Julie Pingston is the current President and CEO of the Grreater Lansing Convention and Visitor's Bureau and has been with the GLCVB for 27 years.  Her responsibilities included overall organization operations, as well as, direct oversight for convention services, membership, event coordination, the Greater Lansing Sports Authority, the East Lansing Visitor Center and the Certified Tourism Ambassador Program.

After graduating from Alma College, Pingston began her career at the U.S. Department of Commerce in the U.S. Travel and Tourism Administration in Washington, DC.  She found her way back to Michigan in 1993, joining the GLCVB as the convention services manager.  Pingston has added increased responsibilities over her 27-year tenure including being named COO in 2006.  Some of Julie's most notable accomplishments at the GLCVB include:  creating the first Certified Tourism Ambassador Program in Michigan, developing Lansing's Sensory Friendly Destination initiatives which have been recognized as best practices at the state and national levels, and facilitating the development of the region's first master plan for tourism.  Julie resides in Holt, Michigan with her husband Steve, and has two adult children, Jacob and Allison.

Since 2011, Bob Trezise has been President & CEO of the Lansing Economic Area Partnership (LEAP), representing economic development efforts for the Greater Lansing region of Clinton, Eaton and Ingham counties. LEAP also has a contract to manage the City of Lansing’s economic development department, including its Brownfield Authority, Tax Increment Finance Authority and the Lansing Economic Development Corporation (LEDC, as well as the region's SmartZone.

 

During Bob’s tenure, LEAP private sector projects have totaled more than $2.5 billion in investment and have created more than 5,500 direct jobs. Projects range from Fortune 500 national corporate headquarters, to small high-tech and biotech companies, to major mixed-use buildings, to large manufacturing plants. LEAP also operates a robust entrepreneurial business startup program and a placemaking program. I

 

From 2006 to 2011, Bob ran the City of Lansing’s economic development efforts as its President & CEO. During that time, the city has experienced massive revitalization ranging in the billions of dollars, thousands of jobs created, along with four straight years of population growth. From 2001 to 2006, Bob was the Managing Director and creator of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s Community Assistance Team (CATeam).

 

Additionally, Bob was the founder of the Michigan Main Street program and worked on hundreds of community revitalization projects across the entire state. Bob also served as the Vice President of the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce (LRCC) and Director of Delta Township’s economic development department, where he played a role with the successful Keep GM campaign. Bob grew up in the City of Lansing, is married to Kerri and they have four children. He is also a published poet.