Baltimore -- Leslie Doggett yesterday resigned as president and chief executive of the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association, citing unspecified health and family reasons.
Doggett, whose resignation was effective immediately, has been on medical leave since Feb. 10. She joined the bureau in July 2003 and had not yet fulfilled her initial contract, which expired June 30.
"It has been a wonderful and rewarding professional experience serving as BACVA's president and CEO," said Doggett in a statement. "It is with a heavy heart that health and family reasons have necessitated that I make this difficult decision to step down."
Bureau Chairman Edwin Hale praised Doggett, saying, "Leslie came to BACVA at a time when the organization needed a stronger sense of self and a clearer direction. Utilizing her leadership abilities, she reinvigorated the staff in its mission and its passion for marketing Baltimore."
Prior to joining the Baltimore bureau, Doggett served as the most senior tourism official in the administration of former President Bill Clinton. She worked at the Commerce Department from 1996 to 2001, first as deputy undersecretary of commerce for the U.S. Travel and Tourism Administration and then as deputy assistant secretary of commerce for Tourism Industries at the International Trade Administration.
Ronnie Burt, the bureau's vice president of convention sales, is serving as interim president while the bureau conducts a national search to replace Doggett.