DAN GOLDES has been named has executive vice president and chief stakeholder officer at the The San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau (SFCVB).  He was previously executive vice president, strategy and development. 

Goldes originally joined the SFCVB in 1989 and served as membership services manager until 1999. After leading, designing and delivering leadership and management training programs for executive staff with Training Leaders, Goldes returned to the Bureau in 2005 as vice president of member and community relations and was promoted to executive vice president, strategy and development, in October 2006.

Goldes’ new position is part of a reorganization to strengthen the Bureau’s strategy in positioning San Francisco and the Bay Area as the premier destination for conventions, meetings, events and leisure travel. Other changes include naming Leonard Hoops as executive vice president, chief customer officer and newly appointing Matt Striker as the new executive vice president and chief marketing officer.

"The new position is part of an internal re-organization that will allow the Bureau to be more effective, efficient and proactive in these challenging times,” said Joe D'Alessandro, president and CEO of the SFCVB. “Dan’s experience --from spearheading the Bureau’s first strategic planning process in nearly a decade, which helped position the organization to respond to the current economic situation, to enhancing stakeholder relations, to creating the annual Northern California Economic Outlook Conference -- has been essential to making the Bureau responsive to its stakeholders.”

Goldes will continue to oversee the development of the Bureau's strategic business plan; member sales, programs and communications; visitor services; and the SFCVB Foundation.   
“Our stakeholders – members, community groups, merchant associations – are vital players in the region’s visitor ecosystem,” said Goldes. “It’s more important than ever that we work together, given the state of the economy and the rhetoric around business and meetings travel, I look forward to working with the industry and the community on the challenges – and opportunities – ahead.” 

Goldes currently serves on the Hospitality Management Advisory Boards for both San Francisco State University and the University of San Francisco. He serves as Chair of the Northern California Network of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) and is on the Boards of the California Travel Industry Association (CalTIA), Yerba Buena Community Benefits District and the Downtown Parking Corporation, which operates the Fifth and Mission Streets Garage. Dan serves on the Citizens Advisory Committee of Grants for the Arts. He is a graduate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institutes for Organization Management. 

As part of the restructuring of stakeholder relations, Laurie Armstrong has been named vice president of public affairs and will oversee the Bureau's community outreach and stakeholder communications, working to ensure that the local community understands the value of tourism to San Francisco, the role of the SFCVB and the return-on-investment of the newly created Tourism Improvement District.

Armstrong has been with the SFCVB since 1998 as vice president, public relations.  She has served as vice president, marketing and communications for the past two years.  In her new position, Armstrong will also oversee public relations and stakeholder communications.

Jennifer Thomson has joined the SFCVB as communications manager and will be responsible for stakeholders communications for the Bureau, including online and printed newsletters, reports and other messaging.

Thomson was previously marketing director for West Coast Green, where she rebranded an existing event through integrated marketing communications. She also worked at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo for Associated Students, Inc., centralizing marketing communications for all the many and varied campus groups that needed to communicate to students.

Founded in 1909, the San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau is a private, not-for-profit organization that promotes San Francisco as a destination of choice for conventions and leisure travel. With more than 1,700 members businesses, the SFCVB is one of the largest membership-based tourism promotion agencies in the country. The SFCVB business offices are located at 201 Third St., Ste. 900, San Francisco, CA 94103.