Home > About BNE > Press Room > 2009 Archive > December > CVB names News exec as CEO, president

CVB names News exec as CEO, president

By Jonathan D. Epstein

 The Buffalo Niagara Convention& Visitors Bureau on Thursday named Buffalo News senior executive Dottie Gallagher-Cohen as its new president and chief executive officer after a national search that began in July.

Gallagher-Cohen will take the helm of the region’s tourism and convention marketing agency in late January.

In her new role, she will oversee operations at both the agency and the Buffalo Niagara

Convention Center. Together, the two entities employ 71 and have a combined 2010 budget of $5 million. She will be paid a base salary of $175,000, plus a bonus plan.

CVB Interim Chairman Gary Praetzel, dean of Niagara University’s College of Hospitality and Tourism Management, praised Gallagher-Cohen’s “outstanding” performance as senior vice president of marketing at The News, where she oversees the newspaper’s digital division.

Gallagher-Cohen now faces the challenge of addressing critics who say the agency hasn’t done enough to promote the region and its attractions outside Western New York. In particular, she must work with Erie County Executive Chris Collins, whose strong pressure forced former president and CEO Richard Geiger to resign in May amid threats by Collins to withhold county funding.

The former chairman and two other directors resigned a month later in protest. The agency has been without a permanent president and CEO since then, although National Buffalo Wing Festival founder Drew Cerza has filled in on an interim basis, while Praetzel filled in as chairman.

Gallagher-Cohen, who was recruited for the position, admitted she was initially “concerned about what had transpired” and “apprehensive in the beginning.” But she said she and Collins, whom she met with for two hours after she was identified as a finalist, actually “see a lot of the same objectives.”

“I don’t believe he is looking to influence and micromanage the CVB, but he is absolutely going to hold me and the board accountable for how that taxpayer money is spent,” she said. “So one of the things that I will bring to this effort is a high degree of transparency.

“There are so many attractions that have come online and we really have a lot to brag about,” she said in an interview. “We’re at a pivotal point to take all that success and shout about it nationally.”

Collins voiced his own endorsement of Gallagher-Cohen. “I believe the search committee found exactly the right person to lead the CVB at a critical time in our community,” Collins said in a news release.

The appointment, made by the agency’s 19-member board at a meeting Thursday afternoon, culminated a search that began with more than 50 candidates from around the country and even internationally.

The board’s vote was almost unanimous, Praetzel said.

“Dottie just completely stood out from everyone else. Her credentials truly impressed the board,” Praetzel said.

Before joining The News 13 years ago, she was executive director of the Kelly for Kids Foundation, marketing manager at Buffalo Place, and director of public relations at Erie Community College.

“I really feel like every position I’ve had in my career has led me to this moment,” she said. “It brings together all the experience I have with my passion for the region. It’s the right opportunity at the right moment.”

jepstein@buffnews.com ">e-mail: jepstein@buffnews.com