VisitPittsburgh CEO Craig Davis resigning, heading to Dallas

VisitPittsburgh CEO Craig Davis is resigning at the end of the year to take a similar position in Dallas.

The board of directors of VisitPittsburgh made the announcement Wednesday morning. The board has appointed Jerad Bachar, current executive vice president, to lead the organization while it searches for a new CEO.

Davis had been the CEO at VisitPittsburgh, the official tourism promotion agency for Allegheny County, for the past seven years. He joined the organization in 2000 as vice president of convention sales. He’s leaving to join VisitDallas as its CEO.

“We’re sorry to see him go because of all his great work here in the Pittsburgh market,” said Bryan Iams, chairman of VisitPittsburgh’s board of directors. “But certainly when good people get a good opportunity, you wish them all the best and that’s certainly the case with Craig.”

As of 2017, Davis was making an annual salary of $363,000.

Iams said that while the organization will miss Davis, VisitPittsburgh is bigger than one particular leader.

“You never like to lose talent, particularly at the CEO level, but the momentum that the team under Craig’s leadership has been driving will continue,” Iams said.

Iams said that a national search for a successor to Davis will begin immediately. He would not say if a specific hiring date had been established.

“The key is to find the right person so we’re going to take the time to do that.”