Lisa Meriwether, Visit SoSi Tourism Manager, has been honored with the Virginia Restaurant, Lodging, and Travel Association (VRLTA) Jim Ricketts Award for Destination Marketing Employee of the Year. The recognition was bestowed at the 2024 Ordinary Awards in Richmond on Thursday, September 12, 2024.

“This is a profound honor and a pinnacle moment in my professional journey,” Meriwether said. “I had the incredible privilege of knowing Jim Ricketts, so earning this recognition, named in his honor, is incredibly meaningful, and deeply humbling. I also have the distinct privilege of collaborating with a remarkable team of individuals who are all tirelessly dedicated to introducing Danville and Pittsylvania County, Virginia, the Visit SoSi region, to visitors every single day. This is
truly a team effort and it’s pretty incredible to see what can happen when everyone pulls in the same direction.”

Judged by a panel of industry peers, VRLTA recognizes the top individuals and organizations that contribute extraordinary and outsized effort and impact on Virginia’s statewide tourism industry each year.

More than $900 million in tourism industry investment has recently been secured in the Visit SoSi footprint and, just last week, the City announced 2023 performance data which notably included a 50% year-over-year increase in the economic impact of tourism spending across the region.

In July, Meriwether was appointed to serve a six-year term as a member of the Virginia Tourism Authority’s Board of
Directors by Governor Glenn Youngkin and, in December of 2023, she was awarded Associate Member of the Year by the Virginia Society of Association Executives.