Alison Nation makes move from Crystal Bridges to Visit Bentonville

Longtime communications pro Alison Nation of Bentonville has joined the city’s tourism bureau.

Visit Bentonville said Thursday (Feb. 23) that Nation is the group’s new communications and marketing vice president. According to a news release, she started the job on Feb. 15.

“We are thrilled to have Alison join our team,” Visit Bentonville CEO Kalene Griffith said in a statement. “Her extensive experience in marketing and communications with Crystal Bridges, combined with her love of Bentonville and Northwest Arkansas, make her the perfect fit for this important role. We look forward to working with her as we continue to promote tourism to our city and spread the word about all the great things to see and do in Bentonville.”

An Oklahoma City native, Nation has worked in communications for more than a decade, most recently as marketing director for Bentonville’s Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Nation started at Crystal Bridges in 2008, joining the communications department there in 2012.

At the museum, Nation led a team focused on brand building, promotion, email marketing and project management. She also helped oversee marketing for the 2020 opening of The Momentary, Crystal Bridges’ 63,000-square-foot multidisciplinary art and performance space in downtown Bentonville.

Visit Bentonville is funded by the Bentonville Advertising and Promotion Commission, which was established in 1996. The Commission is supported by a 2% tax on lodging and meeting space and a 1% tax on restaurant and dining establishments.