Home Field Advantage
After a difficult year in which the travel industry ground to a halt, the Cincinnati USA Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) is looking ahead with a new slate of regional leaders and advocates to serve on its board of directors.
“Over the past several years, we’ve made a concerted effort to restructure our Board of Directors with influential decision-makers and game-changers,” said CVB President & CEO Julie Calvert. “We’ve built a proactive group of well-connected advocates who are all committed to elevating our hospitality industry and amplifying the strategic vision of the CVB.”
CVB membership elected a ballot of new and returning board directors. That includes the naming of Jeff Berding as Board Chair. Berding is President and GM of Major League Soccer team FC Cincinnati and a former executive with the Cincinnati Bengals. He was also elected to three terms on Cincinnati City Council. Berding replaces Mario San Marco, who served as CVB Board Chair since 2018.
The CVB’s new officers are:
Jeff Berding, FC Cincinnati, Chair
Agnes Godwin Hall, Macy’s, Vice Chair
Paul Silva, Eagle Realty Group, Secretary-Treasurer
The CVB’s new At-Large Directors are:
Jeff Berding
Alecia Kintner, President & CEO, ArtsWave
Akiva Freeman, Office, Manufacturing & Logistics Manager, Kroger
New Designated Directors are:
Adam Gelter, Executive Vice President, Development at 3CDC
Bobby Spann, Vice President, External Affairs for the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport
Joe Pinto, General Manager, Hyatt Regency Cincinnati
Brendon Cull, Executive Vice President & Chief Strategy Officer, Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber
And Renewing Directors are:
Mike Conway, Chairman & Chief Portfolio Officer for Winegardner & Hammons Hotel Group
Eric Kearney, President & CEO, African American Chamber of Commerce
Karen Forgus, Senior Vice President of Business Operations, Cincinnati Reds
Tim Zeis from the Greater Cincinnati Sports Corp.
“We’ve also created a Board that is representative of our diverse base of members and stakeholders,” said Calvert. “I’m grateful for the leaders who have stepped up during this critical recovery time for the CVB and our hospitality industry.”
Visit www.cincyusa.com for more. 2021 Annual Meeting and 2020 Annual Report are posted at www.cincyusa.com/2021meeting