Guaracino has been part of our growth since our early days. He joined the organization in September 2001 and spent more than a decade in leadership roles here.
After that, he served as the Atlantic City Alliance's chief strategy and communications officer and later its executive director, before Mayor Kenney asked him back to Philadelphia to head up Welcome America, Inc. Guaracino has also authored two successful books about LGBT tourism marketing.
Guaracino succeeds Meryl Levitz, our founding president and CEO, who announced in January 2018 that she planned to leave her position. Levitz has spent 22 years developing this organization as a globally recognized industry leader in tourism marketing, cultivating an outstanding staff, changing the perception of Philly and increasing leisure tourism—a segment that now represents one-third of the Center City hotel market mix.
Guaracino’s hiring reflects our commitment to recruiting the best talent. We remain well-positioned under Guaracino to continue achieving our mission to build Greater Philadelphia’s image, drive leisure visitation and boost the economy.
Huzzah, Jeff!
