Anne Madison is chief strategy and communications officer for Brand USA, the nation’s destination marketing organization with the mission of increasing international visitation to the United States in order to fuel the nation's economy and enhance the image of the USA worldwide. In this role, Anne is responsible for developing and directing the organization's strategy and planning in addition to leading the global communications strategies that advance Brand USA’s mission and funding, raise its visibility worldwide, and build engagement with industry and other business leaders.
Her specific areas of responsibility include oversight for strategy, external and internal communications, global media relations, business-to-business (B2B) marketing, stakeholder engagement, public policy communications, and strategic meetings and events.
Since joining Brand USA in 2012, Anne has established the strategic foundation on which Brand USA pursues its mission and developed compelling communications strategies that have significantly raised awareness of Brand USA's marketing successes and impact on increasing international visitation to the United States, as well as enhanced the organization's relationships with stakeholders worldwide.
She has won numerous awards, including those from the Public Relations Society of America, Financial World magazine, and the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International. In addition, she has been recognized as one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women, has twice been named one of the Top Women in PR by PR News (2016 and 2017), and was honored by Women in Travel and Tourism International as one of the Top Women in Travel Industry Leadership (2017).
How has your life experience made you the leader you are today?
I moved nearly every two years growing up, and anyone who has had that experience knows the school cafeteria can be a very daunting place. It wasn’t easy always being the new kid, but that experience made me to be more resilient and adaptable and, importantly, taught me to embrace change.
I also had two very strong role models in my parents. My father, a retired executive at Procter & Gamble, was the first in his family to go to college, which he did on a hard-earned academic scholarship. He has taught me the value of unyielding integrity, a strong work ethic, and strategy. I also learned from my father the value of diversity—and watched as he promoted women in positions of leadership. My mother, who also put herself through school, was a registered nurse. Her intelligence, perseverance, and caring character set a high bar for me and others. Their influence on me has been integral to my personal and professional life.
How has your previous employment experience aided your tenure at Brand USA?
During my senior year in college, I earned my first professional position with the Springfield Metropolitan Housing Authority—crafting both the public relations position description and objectives. My work at the housing authority received public recognition by then U.S. Rep. Michael DeWine (R-Ohio) from 1983 to 1990 and now Attorney General for the State of Ohio. That experience sparked my love for communications and helped me learn how to work with people with different backgrounds and who have worked every day of their lives to overcome life’s obstacles.
A couple years later, I moved to Washington, D.C. and took a sales job. And while I was only in that position for a short period of time, that experience taught me not only to sell a product, but an idea and connect it to long-term strategy.
But I think the biggest impact on my career was the decision I made to take a communications position with a publicly traded homebuilding company. I wanted to re-focus my career on strategic communications, but to do so meant taking a nearly 50 percent pay cut. Because I took that risk and a huge step backwards in compensation, I was able to jump forward. During my tenure at that company, I worked for and earned the respect of three different CEOs and was able to hone my ability to be agile, think strategically, and develop sophisticated communications strategies to achieve long-term business objectives.
What have the highlights and challenges been during your tenure at Brand USA?
Being a part of an amazing mission with the first-ever public-private partnership to fuel the nation’s economy through the power of travel is undoubtedly a highlight of my role at Brand USA. Another is being re-authorized a year early for federal funding because of the tremendous bipartisan support and recognition of the importance of international travel as the nation’s number 1 service export. The social and economic benefits of promoting international travel to the United States are incredible, and I’m honored to be part of this amazing industry and organization.
What advice can you offer to women who want a career in your industry?
Be strategic, be resourceful, and be resilient. Collaborate and bring others along as you rise in your career. And lastly, embrace diversity, in thought, in mind and in person.
What is the most important lesson you’ve learned in your career to date?
Live on the possibilities side of things and embrace change and diversity. By doing that, you’ll be better equipped to think big, boldly, and broadly—and connect everything to a long-term strategy.
How do you maintain a work/life balance?
First of all, you have to define what work/life balance means to you—not anyone else. For me, it’s making sure you’re taking care of yourself as much as you’re taking care of others.
What do you think is the biggest issue for women in the workplace?
I believe the biggest issue for women in the workplace is the lack of understanding that men and women think and communicate differently.
As a communications professional, I never communicate anything without first understanding who my audience is and the best method to communicate with them.
And it’s critical that people assume the best of intentions of others. You have to start from a place of positivity to drive positive outcomes.
How has mentorship made a difference in your professional and personal life?
Mentorship is about growth – helping people to grow professionally and personally. I’ve been fortunate to have several mentors throughout my life and in all aspects of my life—from my parents to coaches during my years as a competitive swimmer to CEOs.
My mentors taught me the value of mentoring others. I wouldn’t be where I am in my career, or where I am in life, without the mentors that I’ve had—and it’s important to give back.
What do you want Brand USA to accomplish over the next few years?
The campaigns and marketing initiatives Brand USA has launched over the past four years, together with our many partners, have helped welcome 4.3 million incremental international visitors and $13.6 billion in incremental visitor spending—which has benefited the U.S. economy with nearly $30 billion in total economic impact and has supported, on average, 50,900 incremental jobs a year. In the next year, we will continue to build on this momentum, challenge ourselves even further and deliver on our promise to fuel the nation’s economy by inspiring the world to visit the USA and support the United States National Travel and Tourism Strategy to welcome 100 million annual visitors by 2021.