Former U.S. Travel Association chief operating officer Geoff
Freeman is rejoining the organization as president and CEO on Sept. 1, when
longtime president and CEO Roger Dow steps down from the leadership role.
Freeman was with U.S. Travel for more than seven years,
during which time he helped the push for the Travel Promotion Act of 2009 and
the creation of Brand USA, PreCheck and the Meetings Mean Business Coalition,
according to the association. He left U.S. Travel in 2013 to serve as CEO of
the American Gaming Association and more recently was CEO of the Consumer
Brands Association.
Carnival Cruise Line chair Christine Duffy, who chairs the
association and had led its search for the new president and CEO, said Freeman
is "highly regarded in Washington and well-known across our industry for
his strategic work to conceive campaigns and programs that opened new pathways
for growth in the travel economy."
Dow has led the U.S. Travel Association for 17 years, during
which time he made two appearances of BTN's Top 25 Most Influential list, in
2009 and 2012.