The Chattanooga Convention and Visitors Bureau has named Barry E. White as the new president and chief executive officer, attracting a successful tourism and hospitality professional to the Scenic City.

“We look forward to welcoming Barry to Chattanooga,” says Chattanooga CVB board chair Keith Sanford. “The search committee was impressed by his proven track record of success in Augusta. Under his leadership, there has been a renewed focus on tourism growth and collaborating with elected officials and other partners at the local and state level to expand their convention center and bring new hotels to that city. We think he’ll be a great leader here.”

White is excited about leading the Chattanooga CVB after wrapping up his service as the president and CEO of the Augusta, Georgia CVB. He started as their director of sales in 1991 and was named to his current position 3 years later.

“I’ve had the privilege of assisting with the production of the USA Cycling Pro Road National Championships in Chattanooga a few years ago,” White says. “Chattanooga is a wonderful community that understands the importance of a robust tourism industry. I look forward to forging many new partnerships to ensure the city remains one of the nation’s top destinations.”

During his 23 year-tenure as the Augusta CVB’s president and CEO, White compiled an impressive list of major accomplishments including:

• Increased Augusta’s total hotel revenue every year since 1994, including an 18 percent increase from 2014 to 2016.
• Initiated and fostered a $48 million expansion to the city’s convention center.
• Designed and secured funding for a new $1.5 million city wayfinding and beautification project.
• Developed “Destination Blueprint,” a master plan identifying, and prioritizing, Augusta’s future tourism development projects.

White is a graduate of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Marketing. He is certified by the United States Chamber of Commerce’s Institute of Organizational Management and is a Certified Destination Management Executive by Destinations International.

White succeeds Bob Doak, who is retiring after more than 35 years in the tourism and hospitality industry, 15 of them as the president and CEO of the Chattanooga CVB. The date of White’s first day on the job has not yet been determined, but Doak will remain at the CVB through February 2018 to assist in the leadership transition.