Photo Courtesy of Visit Annapolis & Anne Arundel County
ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND—Visit Annapolis & Anne Arundel County (VAAAC) is pleased to announce the appointment of its next Executive Director, Kristen Pironis.
VAAAC Chairman of the Board Gary Jobson says he is confident VAAAC has hired the right person for the job. “Kristen brings a wealth of strategic planning, operations, and governance experience to the organization. Her collaborative skills and mission-driven focus will be key as VAAAC works to help revitalize Annapolis and Anne Arundel County’s tourism industry post COVID-19 and beyond. The Board of Directors and VAAAC team are eager to work with Kristen to help explore and enhance tourism opportunities throughout the county at this pivotal time,” says Jobson. Pironis officially assumes the reins at VAAAC on Monday, April 19.
For the past 16 years, Pironis has worked with the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association and Foundation, serving most recently as Executive Vice President of Marketing and Communications. Her supervisor, Alumni Association and Foundation President and CEO Byron Marchant says Pironis has what it takes to thrive in her new position with VAAAC. As he sees it, “Kristen has been an invaluable member of the senior leadership team at the Naval Academy Alumni Association and Foundation for the past 15 years. As a Maryland Terp graduate, Kristen has been "all in" for the Navy Blue and Gold during her tenure. Her numerous leadership achievements in support of our global alumni community will serve her well as the new executive director of VAAAC. Our Navy Association and Foundation staff, alumni, parents, and friends salute Kristen's leadership and service. We wish her fair winds and following seas. As a significant contributor to Annapolis tourism, our Association and Foundation looks forward to working with Kristen in her new role. Bravo Zulu to my colleague Gary Jobson for his longstanding Annapolis community leadership and this new leadership chapter for VAAAC.”
As Pironis wraps up her tenure with the Naval Academy Alumni Association and Foundation over the next few weeks, she plans to start laying the groundwork for her new role at VAAAC. “I’ll begin talking with VAAAC’s partners, with elected and government officials. I want to learn how to balance their needs, their wants, their expectations. Their feedback will help to inform VAAAC’s direction moving forward. We’re going to need a near term, post COVID-19 plan that looks a year to 18 months out. Concurrent with that, we’ll need to develop a long-term strategic plan that addresses the next five years,” says Pironis.
Pironis’ time proven strategy of listening, learning, and reading will undoubtedly serve her well at the helm of VAAAC. As she sees it, “Having a new person come in as executive director gives everyone the opportunity to pause, think about what they have done and where they want to go, and then create a path for getting there. I feel like everything is in place for Visit Annapolis and Anne Arundel County to thrive. They have a talented and experienced staff, a professional board, and engaged partners and members. All we need is an executive director to pull it all together.”
For the past seven years, Pironis has served on the boards of Citizens for Maryland Libraries and the Queen Anne’s County Library Board of Trustees as well as on the legislative panel for the Maryland Library Association. Even as it has helped to hone her governance skills, Pironis’ work with the library system has confirmed her belief in the power of collaboration. “I look forward to exploring collaborative possibilities with businesses and organizations throughout Anne Arundel County as well as with fellow Maryland destination marketing organizations. By working together, we can learn from one another, brainstorm ideas and solutions, and thrive together,” says Pironis.
A native of Kansas, the incoming executive director moved to Maryland nearly 30 years ago to attend the University of Maryland, College Park, where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and a Master of Science degree in Nonprofit and Association Management. She and her partner, Michael Cash, reside in Chester, Maryland.
Pironis was selected from a pool of 90 candidates who applied for the position during a three-month nationwide search conducted by the Ellicott City-based recruiting firm, HR Strategy Group, LLC.
