Paula Vlamings
Philanthropic nonprofit Tourism Cares has named Paula Vlamings CEO. She replaces Mike Rea, who had led
the organization since 2013.
Rea will remain as Tourism Cares' senior program adviser, with a
focus on building West Coast partnerships and strategy from his home in
Seattle.
Vlamings is the former executive director of the Planeterra Foundation, G Adventures' philanthropic organization. She also was a senior sustainability leader for
the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy's Institute at the Golden Gate.
"This transition reflects both our strong growth over
the last several years and our commitment to harness the power of change
through travel," stated Tourism Cares chairman Derek Hydon. "With
new leadership and enhanced capacity in social enterprise development, we'll
deepen the impact of our initiatives."
Vlamings will relocate to the Boston area to lead the staff
from Tourism Cares' headquarters in Norwood, Mass.
"Now more than ever, it's vital that travel and tourism
providers integrate more closely with community-based organizations and
conservation initiatives to create opportunities for the people and the places
our industry cares about, while working to help distribute tourism more
sustainably," stated Vlamings. "More companies are building or
rebuilding business models around social good, and these activities set them
apart from competitors and contribute to their success."
Tourism Cares supports
communities and sites worldwide through social enterprise and disaster
recovery, provides grants and scholarships, and organizes volunteer efforts.