Visit Winston-Salem Names New President

The Forsyth County Tourism Development Authority (FCTDA) Board unanimously approved the appointment of Stephanie Pace Brown as the new president of Visit Winston-Salem. A tourism industry veteran of more than 30 years, Brown was selected through a national executive search initiated by SearchWide Global and a Winston-Salem-based search committee.

Brown assumes her new role officially July 1, 2023.  Visit Winston-Salem’s President Richard Geiger officially retires effective June 30 after leading the organization for the last 13 years.

Brown was most recently executive vice president of Strategic Marketing & Research Insights (SMARInsights), a leading national tourism research firm. She is the former president of Explore Asheville for the Buncombe County TDA, where she led a team of 28 and had an annual budget of $27 million. Brown has also held executive positions at The Alexandria Convention & Visitors Association; Mount Vernon: George Washington’s Estate; and The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.

She has served as Chair of the Destinations International Foundation, on the Board of Directors of the U.S. Travel Association, North Carolina Travel & Tourism Board, and others. Brown holds a bachelor’s degree in Personal Administration of Higher Education from Mount Union College, Alliance, Ohio.

In her new role as president of Visit Winston-Salem, Brown will oversee a staff of 17 with the prime directive of generating overnight leisure, convention, and sports visitation to Winston-Salem/Forsyth County.