Julie Coker

Julie Coker is the incoming President and Chief Executive Officer of Visit California, appointed in June 2026 and taking office on 1 October 2026. Selected unanimously by the organization's board of directors, she becomes only the second chief executive in Visit California's history and will also serve as a strategic advisor to the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development. Coker brings more than three decades of experience across hospitality and destination marketing.

Coker joins from NYC Tourism + Conventions, New York City's official destination marketing organization, which she has led as president and chief executive since December 2024. From 2020 to 2024 she was president and chief executive of the San Diego Tourism Authority, steering the city's tourism recovery to 14.3 billion dollars in visitor spending, the restoration of more than 200,000 tourism jobs and a third-place national ranking in hotel occupancy. She spent the previous decade at the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, rising from senior vice president to president and chief executive and helping the city land the 2016 Democratic National Convention and the 2017 NFL Draft. She began her career with 21 years at Hyatt Hotels, where she rose to general manager of the Hyatt Regency Philadelphia. She has also served Visit California as a board member, including as vice chair of marketing.

Career History

• President and Chief Executive Officer, Visit California (from October 2026)
• President and Chief Executive Officer, NYC Tourism + Conventions (2024 to 2026)
• President and Chief Executive Officer, San Diego Tourism Authority (2020 to 2024)
• Senior Vice President, later President and Chief Executive Officer, Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau (2010 to 2020)
• General Manager, Hyatt Regency Philadelphia, and earlier roles, Hyatt Hotels (1989 to 2010)

Her industry roles include co-chair of the U.S. Travel Association's Meetings Mean Business Coalition, secretary-treasurer of the International Association of Exhibitions and Events executive committee, membership of the U.S. Travel Association executive board and an appointment to the U.S. Department of Commerce's Travel and Tourism Advisory Board.

What Julie Coker brings to President and Chief Executive Officer at Visit California: proven leadership of two of the largest destination marketing organizations in the United States, direct California experience from her San Diego tenure and prior Visit California board service, and event-delivery credentials that matter as the state prepares for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Super Bowl LXI and the 2028 Los Angeles Games.