CONTACT:
Molly Belmont
Discover Albany
Phone: 518-434-1217 x 203
Email: mbelmont@albany.org


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 23, 2018

Discover Albany announces new CEO
Jill Delaney joins agency May 30

Albany, NY – Discover Albany is proud to announce that Jill Delaney has been hired as President/CEO of Discover Albany. Delaney is a seasoned professional with more than 20 years of experience in business and nonprofit management, including tourism promotion, marketing, communication, and event planning. Delaney was hired through SearchWide Executive Search Firm, as part of a nation-wide leadership search.

“I am thrilled to be given the opportunity to serve as President/CEO of Discover Albany,” said Delaney. “I have had many occasions to work with members of the team here and I know just how vibrant and impactful this organization is. The staff, the board of directors, and business community have already been so welcoming – I am eager to get started and continue their long-standing tradition of excellence in Albany County and the Capital Region as a whole.”

“Our excitement about Jill Delaney’s ability to steer and operate the organization is strengthened by her experience, industry knowledge, and leadership wisdom,” says Michael Gulotty, Board Chair, Discover Albany. “We all saw Jill’s success being energized by her visible and contagious passion for our region, for tourism, and for how critically important tourism is to every single person in the community we serve.”

Delaney is currently the President and CEO of the New York State Tourism Industry Association (NYSTIA). NYSTIA is a statewide 501c6 organization with more than 200 members, organized to support travel and tourism related businesses. Delaney was hired when two organizations merged in 2014 – the Tourism Promotion Agencies Council and the New York State Travel and Vacation Association – to create NYSTIA.

Delaney was interested in the Discover Albany President opportunity because she sees the position as a perfect fit for her skillset, which is promotion of DMOs and attractions in New York state to visitors both domestically and internationally. She has a passion for advocating for and promoting tourism in the state of New York, and she would like to positively impact Albany County’s tourism and convention success.

She has worked closely with Discover Albany as part of the Tourism Industry Coalition, and NYSTIA cooperative marketing programs. She is also a board member of the Empire State Society of Association Executives (ESSAE). Prior to heading up NYSTIA, she was the interim Chief Operating Officer for CMOST – the Children’s Museum of Science and Technology and School Director for Empire Education Corporation.

ABOUT Discover Albany

The Albany County Convention & Visitors Bureau, Inc. was established in 1976 to promote the civic and commercial progress of the community through increased development of conventions and tourism. Today, the organization is known as Discover Albany. Discover Albany currently represents more than 300-member businesses and assists each year in hundreds of regional meetings. Discover Albany also operates the Albany Heritage Area Visitors Center, Henry Hudson Planetarium, and the Albany International Airport Information Center.  The Albany County Convention and Visitors Bureau Foundation was established in 1993 to provide educational opportunities and work with other organizations to secure grants and funding to advance regional travel and tourism projects.  For more information, call 518-434-1217 or 800-258-3582 or visit www.albany.org.