As a member of the Executive Team at the Virginia Tourism Corporation, I lead research, insight generation, data & analytics efforts, performance reporting, and overall goal setting & tracking processes for the Agency.Our small but mighty Research team owns two main areas of responsibility for growing tourism in the Commonwealth. First, we are a hub for the production and analysis of key statistics measuring the size and trajectory of the tourism industry in and throughout Virginia. Second, we help empower internal Agency decision-making around our markets, travelers, and marketing performance.I have spent my entire career of roughly 10 years either in or very close to the hospitality industry. I started my career in the hotel industry consulting with global hotel companies around financial processes, risk mitigation, loyalty program fraud prevention, and audit procedures. From my four years in consulting, I became familiar with the behind-the-scenes operations of large hospitality companies and the business processes that power major Fortune-500 enterprises.After becoming passionate about the industry through consulting, I moved into business intelligence roles at Choice Hotels International, with responsibilities over hotel industry benchmarking analyses, market & brand performance analyses, and the development of analytical site selection tools before eventually moving into my current role with the Virginia Tourism Corporation.