Jerry Varner, owner of Making Memories Tours in Washburn, Missouri, will chair the National Tour Association board of directors in 2023.

NTA, founded in 1951, is composed of tour operators who package group travel and connect with other NTA members — representatives of destinations, hotels, attractions, and experience providers from all 50 states and well over 35 countries around the world — to create unique multiday tours.

The NTA Board of Directors is a group of 17 volunteer leaders who govern association policies and provide strategic direction to the staff. The 2023 board comprises travel professionals from 12 U.S. states, Canada, Norway, and Slovakia. Varner rises to the top position after being elected as vice chair last year by the NTA membership.

“I’m honored to serve, but this is not an honorary position,” Varner said. “Our board works hard to help members advance their business and their careers. NTA has a healthy mixture of seasoned professionals and industry newcomers, and we rely on each other for new ideas as well as solutions to challenges.”

Making Memories Tours, founded by Varner and his wife, Angie, in 2010, specializes in group travel for senior adults. The company is offering more than 30 tours in 2023, with destinations ranging from throughout the United States to Europe and New Zealand.

For more information about NTA, visit NTAonline.com. To learn more about Varner’s company, visit MakingMemoriesTours. com.