Discover Puerto Rico CEO Brad Dean is leaving to join Explore St. Louis as President and CEO starting Feb. 17.  Dean has led the Puerto Rico DMO since its founding in 2018, prior to which he led Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce for nearly two decades.

Gathan D. Borden started a new position as Client Relationships + Insights Manager at Tourism Economics. He joined from Destinations International last August, prior to which he served in executive marketing roles at Visit Lex and Louisville Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Elizabeth “Liz” Marquardt, an attorney and certified public accountant, is the new chief financial officer/chief operating officer for Visit Florida Keys. Previously, she was SVP for Bayview Asset Management and Bayview Legacy in Coral Gables, Florida. 

Brianna McEnroe has been promoted to Vice President of Brand & Innovation at Discover Long Island. She was most recently Director of Social and Branded Content at the DMO in New York State, which she joined 5.5 years ago.

MMGY Global has announced the promotion of Justin Farmer to Chief Growth Officer. He joined the company over 14 years ago and most recently served as EVP, Growth.

Emily Wong-Evans has been appointed Destination Strategy Director at Madden Media. She joins from Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau in California where she had been Director of Public Relations.

On California’s Central Coast, See Monterey has announced the hiring of Katie Soltas as Director of Public Relations. She was most recently an Area Director of Field Marketing at Marriott International. 

Cristina Howard was recently hired by Paradise Advertising & Marketing as Vice President, Media & Marketing. She joins from &Barr where DMO clients included Space Coast Office of Tourism and Discover the Palm Beaches,.

Valerie Knoblauch, President & CEO of Finger Lakes Visitors Connection has announced her upcoming retirement as of May 2025. She has been with the New York State organization for over 40 years.

In California, Robyn Camino has been selected as the new CEO of Visit Stockton. She had previously served as Director of Marketing & Communications at the DMO for 4.5 years and replaces Wes Rhea, now leading Visit Lodi in California.

In Illinois, Melissa Chrisman returns to her hometown to lead the Bloomington-Normal Area Convention and Visitors Bureau / Visit BN as the new President & CEO. She departs Trinity Metro, a public transit agency in Dallas/Fort Worth, where she had been VP-Marketing & Communications.

In California, Visit Oxnard announced the appointment of Brittney Hendricks as Interim President & CEO. She has been with the DMO for over six years, previously serving as Vice President of Marketing & Communications.

Jeanne Quinn takes up a new role as Senior Director of Technology and Partnerships at The Florida Keys & Key West. She joins from an executive marketing role at Cisco.  

In Oregon, Megan Conway, a 15-year veteran at Travel Portland,  took over as President & CEO on Jan. 1, 2025. She had most recently served as Chief Strategy Officer.  Jeff Miller had announced his retirement in June 2023.

Gary Musich has been named President & CEO at Visit Atlantic City in New Jersey, having previously served as the destination’s Vice President-Sales. Larry Sieg retired from the leadership role at the end of 2024.

Tony McDaniel has joined Madden Media as a Director of Destination Strategy. He joins from Yosemite Mariposa County Tourism Bureau where he served as Director of Communications.

Richard Bryant has joined Clicktripz as VP-Destination Strategy for the Northwest territory. His background includes roles as Senior Sales Director for Zartico and Sales Director at Adara, plus Regional Marketing Communications Manager – Americas for Tourism New Zealand.

Visit Mesa has appointed Alicia Boe as Director of Communications. Her DMO communications background includes a previous role at Black Hills & Badlands Tourism Association in South Dakota. 

Christine Harcinske has been appointed Creative Director at The Abbi Agency, headquartered in Reno, NV. She had previously been with Noble Studios for 11 years through 2022.

John Flanagan has joined the team at San Francisco Travel Association as Vice President, Meeting & Convention Sales. He joins from a local and regional Director of Sales position at Hilton.

Juliana (Comer) Thomas has been promoted to Director of Communications at Virginia Tourism Corporation. She joined the DMO in 2023 and had previously been with the governor’s office as well as Visit Richmond VA.   

At Visit Phoenix, Paul Dedewo has been promoted from Social Media Specialist to Visual Media Manager. He joined the DMO in 2022.

Adam Berrios takes on a new position as Executive Director at Visit Sandy Springs. He departs  as Vice President, Sales & Services at Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau, which he joined in 2021 following previous roles at VisitGreenvilleSC and Alpharetta Convention & Visitors Bureau. 

President & CEO of Visit Florida Dana Young has announced her retirement following six years in the role. Before joining VISIT FLORIDA, Young served eight years in the Florida Legislature. She intends to continue in her current job until her successor is appointed and on board. Read more in the press release here.

Tony McDaniel departs as Director of Communications and Content at Yosemite Mariposa County Tourism Bureau in California, where he has been for the past five-plus years. Tony will announce his new role soon; meantime, he has posted this job as a opening.

Michelle Cruz has taken up her new role as State Tourism Director at the New Hampshire Division of Travel and Tourism Development. She had previously served as Executive Director of the Mt. Washington Valley Chamber of Commerce.

At Brand USA, Andrew Felts moves into a global communications as Senior Manager, Media Relations & Communications from the corporate communications side. He was previously with Visit Mobile.

Meet Minneapolis has hired Josh Valasek as National Account Executive, East Coast Accounts. He was National Sales Director at VisitPittsburgh for five years, and has most recently worked on-property at a Marriott Autograph Collection hotel.

Jared Dionne has been promoted to Senior Manager, Corporate Communications at Visit Seattle. He joined the DMO in 2022.

Michael Even has been given a staff send-off into retirement from Visit Buffalo Niagara and the Buffalo Niagara Sports Commission. He departs as Vice President of Sales and Services after 30 years.

Following her election as mayor, Molly Rawn departs as CEO of Experience Fayetteville, Arkansas’ second largest city. She joined the DMO in 2016.

In Louisiana, Sarah Hill has been promoted to Senior Marketing Manager at Visit The Northshore at St. Tammany Parish Tourist & Convention Commission. She joined the DMO in 2019.

Mark Romig plans to transition from Chief Marketing Officer at New Orleans & Company to a senior advisor, effective April 1, 2025. He will be responsible for PR consulting, special projects such as Sail 250, and serve as ambassador and spokesperson. Romig is a co-chair of the Super Bowl LIX Host Committee and is the stadium announcer for the NFL’s New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome.

Jeremy Cooker has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Marketing at New Orleans & Company. He steps into the position as Mark Romig transitions to a senior advisor role.

Mike Robertson moves into a full-time role at Fired Up! Culture as Director-Client Experience & Development. He had been in a destination-related advisory role at the company.  In addition to Arrivalist, Mike’s background includes several years at VisitPittsburgh.

In Michigan, a new Executive Director will take the helm of White Lake Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau. Stephanie Ware, previously Director of Events & Membership, assumes the role following the retirement of Amy VanLoon.

Cathy Domanico is now Director of Tourism, Great Lakes USA. Her destination strategy background includes leadership roles at La Grange Business Association, Brand USA, and Choose Chicago.    

In North Dakota, Dickinson Convention & Visitors Bureau announced a new executive director. Alicia Erickson will take over from Terri Thiel, who served as executive director for 27 years.

In Ohio, Jodi Robbins was named executive director of the Medina County Convention & Visitors Bureau starting Dec. 1, following her role as interim director since June.

Visit Durango has appointed Barb Bowman as Interim Executive Director. She was with Visit Grand Junction for 28 years., served on the Colorado Tourism Office Board and also serves as Transportation Commissioner for the Colorado Department of Transportation.

In Georgia, Executive Director Rashelle Minix has resigned from the Albany Convention & Visitors Bureau following 16 years in the role. She is joining the private sector locally in a sales and marketing role.

Caroline Boykin has joined the team at Visit Savannah as Sports and Leisure Marketing Coordinator. Most recently, she had been in marketing with the South Georgia Tormenta FC, a professional soccer club.

In Maine, Visit Portland has announced the promotion of Abby Traver to Vice President of Group Sales. She joined the DMO in 2022 as Group Sales and Services Manager.

In Oregon, Travel Portland has announced Megan Conway as its next President & CEO from Jan. 1, 2025, replacing Jeff Miller in the role. She first joined the DMO in 2003 and was most recently Chief Strategy Officer.

Lizzie Keenan has been named the new Executive Director for Oregon’s Mt. Hood Territory.  The branded DMO operates under Clackamas County Office of Tourism. For the past nine years, Lizzie has led Experience Mt. Hood and the Gorge, and has also been with Visit California.

Leah Mueller, managing and directing group sales at Visit Buffalo Niagara since 2001, has been promoted to Vice President of Sales and Services.

Nate Swick has a new position as Regional Sales Manager, US West at VectorNav Technologies. He joins from Turner Public Relations and was previously Senior Communications Manager at Visit Indy.

Annette Pitts has been named as the new CEO at Visit Casper. As of Jan. 6, 2025, she takes up the role replacing Tyler Daugherty. Currently, Pitts works as the CEO of Explore Olympia & Beyond in Washington State.

Ted Sullivan is now partner at Cape OC LLC. He was most recently CMO at Zartico for four years, prior to which he held key industry roles at Adara and MMGY.

Steven Clenney is now Director of Marketing at Experience Kissimmee.  He was most recently Senior Client Success Strategist at Zartico, prior to which he held several DMO roles in Florida.

Jason Holic, previously Senior Vice President of Operations & Community Engagement, has taken on a new role at Experience Kissimmee. His position is Chief of Destination Stewardship at the DMO, which he joined more than nine years ago.

In Indiana, Hamilton County Tourism has announced the appointment of David West as president & CEO. David has held key leadership positions with Herschend Family Entertainment, Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau and Michigan Economic Development Corporation. He succeeds Brenda Myers, who retired following 19 years.

Tamaria Williams has a new role at Visit Baton Rouge, which she joined in 2021. Her new position as Digital Content Manager creates an opening for Communications Manager (see Jobs).

Nancy Turner has been appointed Deputy Commissioner of Kentucky Tourism. Following 25 years as executive director, she has stepped down from leading Winchester-Clark County Tourism Commission. 

Shelley Zumwalt, Executive Director of Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department, announced her retirement. She has worked with OTRD for over a decade, and was appointed as Executive Director two years ago.

Sydnie Furton has joined Datafy as a Customer Experience Director. She departs Love Communications and was formerly at Visit Ogden, Datafy’s first client.

The new CRM Database Manager at Visit Williamsburg is Emma Schmitz. She joins from Sonoma County Tourism and her DMO background also includes Traverse City Tourism.

Meredith Darden has been appointed Interim CEO at Visit Corpus Christi, following the departure of Brett Oetting. In over a decade with the DMO, Meredith’s most recent role has been COO. SearchWide Global is currently conducting a nationwide search.

Deanna Barclay has been promoted to Director of Content at Visit Baltimore. She has been with the DMO in various roles for nearly 10 years.

In Maine, David Page is joining Travel Portland as CMO. He comes from CD+M Communications, a local marketing agency, and was previously with a DMO, Maine’s Midcoast & Islands.

Teresa Cunningham has been promoted to Vice President of People, Culture, and Purpose at San Diego Tourism Authority.  She joined the DMO last summer as Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion & Community Engagement.

Danyelle Perry is the new Digital Marketing Manager at Visit Overland Park in Kansas. She joins from the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism where she had a similar role for the past three-plus years. .

Longtime executive Pepe Avila has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Community Relations and Partnerships at Visit Anaheim.

Visit Newport Beach has announced the appointment of Kamia Kinchlow as the new Vice President of Global Luxury Leisure. She joins the DMO from the hotel industry.

Brett Oetting has been named to a new leadership role as the first ever COO of VisitKC.  Brett joins from Visit Corpus Christi in Texas where he served as CEO for nearly five years. Previously, he was CEO at Visit Topeka.

Julie Coker, President and CEO of San Diego Tourism Authority since 2020 has been appointed as President and CEO of New York City Tourism + Conventions, effective December 9. Previously, Julie served in this role at the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau for nearly 10 years.

Sheelagh Wylie is now Vice President, Business Development Travel Trade at the Empire State Building Observatory. Most recently, she was a Vice President at Go City and had previously served as CMO-Americas for VisitBritain following an executive role with Merlin Entertainments plc.   

Dan Rosenbaum departs San Francisco Travel Association as VP-Global Marketing. He joined the organization as social media manager 14 years ago.

Richard Black has a new position as Senior Vice President of Sales at Miles Partnership. He joins from Sojern where he was most recently Global VP-Destinations and was previously with TripAdvisor.

Heidi Barfels is starting a new position as Vice President, Marketing and Communications for Visit The Florida Keys & Key West. She joins from Visit Estes Park in Colorado and was previously with Visit Lauderdale.

Peter Bowden, long-time president and chief executive officer of VisitColumbusGA, has announcement his retirement at the end of 2024. A search is being undertaken to fill the role.

Sabrina Combs has been named to the role of Social Media & Content Manager at Charlottesville Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau. We welcome Sabrina to digital destination marketing.

Kaitie Burger is the new Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Tourism Office, a division of  the Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development.  Her background includes Discover Lehigh Valley and most recently, Madden Media. 

Karinna Sostre Vicario has taken on a new role as Marketing Director at Discover Puerto Rico. She has been with the DMO for six-plus years, most recently as Web Content Manager.

Destinations International announced the appointment of Lauren Pace as Vice President  of Marketing. Her DMO background includes various roles at Visit Florida and Visit Tallahassee.

Longtime Discover Newport president & CEO Evan Smith has announced his plans to retire during the first quarter of 2025. A search for his successor has begun.

At Visit California, Kristen Trzcinski-Bonilla has been promoted to Director of Public Relations. She joined the DMO in 2015 after several years with Visit West Hollywood.

Jeniffer Murray has been appointed Vice President of People & Operations at See Monterey in California. She was most recently leading HR at Monterey Peninsula Country Club.

Louis Lewis has been appointed to lead Saint Lucia Tourism Authority as the new CEO.

After five years in the role, Warren Webster has announced his departure from Atlas Obscura as CEO.

Ileana Frascone has been promoted to Vice President, Client Services at Miles Partnership. She has been with the company for 11 years.

Brand USA has announced four senior executive appointments to its team under the leadership of President & CEO Fred Dixon. Read more here.

Rachel O’Neill-Cusey departs as  president & CEO of Visit Laguna Beach to join JNS Next as vice president of agency experience and business development. Rachel’s DMO background in California also includes Visit Dana Point.

Lloyd Pressley joins the team at JNS Next as a senior social media and content strategist following three years in digital marketing with Visit Greater Palm Springs. 

In September, the Albany County Tourism Board in Wyoming welcomed Andi Jaspersen as the new executive director for Visit Laramie. Her previous roles include Visit Cheyenne. Andi replaces Scott Larson, who became president & CEO at Visit Central Oregon.

At VisitPITTSBURGH, Derek Dawson has been promoted  to vice president-strategic initiatives. He joined the DMO in 2012.

Balakumar Raghuraman (Bala) has joined the team at Longwoods International in the newly created role of vice president of research and development. Bala’s background includes executive roles in analytics at Arrivalist /  AirDNA.

At Longwoods International, Arianna Johnson has been promoted to the position of senior research analyst. She joined the company in January 2023.

In Maryland, Visit Annapolis & Anne Arundel County announce the appointment of Rasheeda Martin as senior director of external relations. She was previously  director of sales at Explore York.

Allison O’Keefe joins Visit Alexandria as PR & communications manager. Welcome to the DMO world, Allison!

Dan Gibson, formerly senior director of communications at Visit Tucson, is the new CEO at Visit McMinnville in Oregon. He replaces Jeff Knapp who moves to Visit Bend in Oregon.

TravelAbility has retained the services of grants expert Jon Tellier, president of Michigan-based JetCo Solutions, to assist destinations with grant sourcing and applications concerning accessibility upgrades and programs.

Visit Ann Arbor has announced the retirement of Patti Ingleson, national sales account executive for the past 14 years.

Visit Oxnard announced that Julie Mino Buffo, president & CEO, will retire after nearly seven years. The DMO is now accepting applications for the role.

Datafy announced new talent in three industry appointments: Anna Blount, Vice President Industry Research; Chris Christmas, Senior Director of Business Development; Keri Hansen, Business Development, Director of Retail

Ryan Callison has assumed the role of Vice President of Marketing and Communications at Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau. Formerly with Visit Frisco, Ryan’s background includes Madden Media and Waymack and Crew.

Serena Gray is Vice President Marketing & Communications at Visit Shreveport-Bossier. Formerly Executive Director of Webster Parish Convention & Visitors Bureau, she joined the team in July.

Clicktripz, specialist in AI-driven travel marketing solutions, has welcomed three top DMO industry marketing executives to its team: Scott Schult, Vice President of Destination Strategy for the Southeast; Jackie Saunders, Vice President of Destination Strategy for the Northeast; Leah Webster, Client Success Manager.

U.S. Travel Association has announced new senior appointments: Allison O’Connor, Senior Vice President Strategic Communications; Kevin Hinton, Managing Director of Group Travel; Courtney Mesmer, Vice President of Event Programming and Experience.

Hailey Post joins Clarity of Place as Associate, Strategy and Community Alignment. She was most recently with Greater Raleigh Convention & Visitors Bureau as Destination Data Manager.

Torie Clancy has joined Sonoma County Tourism as Senior Director of Communications. She is an Air Force veteran who has also led campaigns for brands like Microsoft, SAP, and Samsung.

Donna Palmer joins The San Francisco Peninsula as Director of Sales. Her background includes Corporate Travel Management (CTM), American Express Global Business Travel, Hyatt Hotels and Resorts Global Sales, and Onriva.

Lynn Osmond has joined the TravelAbility Advisory Board. The former president & CEO of Choose Chicago, she also served as president & CEO of Chicago Architecture Center. As a caregiver traveling with her husband who has a disability, Lynn’s knowledge and experience makes her an invaluable asset, said Jake Steinman, founder & CEO of TravelAbility.

San Francisco Travel Association has announced the appointment of Anna Marie Presutti as president and CEO, effective immediately. She has been serving in the role on an interim basis when Scott Beck departed after eight months in the role. The first female leader of SF Travel in its 115-year history, Presutti was previously Vice President and General Manager for Hotel Nikko San Francisco.

Anna Strider has joined Miles Partnership as Marketing Operations Specialist on the Brand USA team. Her DMO experience includes Visit Lake Charles and St. Tammany Parish Tourist and Convention Commission in Louisiana.

Ktimene Axetell joins Epsilon as Senior Director of Client Development. Her digital tourism background includes roles at Arrivalist and the Amelia Island Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Kara Franker has taken on a new role as president & CEO of The Florida Keys & Key West. Most recently president & CEO of Visit Estes Park in Colorado for 3.5 years, Kara had previously served as senior vice president of Visit Fort Lauderdale.

SearchWide Global has announced Wendy Moran as the Global Head of its new division, SearchWide Connect. This strategic move comes as part of the firm’s commitment to addressing the growing demand for swift and high-quality mid-level management placements in all sectors currently being served in the retained search division, said Mike Gamble, Chairman and CEO.

After 19 years as President & CEO of Visit Stockton (CA), Wes Rhea has announced he is taking on the top leadership role at Visit Lodi (CA) as of October 1st. He succeeds Nancy Beckman, who is retiring after 23 years’ service.

Wes’s accomplishments have earned him significant accolades, including the DMA West Spirit of Leadership Award and Destinations International’s Destination Organization Leadership Award.

Jonathan Changus assumes a new role at Visit California as Director of External Affairs. He joins from the Center for Sustainable Energy. Dan Smith, previously five years in the public affairs role with Visit California, moves to a project-based position.

Kyle Johnson is the new Director (VP) of Marketing Strategy at Visit Hendricks County (IN). He joins following nearly a decade with the Indiana Destination Development Corporation.

Amanda Blomquist has been promoted to Business Development Director of Marketing for Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, which includes and its destination marketing arm, Visit Myrtle Beach.

Rob Black has been appointed by Governor Lujan Grisham to the position of Cabinet Secretary for the Economic Development Department of New Mexico. He was formerly President & CEO, New Mexico Chamber of Commerce.

Aaron J. Sala, former chairperson of the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority, has been appointed to lead Hawai’i Visitors and Convention Bureau. Sala, who holds a doctorate in ethnomusicology from the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa, has long been involved in Hawaii’s tourism industry, and in cultural consulting.

Founder & CEO Danny Guerrero of The Culturist Group, has announced a new client partnership with Travel Portland (OR). The team will conduct qualitative research and decipher multicultural consumer insights in Portland’s key markets.

Kimberly Magaraci joins New Jersey Division of Travel & Tourism as Digital Marketing Manager. Her background includes editorial content projects with Visit Delaware and Visit Wyoming.