Ashley Johnson, President & CEO

Visit Laguna Beach, Laguna Beach

Shortly after graduating college, Ashley Johnson was hired by Visit Laguna Beach (formerly the Laguna Beach Visitors & Conference Bureau) to fill an entry level position. She immediately got in there, rolled up her sleeves and wanted to learn anything and everything she could from her (former) boss. As sustainable/'green' travel was becoming a trend in the travel space, the VLB team saw how Laguna's tide pools were being visited (and demolished) by school groups coming from everywhere. They produced a seven minute Tidepool DVD and won an Emmy Award in children's programming. That DVD also won Visit Laguna a Telly Award and a Tourism Marketing Excellence Award for Best Sustainable Tourism Messages in Advertising - Visit California. She began immersing herself in travel industry news, data & trends and recommended a DBA name change to 'Visit Laguna Beach' as a call to action from the consumer. Visit Laguna Beach was one of the first destination marketing organizations (DMOs) in Southern California to shift in this direction. A couple of years later, she was recognized as 'one of 30 emerging leaders under 30' by the California Travel Association. She accepted the role of president & CEO in 2016. At the helm, she's worked effectively to position the destination, develop a new organizational chart, conduct hirings for both the executive office and daily-operating Visitors Center, and works effectively with the board of directors.