The San Diego Tourism Authority (SDTA) has appointed Michaelene Sullivan as its new vice president of sales and services. In her new role, she will direct the sales team and represent the organization with clients and stakeholders on a local and national level.
Sullivan is serving as director of sales and marketing for the Manchester Grand Hyatt in downtown San Diego and will join SDTA in July. She has 18 years of experience with Hyatt including in food and beverage, events and sales.
“Michaelene is the definition of a true leader,” said Daniel Kuperschmid, SDTA’s board chair and area vice president and general manager of the Manchester Grand Hyatt. “She navigated the most challenging time our industry has ever faced with grace, grit and a get-it-done attitude. She had the challenging task of furloughing her entire team and handling the majority of sales activities during the early months of the pandemic and then rebuilding her team back during the recovery.”
During her time with Hyatt, Sullivan has been recognized for her successful sales efforts. As associate director of sales at Hyatt Regency O’Hare, she was part of the Hyatt’s "Sales Team of the Year" in 2014. She was selected for that same honor in 2016 when she was the director of group sales at Manchester Grand Hyatt, and was promoted as the property’s director of sales and marketing in 2019.
Kavin Schieferdecker, chief sales officer for the SDTA, said: “Michaelene has worked in the local hospitality community for more than 10 years so she will be able to integrate with our sales team and the staffs at local Tourism Marketing District hotels to quickly drive more business to San Diego. Meetings and conventions generated $3.5 billion in visitor spending and $6 billion in economic impact pre-pandemic so having Michaelene assist with our recovery efforts in this important segment is exciting.”
Sullivan is a graduate of Washington State University and has been heavily involved in Woman@Hyatt in both San Diego and Chicago.
“I consider San Diego home, and this new position allows me the chance to do what I love while giving back to the local community by helping rebuild its tourism and hospitality industry,” Sullivan said.
For more information, visit www.sandiego.org.
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