William S. Norman
Former President & CEO of Travel Industry Association of America
 William S. Norman is president and CEO of the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA). TIA is the national umbrella association that represents all segments of the U.S. travel and tourism industry in promoting and facilitating increased travel to and within the United States.Norman received his bachelor of science in chemistry and mathematics from West Virginia Wesleyan College and a master of arts in international relations from The American University. Additionally, he completed the postgraduate executive program at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Norman began his career as a mathematics teacher in Norfolk, Virginia. In 1962, he was commissioned as a U.S. Navy officer and served for 11 years. During his service, he was deployed to Southeast Asia as a naval flight officer, taught at the U.S. Naval Academy, and served as special assistant to the Chief of Naval Operations. He holds the U.S. Navy rank of Captain and earned numerous military decorations, including the prestigious Legion of Merit. For the next six years, Norman worked for Cummins Engine Company. He began as the director of corporate action and left the company as vice president of the Eastern Division. He then went to work for Amtrak as vice president of sales and marketing and was promoted to executive vice president. In 1995, he became the president and CEO of TIA. In his tenure as CEO, Norman painstakingly built TIA’s infrastructure, resources and capabilities so that today the association is a clear leader in the U.S. travel and tourism industry. The organization excels in gathering, analyzing and disseminating research across a wide range of issues of interest to the industry, and is a leader in building aggressive international and domestic-marketing programs, including the See America brand. Norman also led a recovery program for the travel industry following the terrorist attacks of September 11. Under his leadership TIA was everywhere, assuring Americans and the world that travel to and within the U.S. was safe and encouraging the public to resume their normal lives, including travel. The organization developed partnerships with the U.S. Postal Service and the U.S. Department of Transportation and created domestic and international television ads, among other efforts. Before retiring in 2005, Norman worked to establish a public-private partnership to promote travel to and within the United States. Norman and his wife Elizabeth reside in McLean, Virginia. |