VisitPITTSBURGH Names Susan Klein New Chief Marketing Officer

VisitPITTSBURGH President & CEO Jerad Bachar announced that Susan Klein has been named the Chief Marketing Officer following a nationwide search that began in August. 

Klein brings with her a varied marketing background that includes experience with multiplatform initiatives and serial successes in a variety of verticals, including finance, culture institutions and technology.

“Susan is a dynamic marketer with a high-level of success building and executing multi-channel, business-to-business and business-to-consumer campaigns that are driven by analytics,” Bachar said. “She is an influential communicator, and I know she will serve as a valued marketing leader for our region’s travel economy.”

“I am elated to return to Pittsburgh and join the VisitPITTSBURGH team,” Klein, a Carnegie Mellon University alum, said. “Pittsburgh is a top travel destination with so many unique, exceptional experiences to offer visitors. I want to thank the search committee for its confidence and trust in me. I look forward to working with the local travel and hospitality communities as we continue to build back Allegheny County’s travel and tourism industry. And, most importantly, I look forward to working alongside my VisitPITTSBURGH colleagues as we bring Pittsburgh to the world and the world to Pittsburgh.”

Klein joins VisitPITTSBURGH following a four-year stint (2018-2022) as the Head of Content Marketing for Doublespace, Inc., an award-winning marketing and branding agency with clients in finance, technology, arts and nonprofit including USTrust, NY Public Library, YMCA, Union Savings Bank and NY Marathon.

Prior to her time with Doublespace, Inc., Klein spent eight years in San Francisco, most recently serving as Head of Marketing Communications and Visitor Services for the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (2015-18). Preceding that position, she founded Oculus Marketing, whose client list included Charles Schwab, Wells Fargo, BlackRock and Apple, and served as the Chief Marketing Officer (2010-14). Klein also previously served as Chief Marketing Officer for Morrison & Foerster LLP (2008-10) and Citibank Consumer Assets Division (2006-08). Additionally, she spent three years with Morgan Stanley (Executive Director, Marketing and Communications, 2003-06) and Mastercard (Vice President, Brand Management, 2000-03).

For the last 15 years, Klein has lent project-based marketing experience pro bono as an Account Director for Taproot Foundation. She also is a member of the Police2Peace Board of Advisors and previously served on the Board of Advisors for Dishcrawl, JDRF International and The FeedRoom.

VisitPITTSBURGH is the official tourism marketing and promotion agency of the Pittsburgh region. The organization is dedicated to generating business events, sports events and leisure travel.