Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board president and CEO Ernest (Ernie) Wooden Jr. announced he will retire on June 30, 2020.
Since taking the helm in 2013, Wooden has shifted the organization’s sales and marketing efforts to focus on economic prosperity and job creation through tourism. Under his leadership, tourism has become a powerful force in L.A.’s economy, growing into a $37 billion industry while supporting 534,000 jobs countywide—the highest total on record. In establishing a goal of welcoming 50 million visitors by 2020 (which L.A. reached two years early), Wooden galvanized city leaders and the entire hospitality community to elevate the milestone into a civic rallying cry.
Wooden has strengthened Los Angeles tourism’s international footprint—particularly in China—where he has strategically driven expansion, establishing full-time offices in Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu (following Beijing). As the only U.S. municipal marketing organization with offices in China, L.A. has soared to rank as the No. 1 U.S. city for Chinese travelers. An ambassador for promoting travel as a vehicle for cultural exchange through people-to-people connection, he led the national charge in 2017 to deliver a message of welcome to foreign travelers by launching “Everyone is Welcome.”
Wooden began his hospitality career as a bellman, rising through the ranks to leadership positions with Omni, Sheraton and Hilton. At Hilton, Wooden served as EVP of global brands, overseeing all worldwide branding initiatives for 3,000 properties in 80 countries. In 2015, Wooden was named to the EBONY Magazine’s Power 100 list, which honors the most influential African Americans in the United States. He was also a four-time honoree on Los Angeles Business Journal’s LA 500, a list of the most influential people in business. Wooden served on the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board for the U.S. Department of Commerce and U.S. Travel’s Executive Committee, among others. He also sits on the Organizing Committee, Executive Committee and Conflicts Committee for the LA 2028 Olympics and Paralympic Games.
Adam Burke, who currently serves as the COO for Los Angeles Tourism, will step into the interim CEO role after Wooden’s departure. Burke is currently responsible for overseeing the organization’s finance, technology, CRM and human resources functions, as well as Los Angeles Tourism’s membership and dineL.A. programs, and Visitor Information Center operations. A senior travel and tourism executive with more than 30 years’ experience in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors, Burke previously served as SVP of customer loyalty for Hilton Worldwide and managing director of Hilton Honors. During his 17 years with the company, he held management positions in a variety of functional areas, including strategic planning, CRM, information technology, international marketing, leisure and multi-brand marketing, customer acquisition and business/partnership development.
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