(Rancho Mirage, CA) – March 11, 2020 – The Greater Palm Springs Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) announced several strategic leadership changes, with the intention of better positioning the organization to grow tourism in a sustainable way.  

As stewards of the destination, the CVB collaborates with government agencies and tourism Partners to identify and develop best practices that positively impact the region. “These staff changes are part of our continuous effort to best support the ever-changing tourism economy,” said Scott White, president and CEO.

In 2016 the Greater Palm Springs CVB created the Destination Development department with the long-term goal of growing tourism through several key areas of initiative: transportation access, workforce development, sustainability, education, regional collaboration, international visitation, and new attractions and events. With these staff changes, the CVB is growing the Destination Development department through the transition of our Travel Industry Sales team to Tourism Development. 

The CVB executive team updates include:

  • Colleen Pace will now serve as Chief Sales & Marketing Officer, taking on the additional responsibility of Convention Sales. Pace will oversee all aspects of the CVB’s sales and marketing initiatives.
  • Gary Orfield has been named Director of Tourism Development. He will be leading the Tourism Development team on their expanded role of focusing on tourism, education, transportation and sustainability in addition to strategically maintaining and building relationships with the travel trade, online travel agencies and digital booking channels. The Tourism Development team will report to Chief Development Officer Bob Thibault. 
  • Jill Philbrook moves to the Destination Development team as Director of Industry Relations. Philbrook will engage with destination partners to further regional collaboration and support the CVB’s Destination Development Plan.
  • Anne Marie Mourhess has been named Associate Director of Events. Mourhess will manage the events team and continue to maintain her Northern California Territory for Convention Sales.

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About Greater Palm Springs Convention & Visitors Bureau
The Greater Palm Springs Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) is the official tourism marketing agency for the nine-city Southern California oasis of Palm Springs, Desert Hot Springs, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Indian Wells, La Quinta, Indio and Coachella. With a mission to positively affect the destination’s $7 billion tourism economy and quality of life for its citizens, the CVB serves more than 3,000 business partners, providing sales, marketing and promotional efforts targeted to potential leisure travelers and event, meeting, and convention group markets.