Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1498279
B M & T ••• May/June 2023 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 12 N E W S M A K E R S D E S T I N AT I O N D C A N N O U N C E S EXECUTIVE TEAM PROMOTIONS Destination DC (DDC), the official destination marketing organization for Washington, DC, recently announced key promo- tions at the executive team level. Robin A. McClain is chief mar- keting officer; Theresa Belpulsi is senior vice president, tourism, sports, visitor services and Melissa A. Riley is senior vice president, convention sales and services. Additionally, Rico Ashab has been promoted to chief of staff to Elliott L. Ferguson, II, president and CEO of DDC. "You're only as good as your team, and I clearly have a deep bench of leaders that have seen our organization through many ups and downs, said Ferguson. "As DDC comes into additional funding for marketing and sales through new Tourism Recovery District legislation, they each oversee critical aspects of our strate- gic recovery, as well as supporting the executive office. I appreciate them all personally and professionally and I'm proud of what we've been able to accomplish together as we get tourism back on track." R O B I N A . M C C L A I N , Chief Marketing Officer McClain leads the marketing and communications team of 25, responsible for advertising, communications, content, creative, research and events. She joined DDC in May 2011 as director of communications, began leading the department in November 2012 and was promoted to senior vice president in 2017. Under her leadership, DDC brought creative in- house and debuted the DC Cool brand and consumer mar- keting campaigns to reinforce the unexpected side of DC. In 2022, an independent return on investment study of the spring and sum- mer Experience DC advertising resulted in $3.08 in taxes generated for Washington, DC for every $1 spent on advertising – the highest ROI to date. "As a city and destination marketing organization, we have an incredible opportunity to close the gap with other top-tier destina- tions when it comes to promotional funding," said McClain. "I always tell my team that this is the best job I've ever had because of DDC's commitment to its people. Matching the data-driven mar- keting strategy with a team of incredibly talented professionals and leveraging the TRD to win more visitors to the District translates to real economic benefit for the city." Prior to DDC, McClain worked for the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board for several years, and started her career as a broadcast journalist in several markets including DC's local FOX 5. She lives in Washington, DC and grew up in Gaithersburg, MD. T H E R E S A B E L P U L S I , Senior Vice President, Tourism, Sports, Visitor Services A 20-year veteran of DDC, Belpulsi joined DDC in 2002 and soon after began leading tourism sales for the organization. Her department is responsible for attracting more international visitors, group leisure and student travelers, and professional, ama- teur and collegiate sporting events. Her team also provides robust visitor servic- es. Under her leader- ship, Washington, DC's international focus has expanded, which is important because of the visitor spending potential. DDC's representation has grown to include the UK, China, India and Australia, as well as continued regional part- nership with Capital Region USA, a collaboration between Maryland, Virginia, Washington, DC and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. Belpulsi led the effort to host U.S.