Next president, CEO of Visit Vancouver USA hails from Virginia

Cliff Myers, who has more than 20 years of tourism, convention and hotel experience in Virginia, will become the next president and CEO of Visit Vancouver USA.

Myers is tentatively scheduled to begin his new job Sept. 23. He will oversee management of the tourism office and affiliated sports commission, including staff supervision, budget development and oversight, and community and government relations.

“Vancouver is such a vibrant destination, and I am thrilled to join such a strong and dynamic team and help lead our tourism office forward,” Myers said in a news release. “I’m looking forward to joining the community in September and beginning to make an impact.”

Since December 2013, Myers has worked as director of administration for the Virginia Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau, overseeing strategic planning, finance and human resources. During his work in the southeast Virginia coastal city, Myers advanced from convention sales manager to assistant general manager to his most recent role on the bureau’s executive leadership team.

According to Visit Vancouver USA, Myers will bring operational expertise and “exceptional” knowledge of convention sales, marketing and communications to his new position.

“Throughout the interview process, Cliff demonstrated his strong vision, thorough professionalism and enthusiasm for our destination,” Mike McLeod, Visit Vancouver USA’s board chairman and search committee head, said in the release. “We are thrilled to place him at the helm of Visit Vancouver to steer the tourism office into the future during this exciting period of growth and development.”

Myers’ LinkedIn profile indicates he earned a bachelor’s degree in corporate communications from Elon University in Elon, N.C., and a master’s degree in communications from Norfolk State University in Norfolk, Va. Prior to joining the Virginia Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau in June 2005, he spent 4 1/2 years as assistant general manager and director of sales and marketing at the The Cavalier hotel in Virginia Beach, Va.

According to an online employee spotlight from March 2019, Myers was born in Denver and grew up in Grove City, Pa., about 60 miles north of Pittsburgh. For fun, he likes to run, surf, hike, camp and cycle. His best vacation was a six-night “tiger cruise” aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, from Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, to San Diego, and his hidden talent is “helium voice on command.”

Myers will succeed Kim Bennett, who retired at the end of June. Bennett became the organization’s first executive director in 1999, when it was called the Southwest Washington Convention & Visitors Bureau. She coordinated tourism efforts during a period of rapid expansion, including development of the Vancouver waterfront.

Visit Vancouver USA is the official destination marketing organization for Vancouver and adjacent areas. The organization also markets the region as a venue for sports events through the Vancouver USA Sports brand.