Date: January 10, 2003 

City Welcomes New Director of Tourism and Cultural Development 

Miami Beach, FL – The City of Miami Beach recently appointed Donna Shaw as the Director of Tourism and Cultural Development beginning in early February, 2003. The newly created Tourism and Cultural Development department, whose mission will be to further develop the City’s focus on tourism and culture, will include the Arts, Culture and Entertainment Division, comprised of the Special Events, Film and Print, and Art in Public Places offices; the Cultural Arts Council; the Miami Beach Convention Center; the Jackie Gleason Theater of Performing Arts; and the Tourism, Convention and Protocol Office. The department will also serve as the liaison to the Bass Museum of Art and the Miami Beach Visitors and Convention Authority (VCA). 

“Donna is a highly qualified professional that will give a strategic direction to our already sound team. She brings to our city extensive experience in the hospitality, tourism, marketing and advertising industries in both the public and private sectors,” said Miami Beach City Manager Jorge M. Gonzalez.

Shaw will report to Assistant City Manager Christina Cuervo and work closely with the Administration to develop and implement an overall, comprehensive plan for tourism and cultural affairs on Miami Beach. She will also be working closely with the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Performing Arts Center in Miami.

“I’m honored to have the opportunity to take the City of Miami Beach to the next level of distinction. I have a passion for bringing people together to further the vision of excellence that has already been established,” said Shaw.

Shaw comes to Miami Beach with more than 25 years of experience in the tourism and cultural arts field, most notably as the Director of Tourism & Film for the State of Illinois Department of Commerce & Community Affairs, where she worked from 1991 to 1999. Under that capacity, she managed one of the largest tourism budgets in the nation and created Illinois’ first long-range strategic tourism development plan while originating a performance-based business plan that dramatically increased the economic impact of the tourism industry in Illinois. Shaw also created the State’s first heritage and cultural tourism economic development model, uniting over 1,000 community stakeholders and eight State agencies while formulating seven heritage development areas. 

During Shaw’s tenure as the director of tourism & film, the State of Illinois was a three-time recipient of the prestigious American Marketing Association’s Golden Effie Award for leading the most effective travel advertising campaign. She also served on the Board of Directors of the USA National Tourism Organization, the U.S.A. Marketing Council, the Association of Travel Marketing Executives, the Travel Industry Association of America, and the White House Conference on Travel and Tourism Implementation Board.

Within the private sector, Shaw has also worked for a number of marketing and advertising companies including her most recent position with the Custom Marketing Group (CMG), where she served as vice president for business development & corporate communications; previously for Bozell Advertising Worldwide, where she served as vice president and account manager for the Illinois State Lottery; and also for Zechman & Associates Advertising Agency, where she served as vice president and account supervisor for the Illinois Bureau of Tourism account. In addition, Donna has worked as an assistant general manager and the director of sales and marketing for several hotel properties and as the director of public affairs for the WMAQ Radio, a National Broadcasting Company (NBC) subsidiary in Chicago.

In an attempt to find the most qualified candidate for the City’s new director of tourism and cultural development position, the City conducted a national search performed by Executive Performance Search for the nation’s top executives. Several hundred candidates applied for the position and the top seven candidates were invited for panel interviews. The panel, consisting of representatives from staff and relevant stakeholders, evaluated candidate qualifications and made a final recommendation to the city manager. 

“After meeting with Donna and speaking to several people with whom she has worked for and collaborated with, I was confident that she was the best and most qualified candidate for this important position,” said Gonzalez.

In June of 2001, City Manager Jorge Gonzalez implemented phase one of the Administration’s re-organization, aimed at creating four new, consolidated departments, in order to streamline and enhance overall government functions and response. Three of those departments, the Public Works and Operations Department, Capital Improvement Program Office and Neighborhood Services Department, are currently fully operational and serving at optimal levels. The remaining was the Department of Tourism and Cultural Development, now in full effect. 

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