Kate Lieto, MBA
Associate VP of Marketing
aka Collaboration Queen
“Connecting the dots” is what Kate does best. She leads our marketing team, setting strategies and budgets while managing an ever-growing staff of talented people. She also collaborates with community resources to make Grand Rapids the best place it can be for visitors and residents alike. For example, she was the driving force behind the launch of such popular promotions as Culture Pass GR and the Beer City Brewsader® passport, and she has overseen the continued growth and evolution of Restaurant Week GR. Each of these programs boosts the local economy in addition to positioning Grand Rapids as a prime travel destination.
Watching the Grand Rapids area evolve as a destination is one of my favorite parts of my job.
Bio Bits:
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Inspired by her husband and two young children, she’s set on growing Grand Rapids as a must-visit destination for families.
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Is on her way to obtaining Certified Destination Management Executive (CDME) credentials from Destinations International.
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Was awarded the CVB Star of the Industry honor at the 2016 Pure Michigan Governor’s Conference on Tourism, and was a member of Destinations International’s 30 Under 30 Class of 2017.
Kate Lieto, Associate VP of Marketing
Photo by Mod Bettie for Experience GR
Kate Joined Experience Grand Rapids as a Marketing Intern more than a decade ago and worked her way up through several different positions before becoming Associate VP of Marketing, giving her a front row seat for the region’s explosive growth.
“Watching the Grand Rapids area evolve as a destination is one of my favorite parts of my job,” she says. “I enjoy meeting the people behind the city’s growth and helping them understand how they fit into the tourism landscape.”
