NEW ORLEANS – The Board of Directors for the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau (NOCVB) announced that Stephen Perry, president and CEO of the NOCVB, has been inducted as the Chairman of the Board on Louisiana State University’s 2017-2018 Board of Supervisors. Perry was sworn into office in Baton Rouge on Friday, Sept. 8, at 1:45 p.m.
The NOCVB continues to produce thought leaders on many national and state boards and Perry is no exception, reps said. Throughout his career, Perry has sat on several local hospitality industry boards including the Audubon Nature Institute, New Orleans Wine & Food Experience and the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA), among others. He has also served on several national tourism boards including the U.S. Travel Association and Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI), where Perry served as Chairman of the Board.
In 2008, under the Bush Administration, Perry was tapped to serve on the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board. In 2010, Perry became one of only two urban destination CEO’s in the country selected by the Obama administration to serve on his 29-person U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board.
“On behalf of the New Orleans tourism industry, we congratulate Stephen on this most recent appointment,” said Michael Smith, Chairman of the Board, NOCVB. “Like many others, the LSU Board of Supervisors recognized Stephen’s ability to lead large organizations in finding strategic solutions to challenges. His experience in the Governor’s office, and his subsequent work defending the New Orleans tourism industry through Hurricane Katrina, the BP oil spill and countless legislative session makes him an ideal talent for navigating fair, non-partisan paths to progress. I can’t think of a better person to lead LSU into the future.”
Perry is a well-respected leader in higher education policy and funding, and served as chief of staff to former Louisiana Governor M.J. Foster from the time of his election in November 1995 to August 2002. Perry also served as the higher education advisor to the Governor and was recognized in the legislature and around Louisiana as a fierce advocate for the needs of higher education and the agenda of Louisiana State University.
“Having led the New Orleans tourism industry for 15 years, Stephen is keenly aware of the needs of the roughly 85,000 employees that make up our workforce,” said Steve Pettus, treasurer, NOCVB. “Not only is LSU’s partnership in health sciences and training vital to our industry’s workforce, this is also a life-long dream of Stephen’s having basically grown up on LSU’s campus when his father was professor and dean at the university.”
The NOCVB is a nationally accredited, 1,100-member destination marketing organization and the largest and most successful private economic development corporation in Louisiana. The CVB and its members influence thousands of decision-makers and millions of visitors to choose New Orleans through direct sales, marketing, public relations, branding and visitor services at our New Orleans headquarters and offices in Chicago, Columbia, SC, Washington, D.C., the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada, Brazil and China. Consistently recognized as one of the top five CVBs in the country, the New Orleans CVB celebrates its 57th anniversary in 2017.
