Jim Carr had served as the President of the Guild of Professional Tour Guides for more than three and a half years when he was elected President of the National Federation of Tourist Guide Associations (NFTGA). He previously held a variety of positions in the Guild, including Co-Chair of the Certified Master Guide Program.

A Tour Guide for 25 years, Jim guides primarily along the Eastern Seaboard of the U.S. He loves showing people and interpreting for guests, historic and interesting sites, and possesses an infectious enthusiasm and an encyclopedic knowledge of fascinating facts.

Jim’s Rule # 1 in Tour Guiding: Be Flexible!
Jim’s Rule # 2 in Tour Guiding: See Rule # 1!

As President of NFTGA, Jim is working closely with Vice President Mike Pearl of Denver and NFTGA Board Members, as well as the Presidents of the Tour Guiding Associations around the U.S. NFTGA will be conducting Education and Training Programs on a regular basis, which are designed to make its individual members more knowledgeable and better-informed Tour Guides.

His previous career as a public servant included working at the United Nations in NYC and eight (8) U.S. federal agencies, including longtime service as the Dean/National Director for Training and Education of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

As a Reserve Civil Affairs Officer (“Monuments Man”/Colonel) in the U.S. Army, he worked closely with the U.S. State Department all over the world in putting broken governments back together; with refugee populations; and with international NGOs, including Medicines Sans Frontiers and the International Committee of the Red Cross; and in recovering art and cultural treasures.

He also served as a federal Interagency Advisor (mentor) to Presidential Management Fellows for eight (8) years. He has been a docent at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. for more than 20 years.

He was onetime President of the American Society for Public Administration (NCAC). He had also served as the Chair of the Executive Committee of the Harvard Journal of Hispanic Policy and Chair of the Spanish Education Development Center in Washington, DC. At one time, he drove a taxi in NYC.

His graduate degrees include an MA in Political Science from the University of Cincinnati; an MS in Public Information from American University; and an MPA and Doctorate (ABD) from the University of Southern California. He also completed a Leadership Development Program at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and “graduated” from the Federal Executive Institute in Charlottesville, VA.

His numerous awards include a Gold Medal for Exceptional Service from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for leading a group of scientists in “assessing the health and environmental impacts of the Kuwait Oil Well Fires.”

He is also a recipient of the Bronze Star Medal and two awards of the Legion of Merit for his military service.

Keri Belisle is a seasoned tour guide who has been in the business since 1985. She started as a bus driver giving city tours of San Diego and Tijuana (think Grayline Tours – remember those?).In the 90s she worked as a driver and/or guide for Contiki Holidays, then worked for Australian Pacific Tours, Brennan Vacations and America by Rail.
In 2023 Keri started a full-time job with the San Diego District Attorney’s Office, but still does local tours in her spare time for DayTripper Tours and the cruise ships when they’re in town. And she still drives a bus! Keri got involved with the San Diego Professional Tour Guide Association in 2002. She has held various posts throughout the years and is currently the president of the association, finishing up her 6th and last year.

I have worked as a tour guide in Philadelphia since retiring from the Department of Defense in 2014. My primary tour groups are students and International visitors but I rarely say no to any company or individual who wants to see my city. As a native Philadelphian, living in the area most of my life, I have a passion for our rich history, particularly the18th century and I love to tell the stories that surround our nation’s birthplace.

I have been an active member of the Association of Philadelphia Tour Guides, serving on the Board since 2015 and as President from 2019-2023. I also recently chaired the 2025 NFTGA Conference Committee that was held in Philadelphia and have received many accolades about the conference. Serving on the NFTGA Board, I hope to get more cities and tour guide groups involved in networking and sharing our stories.

Dennis was born and raised on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Growing up in a house of insanely competitive know-it-alls, Gary discovered a way of getting some parental attention by developing his passion for New York City history as well as for movie history.

At the dinner table, it was not just who was loud enough, but who knew the most. Gary was/is loud and knows enough. Gary devoured New York City history books along with the biographies of movie stars, writers, directors, and producers of Hollywood’s “golden age.” Gary was probably the only kid on the block who had heard of Irving Thalberg.

Gary also cultivated a deep appreciation and knowledge of Vaudeville theatres, movie palaces, the architects who designed them, the significance of each theatre, and their locations throughout the five boroughs of New York City.

After working as an actor, Gary turned his “day job” into a full-time passion. As Gary said, “I did not want to smell like food, like too many other actors who waited tables, so I took a job that involved one of my greatest passions, movies.”

Gary eventually owned one of New York City’s largest independent and best (New York Magazine Best of New York 1997) movie rental stores, Movie Place, which was one of New York City’s original independent video stores. Under Gary’s guidance, Movie Place became a longtime favorite video store on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.

During 23 years of business, Gary developed one of the most extensive film inventories of any store in the country, with a library that included one of the best collections of American film, from early silent pictures through the Golden Age of Hollywood to the rise of the American independent film industry. The store also boasted one of the most comprehensive foreign film collections in the country.

In 2005, with the Movie Place as his calling card, Gary launched a one-man effort to rename West 103rd Street Humphrey Bogart Place, in honor of the late actor who grew up there.

In his argument before Community Board 7, Gary pointed out that Mr. Bogart was not only the internationally recognized face of American film but a product of the Upper West Side as well.

Gary’s efforts paid off with not only a street renaming (a big deal in this city) but a plaque on the townhouse memorializing the structure as the childhood home of Mr. Bogart.

A ceremony was held on June 24, 2006, hosted by Gary and attended by various New York City commissioners, elected officials, and (most importantly) Lauren Bacall and her son, Stephen Bogart.

For his efforts, Gary was the subject of numerous articles in The New York Times and was honored with “The Westie” award given by Manhattan Media (publisher of The Westsider, Our Town, and other weekly newspapers around Manhattan*).*

Despite this wonderful addition to the neighborhood and the acclaim it brought to the store, Movie Place became the victim of greedy landlords fueled by the raging real estate boom in the city. In December 2006, Gary was forced to close the business.

Since then, Gary, called a “film scholar without portfolio” by The New York Times, has become licensed as an official New York City tour guide, which is just a formality since he has been lecturing for years to anyone who’ll listen about every corner of this great city.