GREENVILLE, N.C.—The Greenville-Pitt County Convention & Visitors Bureau, known as Visit Greenville, NC, has named Rachel Whitten as its new president and CEO.
Whitten succeeds longtime tourism leader Andrew Schmidt, who announced his retirement in January after 32 years of service to Greenville-Pitt County and the local tourism industry. Schmidt’s final day with the organization is scheduled for June 30.
Whitten has been with Visit Greenville, NC for the past seven years and has played a key role in promoting Greenville-Pitt County as a destination for meetings, conventions, sports tourism, and visitor experiences. She most recently served as vice president of sales and services for Visit Greenville, NC and Play Greenville, NC Sports.
“I am incredibly honored and grateful for the opportunity to serve as the next president & CEO of Visit Greenville, NC. Having spent the past 28 years living, working, and building relationships throughout Pitt County, I have developed a deep appreciation for the people, organizations, and businesses that make our community such a special place,” Whitten says.
“My career has provided me with a unique perspective through experiences in hospitality, the corporate sector, and, for the past seven years, with Visit Greenville, NC. Those experiences have reinforced the importance of collaboration and the impact we can achieve when we work together toward a shared vision.”
As she assumes the organization’s top leadership position, Whitten plans to build on the foundation established by her predecessors while strengthening partnerships throughout the community. “I am excited to build upon the strong foundation established by those who came before me and to continue working alongside our Board of Directors, staff, hospitality partners, local governments, community organizations, and stakeholders throughout Pitt County to advance tourism and economic development. Greenville’s success has always been a team effort, and I look forward to strengthening those partnerships as we continue creating opportunities and delivering results for our community,” Whitten says. “The present and future are bright for Greenville and Pitt County. I am excited to work alongside our partners across the community to build on our successes, seize new opportunities, and continue moving our destination forward together.”
Visit Greenville, NC serves as the official destination marketing organization for Greenville-Pitt County, promoting tourism across leisure, meetings, and sports travel segments while generating economic impact for the destination and tourism-related businesses. The organization also oversees Play Greenville, NC Sports.
