The governing board of Greenville-Pitt County Convention Visitors Bureau on Monday announced the appointment of one of its longtime managers as its new executive director.
Andrew Schmidt is a 23-year veteran of the hospitality industry with a mix of hotel, destination marketing and academic experience. For the past 19 years, he has worked as the sales and marketing manager for the agency.
For the last year, he also has served as the interim executive director, filling the vacancy left by retiring director Debbie Vargas.
As interim, Schmidt’s salary was $65,748. Schmidt said Monday that he was unsure exactly what his new salary would be.
“I am both excited and honored to be chosen to lead our Convention Visitors Bureau in the coming years,” Schmidt said. “I look forward to working with the bureau’s outstanding staff and our local industry partners to make Greenville and Pitt County the preferred hospitality destination in our state.”
Schmidt earned his undergraduate and master’s of public administration degrees from East Carolina University, where he also works as an adjunct faculty member in the College of Human Ecology’s School of Hospitality Leadership.
For the past 15 years he has taught courses in hospitality marketing, convention sales and convention services.
Schmidt currently serves on the board of several state travel and tourism organizations, including the Destination Marketing Association of North Carolina, the North Carolina Travel Industry Association and the North Carolina Sports Association.
He also is a former president and board member of Meeting Professionals International-Carolinas Chapter as well as a past board member of the Association Executives of North Carolina and the North Carolina Society of Government Meeting Professionals.
Schmidt has earned several awards for his work and service in the meetings and hospitality industry, including the Meeting Professionals’ Supplier of the Year award, Presidents award and Legacy award and the AENC Patsy B. Smith Award.
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