Dr. Suzanne Cook, senior vice president of research, Travel Industry Association (TIA), has joined the Board of Governors of the Alexandria Convention & Visitors Association (ACVA). As one of the travel industry's most respected authorities on international and domestic travel, Dr. Cook directs TIA's report publication dealing with the industry's economics and marketing.
"ACVA is fortunate to have one of the travel industry's leading experts on travel trends serving on our Board. Dr. Cook is a new resident of Alexandria and has expressed her interest in getting involved with our tourism industry. This is a marvelous way for her to contribute to one of the most important sectors of our local economy," said John Varghese, chair, ACVA Board of Governors.
TIA's research program includes the Travel Economic Impact Model, the only national model to provide consistent and comparable estimates of both domestic and international travel's economic impact at the national, state, and local levels, according to ACVA. She is the principal author of many travel reports and a highly sought-after speaker at industry conferences.
ACVA also announced the following officers for Fiscal Year 2008: Chair- John Varghese, general manager, Westin Alexandria; Vice Chair -Charlotte Hall, vice president, Potomac Riverboat Company; Secretary - Stephanie Brown, president and CEO, ACVA; Treasurer - Charlie Banta, general manager, Hilton Alexandria Mark Center; Officer At-Large - Wendy Albert, owner, Tempo Restaurant.