U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker Announces New Travel and Tourism Advisory Board Members

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker today announced the appointment of 32 members to the Travel and Tourism Advisory Board (TTAB). First chartered in 2003, TTAB serves as the advisory body to the Secretary of Commerce on matters relating to the travel and tourism industry in the United States. The board members represent a broad spectrum of the travel industry, including hotels and restaurants, financial services, transportation services, as well as a variety of small and large firms from across the country.

“The travel and tourism industry supports millions of American jobs and is a major driver of our nation’s economy,” said Secretary Pritzker. “The Travel and Tourism Advisory Board offers important guidance and strategies that facilitate collaborative efforts between the public and private sectors to ensure that America remains an attractive destination for international visitors for years to come.”

The TTAB provides advice that helps the government address emerging issues affecting the travel sector, prioritize travel and tourism policies that will stimulate growth, and solve industry-related problems at many levels. Board members collaborate with other government agencies as part of the Tourism Policy Council, which advanced the development of the President’s National Travel and Tourism Strategy. The Board will continue its efforts to ensure Strategy’s goal of drawing 100 million international visitors to the United States by 2021 is achieved.

The newly appointed members of the Travel and Tourism Advisory Board are:

1. Chair: John Sprouls, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer, Universal Parks and Resorts, Orlando, Fla. *
2. Vice Chair: Margaret McKeough, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, Washington, D.C. *
3. Vice Chair: Greg Stubblefield, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, Enterprise Holdings, St. Louis, Mo. *
4. George Aguel, President and CEO, Visit Orlando, Orlando, Fla.
5. Ted Balestreri, President and CEO, Cannery Row Company, Monterey, Calif.
6. Helane Becker, Managing Director, Cowen and Company, New York, N.Y. *
7. Thella F. Bowens, President and CEO, San Diego International Airport, San Diego, Calif.
8. Bruce Charendoff, Chief Public Policy Officer, Sabre, Southlake, Texas
9. Henry Cruz, Senior Partner, The CrossBrook Organization, LLC, Alexandria, Va. *
10. Todd Davidson, CEO, Travel Oregon, Salem, Ore. *
11. Brad Dean, CEO, Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, Myrtle Beach, S.C. *
12. Fred Dixon, Chief Operating Officer & General Counsel, NYC & Company, New York, N.Y. *
13. Kurt Ekert, President and CEO, Carlson Wagonlit Travel, Minneapolis, Minn.
14. Elliott Ferguson, President and CEO, Destination DC, Washington, D.C. *
15. Mike Gallagher, Co-founder and Co-chairman, CityPASS, Victor, Idaho *
16. Adam Goldstein, Co-founder and CEO, Hipmunk, San Francisco, Calif.
17. James Hagen, Secretary, South Dakota Department of Tourism, Pierre, S.D. *
18. Nick Hentschel, Vice President, AmericanTours International, Los Angeles, Calif.
19. Taylor Hoang, Owner, Pho Cyclo, Seattle, Wash.
20. Adam Medros, Senior Vice President for Global Product, TripAdvisor, Needham, Mass.
21. Steve Morrissey, Vice President, Regulatory and Policy, United Airlines, Chicago, Ill.
22. Mary Motsenbocker, President, International Tourism Marketing, Inc., Englewood, Colo.
23. Susan Presby, Owner/Director of Sales, Mt. Washington Cog Railway, Bretton Woods, N.H.
24. Tricia Primrose, Global Chief Communications & Public Affairs Officer, Marriott International, Bethesda, Md.
25. Olga Ramudo, President and CEO, Express Travel, Miami, Fla. *
26. Sherry Rupert, President, American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association, Albuquerque, N.M. *
27. Adam Sacks, President, Tourism Economics, Philadelphia, Pa.
28. Gary Schluter, General Manager, Rocky Mountain Holiday Tours, LLC, Fort Collins, Colo.
29. Marty St. George, Executive Vice President Commercial and Planning, JetBlue Airways Corporation, New York, N.Y.
30. William Talbert, President and CEO, Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, Miami, Fla. *
31. Denise Thevenot, Executive Director, Louisiana Tax Free Shopping, New Orleans, La.
32. Ernest Wooden Jr., President and CEO, Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board, Los Angeles, Calif.

*Denotes reappointed Travel and Tourism Advisory Board member

Travel and tourism is the United States’ largest services sector export and supports 1.1 million American jobs. Inbound international visitors to the United States spent an estimated $84.1 billion on U.S. travel and tourism-related goods and services from January to April 2016, an four percent increase from a year ago.