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B M & T ••• January/February 2016 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 27 E rnest Wooden Jr., president and CEO of the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board (L.A. Tourism), has been named to the EBONY® Magazine 2015 Power 100 list, which was unveiled recent- ly. The prestigious list salutes the remarkable achievements of African-Americans and among the inspiring personalities honored this year are Prince, Loretta Lynch, Zendaya and Viola Davis. As the leader of L.A. Tourism since January 2013, Ernest Wooden oversees the global brand marketing and meetings and convention sales strategy for one of the most visited and premier travel destinations in the world: Los Angeles. "Under Ernest's stewardship, our destination has achieved record-breaking tourism as more than 44 million annual visitors have traveled to Los Angeles to create memories and discover stories only L.A. can deliver," said Alan Rothenberg, Chairman of L.A. Tourism's Board of Directors. "His strategic leadership in making Los Angeles one of the most popular destinations is unparalleled." Wooden's leadership and business acumen have elevated the local tourism industry to be a significant economic driver for the city of Los Angeles. A leading industry in L.A., tourism sup- ports more than 464,000 jobs and contributes more than $19 billion in visitor spending to the local economy. Tourism efforts contribute $221 million via the Transient Occupancy Tax collec- tions to the City's General Fund, positively s up- porting services the local community depends on, such as police and fire protection, maintenance of streets and sidewalks as well as parks and libraries. Each year the EBONY editorial team selects the 100 most influential African- Americans in the country. These achievers have had noteworthy accomplishments over the past year, representing a variety of fields, including politics, business, education, media, religion, music and more. "It is truly an honor to celebrate the tremen- dous talents and accomplishments of the hon- orees on this year's Power 100 list," said Kierna Mayo, editor-in-chief of EBONY Magazine. "From the #BlackLivesMatter movement to tech- nology disruptors to the boardrooms of Fortune 500 companies, all of the selected individuals have made an undeniable impact. They repre- sent outstanding examples of greatness, and provide hope and inspiration for the next gener- ation." The 2015 Power 100 list appeared i n the December/January issue of EBONY. The full list of the EBONY Power 100 and gala information can be found at http://www.ebony.com/power- 100-2015/. ABOUT LOS ANGELES TOURISM & CONVENTION BOARD Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board is a private, non-profit business association whose primary mission is to market and promote Los Angeles as the premier site for leisure travel, meetings and conventions as the City's official tourism marketing organization. For more infor- mation, visit the official visitor information website of Los Angeles at discoverLosAngeles.com, join the more than one million people who follow L.A. Tourism's Facebook page at facebook.com/Los- AngelesFan, or follow @discoverLA on Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. LOS ANGELES TOURISM & CONVENTION BOARD PRESIDENT & CEO ERNEST WOODEN JR. NAMED TO THE PRESTIGIOUS EBONY ® MAGAZINE 2015 POWER 100 LIST "It is truly an honor to celebrate the tremendous talent sand accomplishments of the honorees on this year's Power 100 list," Photo Credit: Ritu Jethani