MORGANTOWN, W.Va.—Former president and CEO of the Visit Mountaineer Country Convention and Visitors Bureau Susan Riddle was named the 2026 Tourism Professional of the Year at the Governor’s Conference on Tourism.
The ten years of infectiously enthusiastic leadership provided by Riddle have opened many doors and set a new standard for marketing the community. Riddle has been the driving force in bringing the USA Diving events to the area and the development of Morgantown as a destination. A destination for traveling sports, camping, all types of biking, and geocaching.
“Collaboration is something that is alive and well in Mountaineer Country,” Riddle said. “I’m really blessed to have people along with me on that journey.”
During that time VMC has developed regional and national partners that have propelled the growth of Mylan Park and the region as a regional tourism destination. Additionally, Riddle has set the example for others to follow that want to pursue a career in the tourism industry.
“Those things do not happen by chance,” Riddle said. “People are looking for synergy, growth, and advancement, and our communities benefit from that in a huge way.”
Her time at the CVB has included phrases like “One more night, one more dollar” as ways to inspire local ambassadors to take pride in promoting the city and the area.
“We have to strive to be excellent, not just improve,” Riddle said. “I’ve been blessed to be put in a place where there are a lot of people that want to do that. West Virginia University couldn’t be a better partner, and Mylan Park could not be a greater partner.”
The first change under her leadership at Mylan Park will be the addition of Mountain Glow West Virginia. For the first time, Mylan Park will host a holiday-themed event for all ages. Details about the event are expected to follow as the holiday season approaches.
“It starts November 27 and runs through December 23. Not every night, but 21 days during that span of time,” Riddle said. “It’s going to be an experiential holiday walk of lights.”
When the temperatures drop and winter weather threatens travel sports, Riddle said this event will leverage the area’s other strength- retail options beautiful scenery.
“This is a time of year where things slow down in north-central West Virginia,” Riddle said. “But at the same time, we happen to be the number one day trip and the number one shopping destination in the region.”
