Brand USA, the nation's destination marketing organization, is pleased to announce several new additions to its leadership team. These four senior-level hires all report to President and CEO Fred Dixon and join other long-serving, senior leaders at the organization including Donald Richardson, Chief Financial Officer; Aaron Wodin-Schwartz, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer; Jake Conte, Senior Vice President & General Counsel; and Monica Lopez, Chief of Staff & Culture who recently joined in September. The search for a Chief Marketing Officer is ongoing.

The new hires begin this month in time for the start of Brand USA Travel Week UK & Europe in London, October. 21-24:

Angie Briggs, Senior Vice President, Industry Partnerships and Engagement & Chief Development Officer

Briggs will lead the partner engagement team with a focus on increasing value to new and existing partners while expanding relationships with corporate and destination stakeholders. A trusted industry leader, she brings a wealth of experience driving growth and engagement through strategic partnerships, business development, and marketing strategy across multiple verticals. Most recently, she served as Vice President, Industry Relations and Destination Engagement at the U.S. Travel Association.

Chris Heywood, Senior Vice President, Public Relations & Chief Communications Officer

In this new role, Heywood will serve as chief media spokesperson and lead global PR, communications, and media relations. He will spearhead efforts to elevate the U.S. as a leading travel destination through strategic storytelling, reputation management, media engagement, and leveraging pop culture. Most recently, he served as Senior Vice President, Global Communications for the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board.

Janette Roush, Senior Vice President, Innovation & Chief AI Officer

In this new position, Roush will lead the organization's AI strategy and innovation initiatives to pioneer new paths for consumer promotion, trade and partner engagement. Roush was previously Executive Vice President, Marketing and Digital for New York City Tourism + Conventions, is a LinkedIn Top Voice and an expert advisor for the European and U.S. cohorts of the Group NAO-initiated AI Opener for Destinations program.

Malcolm Smith, Senior Vice President, Global Markets & Chief Trade and Product Development Officer

In this new role, Smith will lead the global trade engagement team, oversee product development and new initiatives to attract international meetings, incentives and events. A seasoned leader in the international inbound industry, Smith previously served as Senior Vice President, Business Development and General Manager of IPW at the U.S. Travel Association, where he successfully led the largest inbound tourism trade show in the United States.

"I'm pleased to announce this expansion of our leadership team as we grow Brand USA's efforts in an increasingly competitive world. By investing in areas like global communications, trade and product development, MICE, strategic partnerships, and AI, we further our mission to grow inbound visitation and spending to benefit communities across the nation and keep Brand USA best in class," said Fred Dixon, President and CEO of Brand USA.

###

About Brand USA

Brand USA, the destination marketing organization for the United States, was established by the Travel Promotion Act as the nation's first public-private partnership to promote the United States as a premier travel destination and to communicate U.S. travel policies and procedures to worldwide travelers. The organization's mission is to increase international visitation to the United States in order to fuel

the U.S. economy and enhance the image of the United States worldwide. Formed as the Corporation for Travel Promotion in 2010, the public-private entity began operations in May 2011 and does business as Brand USA. According to studies by Oxford Economics, over the past 11 years, Brand USA's marketing efforts have generated 8.7 million incremental visitors, nearly $28.8 billion in incremental spend, more than 36,800 incremental jobs supported each year, $8.3 billion in federal, state, and local taxes, and early $63 billion in total economic impact.

For industry or partner information about Brand USA, visit TheBrandUSA.com or follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and X/Twitter. To discover more about the USA and the boundless diversity of American travel experiences and authentic, rich culture, please visit Brand USA's consumer website VisitTheUSA.com; follow Visit The USA on Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram; and watch travel shows on GoUSATV.