The Tuscaloosa Tourism and Sports Commission was recently formed to help focus our city’s development around two of its obvious strengths. Earlier this year the Commission’s board then appointed its first leader, Susan West, to the position of CEO. West will speak to the Rotary Club of Tuscaloosa this week about the mission of the Commission and her vision for the future.

West comes to her position after a decade at the University of Alabama. There she was assistant dean and director of the Masters of Business Administration programs for the Manderson Graduate School of Business, a position she held from August 2001. West is also a graduate of Alabama, earning a Bachelor’s degree in finance in 1986 and an MBA in 1998.

West’s background is not in tourism or sports, but insurance. Before coming to UA she held positions as a manager or executive for insurance companies in Nashville, Tenn., and Newport Beach, Calif.

But West has insisted that the important aspects of her job require excellence in leadership and management, and in that regard she is very well prepared for the challenges of her new job.

For more information on West and the TTSC, visit http://visittuscaloosa.com.