The West Virginia Division of Tourism today named a new marketing director, who will take the helm of the state agency's marketing and advertising activities beginning Jan. 2. The position had been vacant since August.
Elizabeth Chewning of Charleston, who has an extensive background of agency management and tourism promotions, was selected after a thorough search, said Betty Carver, West Virginia Bureau of Commerce and Division of Tourism commissioner.
Chewning will develop and implement the Division's strategic marketing plan. She will oversee the marketing and advertising activities of the agency and supervise the professional staff responsible for those activities.
"Elizabeth's advertising and marketing background include strong travel industry experiences that were an important factor in our decision to offer this position to her," Carver said.
Chewning is an account manager for The Manahan Group, formerly The MBC Group in Charleston. There, she is responsible for supervising West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources advertising projects, the Hartford SMART 529 prepaid college expense program and Opera Theater of St. Louis projects.
Prior to joining The Manahan Group, she was an advertising assistant and advertising manager for Choice Hotels International in Silver Springs, Md., from 1995 to 2002. As manager, she shared responsibility for the integrated marketing plans that included print and broadcast media advertising and Internet marketing. In 2000, she was named manager of field and cooperative marketing for Choice Hotels International, where she launched and managed a multi-million dollar regional co-op marketing program for 3,400 hotels nationwide.
Chewning has a bachelor's degree in communications from Bethany College. She also studied at the City of London Polytechnic Institute in London.
"I am delighted to have the opportunity to promote tourism in West Virginia," Chewning said. "The state has so much to offer to people of all ages, both in-state and out-of-state."
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