Bowling Green, KY, October 16, 2018 – The Bowling Green Area Convention and Visitors Bureau’s board of directors is excited to announce that Sherry Murphy will be the next executive director of the Bowling Green Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. She will begin her new role on Nov. 12.

“Sherry Murphy brings 18 years’ experience as a successful executive director of the Elizabethtown Tourism and Convention Bureau and has held leadership offices at both the Kentucky Travel Industry Association and the Kentucky Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus," said Larry Bailey, the Bowling Green Area CVB’s board chairman. "The board was impressed with the growth Sherry oversaw while she worked in Elizabethtown, and we’re confident that she’ll bring that spirit to Bowling Green.” 

“We are so proud of the accomplishments of retiring executive director Vicki Fitch. Her leadership, expertise and tireless efforts helped earn our CVB a superior reputation, so it came as no surprise how many outstanding resumes we received. We sought someone with executive-level experience at a CVB and with tourism association leadership participation, and we are thrilled to have Sherry leading the team at the CVB," he said. 

Murphy served as executive director of the Elizabethtown Tourism and Convention Bureau for 18 years. She said she has always had a love for the Bowling Green area, since she is both a native of nearby Logan County and a graduate of Western Kentucky University’s hospitality program.

“Bowling Green has seen extraordinary growth since I lived there,” Murphy said, “and I am thrilled at the opportunity to work for such a prominent and burgeoning community.”

In 2017, the Elizabethtown Tourism and Convention Bureau won the Kentucky Travel Industry Association’s coveted Traverse Award for Best of Show for tourism marketing. In May, Hardin County received KTIA’s Kentucky Economic Engine Award, which is given to counties where tourism has had a major impact on the community’s economy.

Murphy has served the Kentucky hospitality industry in various roles during her tenure in Elizabethtown. She has served as chairwoman for the KTIA and president of the Kentucky Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus. She is also a graduate of Leadership Kentucky and serves as a regional representative on an advisory board to the Kentucky Department of Tourism.

She said she strongly believes tourism supports the local economy and provides social well-being in communities, and she said leaving Elizabethtown will be bittersweet. One of the notable accomplishments during her career was the development of the Elizabethtown Sports Park.

“During my tenure in Elizabethtown, I have been fortunate to assist in substantial community growth and continued economic prosperity,” Murphy said. “Elizabethtown is a wonderful place to live. I have truly enjoyed working for the tourism bureau and promoting such a wonderful community.”

For more information, contact Beth Noffsinger, PR Director, at 270-782-0800 or beth@visitbgky.com.