Roger Dow

Roger Dow is President and Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. Travel Association, the national umbrella organization representing all segments of the $770 billion U.S. travel and tourism industry. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. with an active presence in Europe, Asia and Latin America.

The mission of U.S. Travel is to increase travel to and within the United States. It advocates the power of travel to leaders in government, provides authoritative travel research and commentary, and hosts annual signature events, including International Pow Wow, that support its mission. U.S. Travel also manages DiscoverAmerica.com, the Official Travel and Tourism Website of the United States.

Dow has served in his present position since 2005. Prior to joining U.S. Travel, Dow rose through the ranks at Marriott International in a career that began as a summer lifeguard at the sixth Marriott hotel and spanned 34 years to become Senior Vice President, Global and Field Sales, leading Marriott's 10,000-person worldwide sales organization. His many accomplishments for the company included development of Marriott Rewards, the world's leading frequent traveler program.

In May 2009, Dow was presented an honorary degree from Johnson & Wales University (Doctor of Business Administration in Hospitality Management) and named the William R. Tiefel Professorial Chair in the university's Hospitality College.

He was recognized by his peers as the 2008 Association Executive of the Year, an honor presented by Association Trends magazine that reflected Dow's success in unifying the travel industry and greatly increasing its effectiveness on Capitol Hill. He has also been named to the Convention Industry Council's prestigious Hall of Leaders, was recognized by Meeting Professionals International (MPI) as one of the industry's top leaders, was selected by MeetingNews as one of the 25 most influential people in the meetings industry, and has been honored by the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) with its Academy of Leaders Award.

Dow frequently speaks on leadership, sales, marketing and management at conventions and corporate meetings. He has co-authored two books: "Turned On Eight Vital Insights to Energize Your People, Customers and Profits" and "The Trust Imperative The Competitive Advantage of Trust-based Business Relationships."

He serves, or has served, on the Board of Directors of ASAE, PCMA, ASAE Foundation, MPI Foundation (Chairman), GWSAE, the Travel Institute, RE/MAX International and on the Advisory Boards of Arizona State University's Center for Services Leadership and the University of Richmond Robins School of Business.

Dow served in the United States Army with the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam, where he received the Bronze Star and other citations.

A native of New Jersey, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Seton Hall University, where he was senior class president, captain of the varsity wrestling team and secretary of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity. He was named TKE alumnus of the year for 1991 and was presented with the award by President Ronald Reagan.