SearchWide Global Recruits President and CEO for Visit California
September 23, 2026 – SearchWide Global has helped to recruit Julie Coker as the new president and CEO of Visit California. She succeeds longtime leader Caroline Beteta, who announced her retirement earlier this year. The assignment was led by Mike Gamble, chairman, CEO, and co-founder of SearchWide. The appointment is the culmination of a comprehensive global search conducted in partnership with SearchWide. The search was led by a committee of Visit California past and current board members — headed by Ken Potrock, chair of the Visit California board of directors and president of major events integration at The Walt Disney Company — and engaged an extensive field of candidates.
“After a rigorous and wide-ranging global search, Visit California is proud to welcome Julie Coker as our next president and CEO,” Mr. Potrock said. “Julie is a proven leader who has delivered exceptional results in some of the most competitive and complex destination markets in the country. We are confident she is the right visionary to build on Caroline’s extraordinary legacy and reinforce California’s position as one of the world’s most compelling destinations.”
“I am thrilled to see Julie carry this critical work forward,” said Ms. Beteta. “She has built and led world-class organizations, knows California’s tourism industry from the inside, and brings the kind of experience, relationships, and vision this moment demands. What California’s travel industry has built together — the brand, the partnerships, the trust of more than 18,000 investors — is ready for its next chapter. I leave this organization with great pride and even greater confidence.”
“Julie Coker is one of the most accomplished destination marketing executives in the country, and Visit California is fortunate to have her at this critical moment for the industry,” said Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association. “I have worked alongside Julie for years and seen firsthand her ability to align complex stakeholder communities, navigate difficult operating environments, and lead organizations to meaningful results. California’s tourism industry — and the millions of jobs and communities it supports — will be well served by her leadership.”
Ms. Coker brings more than three decades of experience across hospitality and destination marketing, most recently serving as president and CEO of NYC Tourism + Conventions. Her career in travel and hospitality spans more than 30 years, starting as a corporate management trainee at Hyatt, spending 21 years with the company and rising to general manager of the Hyatt Regency Philadelphia.
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Ms. Coker spent a decade in leadership — including four years as president and CEO — at the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau. And then served as president and CEO of the San Diego Tourism Authority from 2020 to 2024, during which time she also served on Visit California’s board of directors. Her leadership guided San Diego’s destination marketing organization through the pandemic and its aftermath, pushing the region to the third-highest hotel occupancy levels in the nation and generating $14.3 billion in visitor spending. Ms. Coker is also on the executive board of the U.S. Travel Association and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Travel and Tourism advisory board.
New Position
In her new role, Ms. Coker will lead Visit California, the private industry-led non-profit organization marketing California as a premier travel destination, and will simultaneously serve as a strategic advisor for the Governor’s Office of Business & Economic Development (GO-Biz).
“California is the world’s most iconic travel destination, and leading Visit California at this moment is an opportunity I approach with deep respect, genuine excitement, and a clear sense of purpose,” Ms. Coker said. “The foundation Caroline Beteta and the California tourism industry have built over three decades is extraordinary, and the future is bright with so many global events shining the spotlight on the Golden State in the next three years. I look forward to working alongside the Visit California team, the board, and partners across the state to make the most of this moment.”
Visit California is a non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring travel to and within the state through innovative marketing programs developed in partnership with California’s travel and tourism industry. Visit California’s work is guided by an industry-led 37-member board of directors representing all major tourism sectors and each of California’s 12 tourism regions.
SearchWide Global, based in St. Paul, MN, is a full-service executive recruitment firm primarily for companies in the travel, tourism, hospitality, convention, trade association, venue management, and experiential marketing industries. The firm specializes in C-level and director-level executive searches for companies ranging in size from Fortune 500 corporations to mid-sized public and private companies and associations.
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Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
