Earlier this month, VISIT FLORIDA announced the appointment of Dana Young as its new president and CEO.
The announcement was made following a unanimous vote of the VISIT FLORIDA Board of Directors during a meeting held the first week of January. Young assumed her role as VISIT FLORIDA president and CEO on Jan. 9.
Young, a sixth-generation Floridian, is a product of the Florida public school system and received her undergraduate degree in political science from Florida State University. In pursuit of her interests in law and public policy, she graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1993 and returned to Florida to begin her legal career at Fowler, White, Boggs, P.A. Young served in the Florida House from 2010 to 2016, rising to House Republican Leader. Most recently, she served as a senator for District 18 in Hillsborough County.
“As a Floridian, with a family tradition of public service, I understand the vital importance of tourism to our state and look forward to working with industry businesses to inspire travel to Florida, stimulate the economy and create more jobs,” Young said in press materials.
Lino Maldonado, v.p. of operations, growth, and innovation for Wyndham Vacation Rentals North America and chair of the VISIT FLORIDA Board of Directors said in press materials, “The Florida tourism industry has achieved seven consecutive years of record visitation and visitor spending, and according on the latest economic impact study, Florida visitors spent $112 billion and supported 1.4 million Florida jobs. Dana Young is a strong leader who will continue to elevate VISIT FLORIDA’s efforts to strengthen our state’s share of the global travel market.”
For more information, visit visitflorida.org.
