Tavis is a Waterloo native with a diverse professional background, with community betterment as a common theme.

Tavis serves as Executive Director of Experience Waterloo, where he has led Waterloo’s Destination Marketing Organization (since 2017) through an organizational rebrand, organizational reorientation, development & implementation of strategic planning, and mission & vision statement restructuring. Under Tavis’ leadership, Experience Waterloo has gone on to organize community events such as Waterloo RAGBRAI (2021), Waterloo Lights The Night (since 2021) and My Waterloo Days (2023). 

Prior to his service with Experience Waterloo, Tavis served as Executive Director at Main Street Waterloo, and Regional Outreach Representative and Caseworker in the Office of US Congressman Bruce Braley. Tavis has also served on a number of community boards/commissions including Waterloo Planning, Programming & Zoning, 24/7 Blac Board of Directors, Social Action Inc Board of Directors, Grout Museum District Board of Directors, to name a few. Additionally, Tavis has served on state and national boards, such as Iowa Travel Industry Partners Board of Directors and Destinations International CDME Board of Directors. In 2021, Tavis was recognized as the Iowa Travel Industry Partners’ “Joe Taylor Leadership Award" recipient and was recognized as a Waterloo/Cedar Falls Courier “20 under 40” recipient in 2008. 

Tavis is engaged to Heather Edeker and lives in Waterloo.