18th Annual Winter Chautauqua
An Educational Symposium for Tourism Professionals
An Educational Symposium for Tourism Professionals
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Georgia Tourism Update - Lunch with Deputy Commissioner Charlie Gatlin
Don't miss your chance to hear from Georgia's Tourism Team leader 
as he shares the latest updates on new intiatives like the Explore Georgia website and the Georgia Dream Pass. Always a hit at Winter Chautauqua, hearing what's new from the Deputy Commissioner of Tourism helps us keep our eyes on the ball.
Meet Ch
arlie
Charlie Gatlin is deputy commissioner for tourism and marketing at the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), the state’s lead governmental organization for promoting, marketing and supporting economic growth.
Mr. Gatlin oversees the activities of the department’s Tourism Division, which markets Georgia around the state, country and world as a premier destination for leisure and business travel, and attracts capital investment for tourism development. He is the liaison between Georgia’s public, private and industry tourism partners and state efforts. He also serves as executive director of the Georgia Tourism Foundation, which pools the state’s tourism marketing resources and leverages the private sector to support the growth of tourism in Georgia.
Mr. Gatlin is also responsible for the department’s marketing and communications division, which develops and manages all public relations, marketing and advertising needs for GDEcD; upholds brand standards; and maintains the Georgia.org Web site.
In addition, he is executive director of the Georgia Allies, a public-private marketing partnership of 15 statewide economic development organizations that markets Georgia to select target industry sectors.
Mr. Gatlin joined the department in 1990. His previous positions with GDEcD have included deputy commissioner for external affairs, chief of staff, deputy commissioner for business recruitment and retention, and director of marketing. As an economic developer, he has been a part of the tourism world both at the agency and in previous positions with the communities of Albany, Athens, Rome and Macon. Before entering the field of economic development, Gatlin was an administration and training officer in the U.S. Air Force and a mortgage banker.
Mr. Gatlin is a Certified Economic Developer (CED) and is a past president and board member of the Georgia Economic Developers Association (GEDA), which recognized him in 2002 with a Rip Wiley Award for Professional Excellence. He is an active member of several national, regional and state economic development organizations.
A native of Albany, Georgia, Mr. Gatlin holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Georgia. He has completed both the six-year and three-year graduate programs of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institutes for Organization Management, and he is a licensed realtor. He is married to the former Cathy Tidwell of Macon and has two daughters and two grandchildren.
as he shares the latest updates on new intiatives like the Explore Georgia website and the Georgia Dream Pass. Always a hit at Winter Chautauqua, hearing what's new from the Deputy Commissioner of Tourism helps us keep our eyes on the ball.
Meet Ch
arlieCharlie Gatlin is deputy commissioner for tourism and marketing at the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), the state’s lead governmental organization for promoting, marketing and supporting economic growth.
Mr. Gatlin oversees the activities of the department’s Tourism Division, which markets Georgia around the state, country and world as a premier destination for leisure and business travel, and attracts capital investment for tourism development. He is the liaison between Georgia’s public, private and industry tourism partners and state efforts. He also serves as executive director of the Georgia Tourism Foundation, which pools the state’s tourism marketing resources and leverages the private sector to support the growth of tourism in Georgia.
Mr. Gatlin is also responsible for the department’s marketing and communications division, which develops and manages all public relations, marketing and advertising needs for GDEcD; upholds brand standards; and maintains the Georgia.org Web site.
In addition, he is executive director of the Georgia Allies, a public-private marketing partnership of 15 statewide economic development organizations that markets Georgia to select target industry sectors.
Mr. Gatlin joined the department in 1990. His previous positions with GDEcD have included deputy commissioner for external affairs, chief of staff, deputy commissioner for business recruitment and retention, and director of marketing. As an economic developer, he has been a part of the tourism world both at the agency and in previous positions with the communities of Albany, Athens, Rome and Macon. Before entering the field of economic development, Gatlin was an administration and training officer in the U.S. Air Force and a mortgage banker.
Mr. Gatlin is a Certified Economic Developer (CED) and is a past president and board member of the Georgia Economic Developers Association (GEDA), which recognized him in 2002 with a Rip Wiley Award for Professional Excellence. He is an active member of several national, regional and state economic development organizations.
A native of Albany, Georgia, Mr. Gatlin holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Georgia. He has completed both the six-year and three-year graduate programs of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institutes for Organization Management, and he is a licensed realtor. He is married to the former Cathy Tidwell of Macon and has two daughters and two grandchildren.
