fair of Texas in 2004. Prior to joining the State Fair, he worked for the National Swine Registry promoting purebred hogs in the southwestern U.S. As senior vice president of agriculture and livestock, Daryl oversees the livestock operations of the Fair and other mission-focused programs, including fundraising for the Big Tex Youth Livestock Auction and Scholarship Programs. In addition to his duties at the State Fair, he is frequently a livestock judge at national, state, and local shows and stays involved in FFA and 4-H in Denton County. Furthermore, he is involved in the International Association of Fairs and Expositions (IAFE), the Texas Association of Fairs and Expositions (TAFE), and serves as president of the North American Livestock Show & Rodeo Managers Association (NALS & RMA). A graduate of Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science, Daryl went on to finish a Master of Science at Kansas State University. Daryl and his wife, Sue, devote much of their time to Denton Bible Church and raising their four children; Kyle, Grace, Campbell, and Prestynne.

Jennifer Schuder

Senior Vice President of Customer Engagement

As senior vice president of customer engagement for the Fair, Jennifer leads the marketing and sales programs for the organization including brand management, creative development, media/promotions, and ticketing operations. She oversees the Fair’s business-to-business partnerships with the commercial activation, Texas Auto Show, and sponsorship teams. Additionally, Jennifer leads engagement initiatives for the Creative Arts program to expand participation in the Fair’s Arts & Crafts and Cooking competitions.

Prior to joining the State Fair of Texas in 2013, Jennifer was the chief marketing officer and director of community outreach for the Dallas Opera for nearly nine years. Jennifer also served as an adjunct professor at Southern Methodist University, teaching marketing classes in the Meadows School of the Arts from 2013 to 2018. She is a graduate of Texas Tech University with a MS in Communications, emphasis in Public Relations, and a BS in Management Information Systems. Jennifer grew up in Allen and currently lives in Oak Cliff with her husband, Kurt, when not spending time at Cedar Creek Lake.

Kathy Bennett

Director of Creative Arts

Kathy has worked for the State Fair of Texas team for 35 years, originally joining the team in 1990 as a seasonal employee on the creative arts and special events team. For 21 years, she would travel back and forth from Mississippi to work at the Fair seasonally until she was hired full-time in 2011 as the Manager of Creative Arts and Special Events. Then, in 2012, she became the Director of Creative Arts. In her role, she is responsible for revamping the creative arts guides, which consists of creating new trending categories for Arts & Crafts Contests, as well as creating new cooking contests. She invites approximately 400 judges to judge the pre-fair arts and crafts contests as well as the fair-time cooking contests. She also works directly with the butter sculptor, assisting them in developing a theme for the annual sculpture, and ensuring that we have at least 1500 to 2000 lbs. of butter on hand. Kathy also oversees the Celebrity Chef Program and produces the annual cookbook, which consists of the winning entries in cooking contests from the previous year. Before joining the State Fair of Texas, Kathy was a co-owner of two different waterparks in Mississippi and followed her lifelong dream of becoming a dolphin trainer performing in shows in the Florida Keys, Six Flags Over Georgia, Six Flags Over Mid-America, Atlantic City Steele Pier, Japanese Village, and Deer Park. She traveled with a mobile unit for a while, where they also trained sea lions and macaw birds and had a pet Penguin named Petey. Kathy went to school in Moscow, Idaho, and is a member of TAFE (Texas Association of Fairs & Events) and IAFE (International Association of Fairs and Expos). She currently lives in Mesquite, and in her free time, she enjoys cooking, canning, crafting, traveling, and exploring new hobbies.

Veronica Delgado

Communications Coordinator and Big Tex Scholarship Program Lead

Veronica joined the State Fair of Texas team in 2019 as a seasonal Hispanic market public relations intern, where she worked with a variety of Hispanic market media outlets and assisted in the translation of documents. In 2021, she was elevated to a seasonal media relations coordinator position and became the main point of contact for morning talk shows across DFW, assisting and planning their filming needs. She would return in the off-season as the seasonal scholarship admin, working directly with students and teachers while assisting with the overall program needs. Then, in 2022, she joined the full-time team at the State Fair of Texas as the PR & Scholarships Coordinator. Her duties include managing the day-to-day of the Big Tex Scholarship Program, speaking at schools and community events about the program, translating signage and bilingual marketing pieces, and working with media on inquiries, coordination, and pitching. She has worked with Telemundo, Univision, WFAA, Dallas Observer, FOX, NBC, Farmer Wants a Wife, independent and documentary film crews, Bally Sports, ESPN College GameDay, ITV This Morning, Visit Dallas, and more.

Veronica is a Texas native who has a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism with a concentration in public relations and a double minor in Philosophy and Spanish from the University of Oklahoma. She is a proud member of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and the International Association of Fairs & Expositions (IAFE). She serves on the IAFE Marketing Committee and IAFE Sub-Committee for contest rules and is the recipient of the 2023 IAFE Zone 6 Young Professionals Grant. She is currently pursuing her IAFE Institute of Fair Management (IFM) Certification, which focuses on management, risk management, marketing, programming, operations, and facility usage.

Drew Demler

Director of Horticulture and Big Tex Urban Farms

Originally from Baton Rouge, Drew began his career in the horticulture industry in high school, working at a garden and nursery center and raising pine trees for the pulp industry with his family. He would then go on to work at one of the largest garden centers in Austin, Red Barn. Drew then moved to Dallas and became the Horticulture Supervisor at the Dallas Arboretum & Botanical Garden and even owned his own landscaping and nursery business named Seasons. In June of 2011, Drew began his journey at the State Fair of Texas as the Greenhouse Manager, with his main focus being on the production of ornamental greenery across the fairgrounds. He then became a co-founder of Big Tex Urban Farms in 2016, which initially began as a community garden in a parking lot on the fairgrounds. In 2019, he was promoted to Director of Horticulture and oversees not only ornamental but also Big Tex Urban Farms. His duties include the production of greenery, harvesting, donating, programming, community involvement, and making sure that the Farms stays an innovative staple in the horticulture industry. He frequently speaks in the community and during field trips that students take to the Farms and assists other community gardens that surround Fair Park through our farming farms program. He has also been invited to speak at events like the Midwestern Farming Association Conference, the first-ever Urban Agriculture Conference in Dallas, and with local media during the Fair. Drew lives in East Dallas and loves to spend his free time gardening, reading, jogging, and spending quality time with his three children.

Sadie Prater

Director of Ticketing

Sadie Prater joined the State Fair of Texas in 2018 as the director of ticketing, with more than 24 years of experience in the not-for-profit ticketing operations and ticketing technology sector. Previously working for the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, The Dallas Opera, and the University of Texas at Dallas, Sadie has spent her career combining a talent in data analytics and systems optimization with a passion for not-for-profit community involvement in the cultural and entertainment sectors. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Texas at Dallas with a BS in Business and uses her skills to help fairgoers get the most from their experience at the Most Texan Place on Earth while promoting financial stewardship for the Fair’s mission and community enrichment goals.

David Russ

Director of Games

David Russ, Director of Games Operations, has been with the Fair since 2008, stepping into his current role of Director in 2014. Before beginning his journey at the Most Texan Place on Earth, he worked in the games department at Six Flags Over Texas for 20 years. In 1999, he moved cross country and became the Games & Attractions Manager at Six Flags America in Maryland. David oversees the general operations of State Fair games and assists with Midway operations. While David’s expertise may be in games, he also has many other responsibilities he oversees on a day-to-day basis year-round. He prides himself on making the State Fair Midway the best of the best by hiring the most qualified game owners, securing the best prizes, and ensuring a positive guest experience for all. David has been happily married to his wife for 18 years and is the father of one adult son.

Alejandra Salazar

Director of Exhibits

Alejandra Salazar, Director of Commercial Activations & Texas Auto Show, has been with the Fair in a seasonal capacity since 2013. Before stepping into her current role as director in 2024, she began her full-time journey for the organization in the exhibits department in 2014. In addition, she joined the organization with more than 15 years of customer service experience. Preceding long-time employee and recently retired State Fair exhibits director, Kelly Pound, Alejandra has gained a wealth of knowledge. She oversees the Texas Auto Show and Fair Exhibitors, including external communications, contract and billing, space planning and allocation, and relationship management and execution. Alejandra’s goal is to provide guests with enhanced and diverse experiences through the Texas Auto Show and more than 200 shopping exhibitors offering a variety of products and services. She was born and raised in Colombia, South America, and moved to the U.S. in 2011. While she has grown to love the Lone Star State, she tries to visit home as often as possible, as her life revolves around her family.

Jessica Vitela

Community Relations and Events Manager

Dallas native, Jessica Vitela, brings more than 28 years of professional experience to her career at the State Fair of Texas. In 2016, Jessica joined the media relations team as an executive admin, but quickly found her true passion and purpose on the community team. After five years, she was promoted to manager, overseeing all the Fair’s community relations programs, initiatives, and events. Jessica is constantly out in the community, serving as an ambassador for the State Fair to connect individuals and organizations in the South Dallas community. It was no surprise that in 2022, Jessica received the “Above & Beyond” award, voted on by her peers at the Fair. In addition to her work fulfilling the State Fair of Texas mission, Jessica is an active member in other organizations, serving as a board member for both the Irving Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Executive Women International® (EWI.) In 2020, Jessica graduated from SMU’s Corporate Executive Development Program. When she’s not working in the community, Jessica enjoys watching films, attending concerts, events, and spending time with her family.