ATLANTA (March 22, 2023) – Charlene Lopez, veteran hospitality sales
leader and vice president of sales at the Atlanta Convention & Visitors
Bureau (ACVB), will be promoted to executive vice president and chief
sales officer for the organization beginning Jan. 1, 2024. She will
succeed Mark Vaughan [1] who announced his plans to retire at the end of
the year.
In this role, Lopez will be responsible for efforts to increase
visitation to Atlanta through the development and implementation of all
sales programs for ACVB. She will oversee trade show sales, in-house
sales, international tourism sales, and convention services, establishing
strategy for each and ensuring their objectives align with the corporate
strategy. Lopez will also maintain partnerships with hotels and
convention facilities and serve as the sales liaison to ACVB’s
executive committee and board of directors.
“Charlene knows our destination and team and has a history of success
at ACVB,” said William Pate, president, and CEO, of ACVB. “She has been
preparing for this opportunity her entire career, and I am confident she
will take our sales and services teams to the next level.”
“Charlene’s leadership, dedication, and commitment to Atlanta’s
hospitality industry has been instrumental in positioning Atlanta as one
of the country’s most popular destinations,” said Vaughan. “I am
incredibly proud of her and look forward to her success in this role.”
Lopez will be the highest-ranking woman in the organization’s history,
serving as the first female C-level executive since ACVB was established
110 years ago. She joined ACVB in June 2012 as sales manager, national
accounts, focusing on association and corporate business. She was
promoted to director of citywide sales in September 2019 and became vice
president of sales in July 2021.
Her career also includes roles with Omni Hotel at CNN Center as director
of sales, associate director of sales at Hyatt Regency Atlanta and
associate director of sales, sales manager, and business travel manager
at Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa.
Lopez is chair of the Industry Partner Alliance committee for American
Society of Association Executives (ASAE) and sits on Maritz’s DMO
Customer Advisory Board. Previously, she served as director of
sponsorship for the Professional Convention Management Association’s
(PCMA) Southeast chapter and was a board member of the International
Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) Southeast chapter.
Originally from San Antonio, Lopez is a graduate of Texas A&M University
and received a master’s degree in human resource management from
Tarleton State University. She and her husband Chris have five children.
