JOHN A. MARKS
PRESIDENT & CEO
(RETIRED)
SAN FRANCISCO CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU

Currently: Executive Consultant, SearchWide

JOHN A. MARKS served as President and CEO of the San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau from 1987-2006. The Bureau, founded in 1909, is San Francisco's official visitor promotion agency. It works to enhance the city's economy by promoting and selling San Francisco as a site for conventions and trade shows and as a destination for pleasure travelers. With 1,700 member firms and an annual budget of $14 million, the Bureau ranks among the largest in the United States and employs a staff of 70. He currently serves on a project basis as Executive Consultant & Coach for SearchWide, an executive recruiting firm specializing in the hospitality industry.

Marks served as National Chairman of the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA) in 2003, he is a Past Chairman and current member of its Foundation Board; served as Co-Chair of the U.S./Japan Tourism Export Expansion Initiative (2002-2005); was a founding member of the California Travel and Tourism Commission (1998-2003), and is Past President of the California Travel Industry Association (CALTIA) in 1999-2000.

He served as Chairman of the International Association of Convention & Visitor Bureaus (IACVB) during 1988-89, and was Vice-Chairman of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) in 1996-97. He is a member of the Advisory Board of the International Institute for Peace Through Tourism.

Marks served as founding Chairman of the San Francisco Bowl Game Association (Emerald Bowl) from 2002-2006, and is a life director of the annual Fiesta Bowl in Phoenix, Arizona. He also served on the Board of the San Francisco Zoological Society from 1992-2002, and Golden Gate University from 1995-2002.

A sought after speaker, he has been named as one of the 25 Most Influential People in the Meetings Industry by Meeting News magazine. He received the 1998 American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) Key Award, the highest award in association management, for outstanding achievements and leadership. Marks received the Peter Goldman Award of Excellence in 2005. Presented by the Hotel Council of San Francisco, the award is given annually to an outstanding leader in the hospitality industry.

From 1982 until his appointment to the San Francisco Bureau, Marks was president and CEO of the Phoenix & Valley of the Sun Convention & Visitors Bureau. Prior to 1982, he held posts as chief executive of the Arizona Office of Tourism, the Scottsdale Chamber of Commerce and on the staff of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce.

A native of San Francisco, Marks graduated from the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California with a bachelor's degree in communications.

Marks and his wife, Marty, reside in Tucson, AZ.