Cassandra Costello

Senior executive with over 15 years of progressive and consistent achievement in delivering strategic leadership to advance a community's quality of life through policy and public service. With a lifelong residency in San Francisco, I have developed strong relationships with nonprofit and business leaders, gaining a deep understanding of the industry and the nation. Proficient in navigating complex social, policy, economic, and political environments, I excel at building and guiding coalitions with allied organizations. My notable success lies in managing partnerships and joint ventures with top-level decision-makers, resulting in significant change and the advancement of policy priorities.

• San Francisco Downtown Community Benefit District, Board Member & Chair, Clean and Safe Committee, 01/01/2022, Present
• San Francisco Community Benefit District Alliance, Board Vice-Chair, 01/01/2022, Present
• California Travel Association, Board Chair, 01/01/2024, Present
• California Travel Association, Board Vice Chair, 01/01/2023, Present
• California Travel Association, Committees: Executive, Ambassador, Government Relations, PAC Board, Awards, 01/01/2017, Present
• California Travel Association Foundation Board, Member, 01/01/2022, Present
• California Travel Association Political Action Committee, 01/01/2024, Present
• San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, Government Relations Committee, 01/01/2017, Present
• U.S. Travel Association, Government Affairs Committee, 01/01/2017, Present
• Hotel Council of San Francisco, Public Affairs Committee, 01/01/2017, Present
• RescueSF, Leadership Council, 01/01/2019, Present
• French American International School, Vice-Chair, Board of Trustees; Chair Advancement Committee; Member, Diversity Task Force, 01/01/2019, Present

• Led Vision 2025 companywide strategic planning and implementation process.
• Spearheaded the formation of the San Francisco Community Benefit District Alliance Board to create a unified voice for tourism’s most pressing issues. Secured two voting seats for SF Travel and serve as Vice-Chair.
• Direct robust San Francisco community and business engagement programs such as the DEIA Council, Tourism Gives Back, Public Policy Council, and the Clean and Safe Coalition.
• Marshaled support for and managed the new Welcome Ambassador Program and secured over $20M+ in funding from the City and County of San Francisco for this important initiative for retaining and attracting group and convention business.
• National delegation leader for the annual US Travel Association’s Destination Capital Hill Conference.
• Led the renewal, expansion and increase of the TID, ensuring 15 years of funding for sales and marketing initiatives.
• Principal in the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department’s Property and Management Division Initiative that generated $40M+ earned revenue annually.
• Spearheaded the approval and launch of the Moscone Incentive Fund, bringing in $4.6M committed to attracting and retaining group business.
• Collaborated with industry peers in an appeal to the U.S. Economic Development Administration to make funding available for post-COVID tourism recovery, resulting in a $5.5M grant for the SF Travel Association.
• Negotiated complex multi-million-dollar leases, license agreements, and permits with businesses and developers for high-profile projects, proposals, and leases (i.e., Coit Tower, Palace of Fine Arts.)
• Oversee private revenue generation bringing in over $3M in annual revenues to SF Travel.
• Vigorously leads organizational and city-wide DEI initiatives to ensure that San Francisco is an inclusive, equitable, and diverse destination that appeals to sponsorship, event, and convention markets.
• Created and chaired the Homeless Task Force, the only statewide tourism advocacy program that addresses street conditions and their effect on tourism.
• Track local, State and Federal policy that have an impact on California and the visitor industry.