Sheila Alexander-Reid named CEO of PHL Diversity | Local News

The Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau (PHLCVB) has appointed Sheila Alexander-Reid as Executive Director of PHL Diversity, a key business development division of the PHLCVB. Alexander-Reid begins his new role on September 7.

“Sheila’s experience sits at the key intersection of diversity, equity and inclusion, strategic planning and business development,” said Gregg Caren, President and CEO of PHLCVB in a press release.

“She not only has the professional expertise to lead the business division, but a strong background in DEI advocacy that will continue to ensure that PHL Diversity’s efforts are always community-focused,” he added. “I look forward to the new energy and vision that Sheila will bring to the organization.”

At DHL Diversity, Alexander-Reid will oversee the division’s efforts to promote Philadelphia as an exclusive and welcoming destination for meetings and conventions.

She will lead the implementation and strategy to develop and synergize relationships with industry and government stakeholders in Philadelphia’s diverse community.

Alexander-Reid will also be instrumental in leading the division to increase the net worth of the convention, meetings and tourism brand of Philadelphia as a welcoming destination for DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) conventions, while advancing local business growth opportunities accordingly. more events and visits to the city.

“I look forward to continuing my career as an advocate for diversity, equity, inclusion and progress in the great city of Philadelphia by leading PHL Diversity,” Alexander-Reid said in a statement.

“I look forward to continuing to support the mission of PHLCVB and PHL Diversity and look forward to working with its well-established Board of Directors and close partners in the city and beyond,” she added. .

Alexander-Reid has decades of experience in diversity, equity and inclusion and is a champion for marginalized communities.

Prior to joining PHL Diversity, she served as Senior Vice President of Business Development at BiasSync, a company that helps organizations more effectively assess and manage unconscious bias in the workplace.

In 2015, Alexander-Reid was appointed by Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to serve as Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Affairs, where she advised the mayor on implementing implements anti-discrimination protections and diversity and inclusion policies that support DC’s LGBTQ residents.

Alexander-Reid was instrumental in the city’s successful fight for marriage equality and she also served on a political committee advising the (Joe) Biden-(Kamala) Harris campaign. She has often partnered with Destination DC, a destination marketing organization similar to PHLCVB responsible for attracting various conventions.

She also spent 32 years at the Washington City Paper where she served as director of strategic engagement and chief development officer focusing on sales and marketing.

“Sheila has an impressive blend of personal experience, career development, higher education and business acumen that will lead PHL Diversity into the future,” said Richard Lee Snow, PHL Diversity President and Director of the regional development of the United Negro College Fund. , Washington, DC area in a statement.

“She follows an impressive list of leaders who have held this position and I am confident that she will continue that legacy,” he added.

Alexander-Reid founded two agencies Branding4Change, a DEI-focused boutique branding and training agency, and Women in the Life, a social justice nonprofit that creates safe spaces and social gatherings for lesbians of color. .

She earned diversity and inclusion certificates from Cornell University and the Stanford Graduate School of Business and leadership training from the Victory Institute. She holds a BA in English from Spelman College.