Bruce Eckard, board chairman of the Hickory-Conover Tourism Development Authority (TDA) has announced that Bebe Leitch, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the organization will retire at the end of this year. As chief executive of the TDA, she managed both the Hickory Metro Convention Center and the Hickory Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB). Eckard also announced that Mandy Pitts, currently Communications Director and Brand Manager for the City of Hickory, will succeed Leitch at the TDA effective January 1, 2016.
Pitts will end her tenure with the city on September 30, and work with Leitch at the convention center until she officially assumes her new position. She has been with the city for the past 17 years.
Prior to accepting the position with the TDA, Leitch was a staff member of the Catawba County Economic Development Corporation for 25 years. She performed a number of duties for the EDC including managing the existing industry program.
Eckard said in addition to the new parking deck, other accomplishments under Leitch’s leadership included meeting and convention bookings being at a record high as well as the completion of several building improvements. Also, occupancy taxes collected are the highest since the tax was instituted which means more tourists, meeting attendees and business travelers staying in area motels. Those taxes support the operation of the Convention Center as well as the Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Pitts was Hickory’s representative on the Hickory Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau board from 2006 – 2009, and was chair of the organization when it merged with the TDA to form one organization in 2009. In addition, she has worked closely with the TDA on marketing the community. She has experience with being a leader in a local government as well as served as the lead organizer for one of the largest conventions ever held at the Hickory Metro Convention Center, the North Carolina League of Municipalities, which held its annual conference in Hickory in 2005 and 2013. Pitts served on the National Civic League’s All-America City jury over the past five years as one of the jury members that chooses the top 10 communities each year, as Past President of North Carolina City County Government Communicators (NC3C) in 2011 – 2013, and board member of the national government communicators group City-County-Communicators Marketing Association (3CMA) 2001 – 2006, 2014 – 2015.
Pitts is a Hickory native, and has her Master of Public Administration from Appalachian State University, in Boone and her Bachelor of Science from East Carolina University, in Greenville.
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