Carol Wallace, president & CEO of the San Diego Convention Center Corporation, is to step down from her post.
She announced the decision to retire, 21 October and said, although she would be relinquishing the role on 31 December 2015, she would continue to serve as a consultant to the Corporation through 2016.
Wallace will have served the Corporation for 25 years and said she would continue to work in the wider meetings industry as a consultant.
“Over the last two decades, it has been my highest professional honour to lead the San Diego Convention Center (SDCC) to become one of the most successful convention facilities in the world. None of it would have been possible without the truly talented and professional team of employees of the Corporation who made it all happen,” Wallace said. “I look forward to continue contributing to the industry in a new capacity,” she added.
Wallace is responsible for the overall management and operation of the facility, and oversees a full-time and part-time staff of 540 people and an annual budget that exceeds US$33m.
The SDCC has been recognised across the industry for its service excellence with numerous industry awards.
“Carol is truly a recognised leader in this industry and San Diego has been fortunate to have her manage one of our most important community assets, a facility that has been ranked in the top three internationally,” said Stephen Cushman, chair of the Corporation’s board of directors. “She has built a top notch team and their record of success running the facility is a testament to her leadership and passion for the industry,” he added.
In 2015, the International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM) presented Wallace with their Lifetime Achievement Award and, in 2014, PCMA named her as Professional Achievement Supplier Honoree.
Wallace also serves on the United States Travel and Tourism Advisory Board (TTAB), a group responsible for advising the US Secretary of Commerce on ways to strengthen the travel and tourism industry and expand economic opportunities for American businesses, including domestic job creation and visa waiver initiatives.
Wallace also recently completed service as the North American representative on the AIPC International Association of Congress Centres board of directors.
Wallace’s early career included stints working at the Dallas Convention Center and the Colorado Convention Center, where she was part of the team that planned, constructed and opened the original facility in 1990.
