Tourism and hospitality professional Barry White is the new president and chief executive officer of the Chattanooga Convention and Visitors Bureau.
“We’re looking forward to welcoming Barry to Chattanooga,” says Keith Sanford, Chattanooga CVB board chair. “The search committee was impressed by his proven track record of success in Augusta. Under his leadership, there has been a renewed focus on tourism growth and collaborating with elected officials and other partners at the local and state level to expand their convention center and bring new hotels to that city. We think he’ll be a great leader here.”
White is excited about leading the Chattanooga CVB after wrapping up his service as the president and CEO of the Augusta, Georgia, CVB. He started as their director of sales in 1991 and was named to his current position three years later.
“I had the privilege of assisting with the production of the USA Cycling Pro Road National Championships in Chattanooga a few years ago,” White says. “Chattanooga is a wonderful community that understands the importance of a robust tourism industry. I’m looking forward to forging many new partnerships to ensure the city remains one of the nation’s top destinations.”
During his 23 year-tenure as the Augusta CVB’s president and CEO, White increased Augusta’s total hotel revenue every year since 1994, initiated and fostered a $48 million expansion to the city’s convention center, designed and secured funding for a new $1.5 million city wayfinding and beautification project and developed Destination Blueprint, a master plan identifying and prioritizing Augusta’s future tourism development projects.
White is a graduate of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, where he earned a degree in business administration.
White succeeds Bob Doak, who’s retiring after more than 35 years in the tourism and hospitality industry, 15 of them as the president and CEO of the Chattanooga CVB. The date of White’s first day on the job has not yet been determined, but Doak will remain at the CVB through February 2018 to assist in the leadership transition.
Source: Chattanooga Convention and Visitors Bureau