Todd O’Leary Named As New Visit Alexandria CEO Replacing Retiring Leader

ALEXANDRIA, VA — A new face will soon be at the forefront of promoting tourism in the City of Alexandria.

Visit Alexandria, a membership-based organization focused on tourism in the city, announced Monday its Board of Governors appointed Todd O’Leary as president and CEO, effective July 8. He will replace Patricia Washington, who announced in December plans to retire. Washington will continue to work through the end of June to transition the role to O’Leary.

"I am deeply honored and excited to be appointed president and CEO of Visit Alexandria," said O’Leary. "Alexandria is an incredible destination with a solid reputation that I’ve long admired. I’m excited to work with the members, board, staff and community at large to further the positive impacts of Alexandria’s tourism industry."

O’Leary comes to Alexandria with experience from three other destination marketing organizations — Sonoma County Tourism, San Francisco Travel Association and Visit Milwaukee.

"We are delighted to welcome Todd as the next president and CEO of Visit Alexandria," said Kate Ellis, Visit Alexandria's Board of Governors chair and general manager at Hotel Indigo. "Todd’s ample experience across the travel and tourism industry matched with his personable demeanor and vision for the future of Visit Alexandria will be critical as the organization prepares for its next phase of growth."

O’Leary has been in the travel and tourism industry for 27 years. He started his career in 1997 while interning at Walt Disney World and completing Disney's College Training Program. He became an intern at Visit Milwaukee and advanced to a director of marking within 13 years there. After that, he became vice president of global partnerships and strategic alliances for San Francisco Travel and is credited with starting a new partnership model to significant increase revenues and expand reach through domestic and international promotions.

He most recently worked at Sonoma County Tourism since 2018, overseeing marketing and public relations, launching a new brand, and helping the organization navigate crises like wildfires, floods and the COVID-19 pandemic.

O’Leary has been recognized as one of the Top 25 ‘Extraordinary Minds’ by Hospitality, Sales and Marketing Association International in 2022. He has certifications as a Certified Tourism Industry Specialist and the Certified Destination Management Executive, the industry's highest certification. Aside from his work, he enjoys giving back to the community, volunteering at local nonprofits, traveling with his husband, Mark, and more.

Visit Alexandria's Board of Governors formed a search task force and used executive search firm SearchWide Global to hire a new president and CEO. O’Leary will oversee Visit Alexandria's operations, including the organization’s strategic plan, community stakeholder communications and efforts to strengthen visitor-related city revenues.