Councilman David Speck has been named Governor Emeritus of the Alexandria Convention & Visitors Association. Speck, who did not seek reelection to City Council during the last election, is a founding governor of the ACVA, which was organized in 1996.
“Councilman Speck has been the city’s voice for tourism since the ACVA’s founding,” said Hudson Riehle, ACVA chair. “He is a true champion of the industry, who understands both the economic and cultural values of tourism. Mr. Speck has been an invaluable member of the ACVA Board, and we look forward to his continuing involvement as Governor Emeritus.”
The ACVA has also renamed its annual tourism recognition award as the David G. Speck Tourism Partner of the Year Award, in his honor. The award recognizes an ACVA member who has contributed to the success of the association’s mission during the year. Speck received the award for FY 2002 last September.
THE ACVA CONSIDERS Speck as the leader in developing a process for fully funding the ACVA budget in FY 1999. “He has also long been an advocate of a new visitors center that will better meet the needs of our visitors. Thanks to his support and that of the entire City Council, the city recently completed an in-depth study of tourism needs that has identified several proposed sites for a much-needed expanded and enhanced center,” Riehle said.
During Speck’s tenure on the ACVA Board, Alexandria’s tourism industry grew into a half billion dollar industry that contributes more than $10 million in tax revenues annually to the City of Alexandria. The industry employs more than 6,000 people in tourism-and hospitality-related jobs.