William D. Talbert, III, CDME has served as President & CEO of the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB) for the past eighteen years and Chief Operating Officer for the prior nine. His major accomplishments include assisting with the passage of the Travel Promotion Act of 2010; negotiating inter-local government funding agreements; preparing five successful Super Bowl bids, including the most recent bid for the NFL’s centennial year 2020 Super Bowl; and three Pow Wow bids. Under Talbert’s leadership, the GMCVB was awarded accreditation from the Destination Marketing Accreditation Program in November 2007.

In June 2016, Talbert was appointed to the United States Commerce Department’s 2016-2018 Travel & Tourism Advisory Board. The Board serves as the advisory body to the Secretary of Commerce on matters relating to the travel and tourism industry in the United States and offers recommendations on implementation of the National Travel and Tourism Strategy.

On July 1, 2016, Talbert became Chair of the VISIT FLORIDA Board of Directors for FY 2016-17. VISIT FLORIDA is the state’s official tourism marketing corporation and serves as Florida’s official source for travel planning to visitors across the globe.

Talbert holds a master’s degree in Public Administration from Florida Atlantic University and bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Florida. In 2006, he earned the Certified Destination Management Executive (CDME) designation – the highest educational achievement in the destination marketing industry.