Bermudian Charles Jeffers II has been named chief operating officer of Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI) in Washington, DC.

Mr Jeffers, a former law researcher for the Supreme Court of Bermuda, currently serves as senior vice-president of operations and executive director for East Point, sales and marketing of the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau (ACVB), and will take up his new post on November 1.

DMAI is the global trade association for official destination marketing organisations (DMOs) and its membership includes over 600 official DMOs with more than 4,100 staff members in 15 countries.

“Charles’ rich background in operations, membership and technology, combined with his DMO experience with a gateway destination marketing organisation are a perfect fit for DMAI,” said Michael Gehrisch, president and CEO, DMAI.

Mr Jeffers previously served as vice president of membership and technology prior to his appointment as senior vice-president. Jeffers played an integral role in the redesign of several versions of Atlanta.net.

He also launched the For Members Only (FMO) website, where ACVB members can download leads, access events and convention calendars. The FMO site was the first of its kind, at fruition, and continues to be at the forefront of other convention and visitors bureau member sites.

“Charles has proven himself to be an outstanding executive during his 19-year tenure at the Atlanta CVB,” said William Pate, president and CEO, ACVB.

“He believes strongly in the mission of DMAI and has devoted a significant amount of his volunteer time to the betterment of the organisation.”

Mr Jeffers’ previous positions with the Bureau included vice-president of technology, director of technology, technical support administrator, manager, information systems, and manager, technology.

Mr Jeffers led numerous national and international projects for ACVB, including manager of operations at 1996 Centennial Olympic Games Welcome South Visitor Center, which serviced more than 20,000 visitors during the Games.

A 1990 graduate of American International College, Jeffers holds a master’s degree in public administration from Georgia State University and a certificate of information technology management from Georgia Institute of Technology.

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