Myrtle Beach Area Chamber CEO Reappointed to Travel and Tourism Advisory Board
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – Brad Dean, president and CEO of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, has been appointed by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker 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.
“I’m honored to be reappointed to the Travel and Tourism Advisory Board and am pleased to have the opportunity to represent the Myrtle Beach area at a national level,” Dean said. “I look forward to working with travel industry colleagues across the country, where our goal will undoubtedly be to help promote, protect and improve our respective business communities, both locally and nationally."
The newly appointed members of the Travel and Tourism Advisory Board are:
1. Brad Dean, CEO, Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, Myrtle Beach, S.C. *
2. Chair: John Sprouls, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer, Universal Parks and Resorts, Orlando, Fla. *
3. Vice Chair: Margaret McKeough, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, Washington, D.C. *
4. Vice Chair: Greg Stubblefield, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, Enterprise Holdings, St. Louis, Mo. *
5. George Aguel, President and CEO, Visit Orlando, Orlando, Fla.
6. Ted Balestreri, President and CEO, Cannery Row Company, Monterey, Calif.
7. Helane Becker, Managing Director, Cowen and Company, New York, N.Y. *
8. Thella F. Bowens, President and CEO, San Diego International Airport, San Diego, Calif.
9. Bruce Charendoff, Chief Public Policy Officer, Sabre, Southlake, Texas
10. Henry Cruz, Senior Partner, The CrossBrook Organization, LLC, Alexandria, Va. *
11. Todd Davidson, CEO, Travel Oregon, Salem, Ore. *
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, a four percent increase from a year ago.
For more information, go to www.USChamber.com.
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About The Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce
Since 1938, the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce has stood as the unified voice of the Grand Strand's business community. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has awarded the MBACC its five-star accreditation, one of only several chambers in South Carolina to earn this distinction. The MBACC serves Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Surfside Beach, Little River, Atlantic Beach, Garden City Beach, Loris, Conway, Aynor, Murrells Inlet, Litchfield Beach and Pawleys Island. For more information, visit MyrtleBeachAreaChamber.com. The Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce is the proud recipient of the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives’ “2015 Chamber of the Year” award.
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