Charlotte’s top tourism official praised for steady leadership during challenging times; retiring after 11 years
When Tom Murray was hired to lead the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority in 2011, the independent city agency had recently hit some rough patches.
Mayor Anthony Foxx and some City Council members had been critical of the previous CEO, Tim Newman. There were worries that the newly opened NASCAR Hall of Fame wasn’t hitting its attendance projections and concerns about the agency’s expense account bills. The 2012 Democratic National Convention loomed on the horizon.
Now, nearly 12 years later, Murray, the city’s top tourism official, is widely seen as providing steady leadership during turbulent times, which wound up including HB2 boycotts and Covid-era shutdowns of restaurants, travel and events. Murray announced his retirement this week.