STACY RITTER

PRESIDENT & CEO, VISIT LAUDERDALE, BROWARD COUNTY

Visit Lauderdale promotes and markets Broward County as a destination for visitors. Ritter has headed up the organization since 2016. She has 30 years of public sector service, including serving for a decade as a Broward County Commissioner and a year as mayor of Broward County. Before that, she was a member of the Florida House of Representatives. She serves on a variety of national and regional boards, including the U.S. Travel Association and the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance. She’s also an active member of the Orange Bowl Committee.

EDUCATION: Rollins College (BA), Nova Southeastern College of Law (JD)

FIRST JOB: I worked as a wholesale travel agent during the summers in high school and college.

DREAM ALTERNATE CAREER: Easy — I would be a TV fashion critic for award shows like the Oscars and the Emmys. My Facebook followers get it.

SOMETHING SURPRISING: I am a Broadway geek and know the words to 25 famous Broadway musicals and regularly sing along to the soundtracks (while my dogs howl in pain).

HOBBIES: During the pandemic, I learned to paint and have kept at it. Also, I am a newly obsessed pickleball player!

NONPROFIT PASSION: Cavalier Rescue of Florida. As the mom of currently three rescue Cavies and a total of six, I am especially incensed about the abuse of these wonderful dogs who only want to give love and be loved.

INDUSTRY TREND: Travelers are opting for deeper, more meaningful experiences by spending extended time in fewer destinations, fostering genuine connections with local cultures and emphasizing mental well-being.

MENTEE IMPACT: I don’t mentor individuals, rather, I foster and promote an environment where young women with whom I interact can sit down with me, and we can have a conversation about how we can, together, make their climb to the top quicker and easier than my generation.