Malinda Harrell is the Director of Sales for the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau. She has been part of the hospitality industry for 25+ years. At the Greater Raleigh CVB, Harrell oversees the sales team tasked with promoting Raleigh/Wake County as a meetings destination, directing strategic selling initiatives and key areas of business development.
Harrell is an Industry Veteran and has served on the boards of Association Executives of North Carolina (AENC) and Meeting Professionals International (MPI) – Carolinas Chapter, for which she also served as its first African-American President in 2015. Her current service includes Meeting Professionals International Anti Human Trafficking Task force, Past Presidents Council for the MPI Carolinas Chapter and AENC’s Awards and Scholarships Committee.
Her roots started in the small town of Tarboro, NC where the seed was planted to be a good force in the world. She strives to embody her favorite quote; “Be the change you wish to see in the world” – Mahatma Gandhi.
To that end, Harrell firmly believes in the value meetings, conventions and tourism overall bring to a destination. From job creation to tax generation, quality of place and broader economic development, she’s a huge advocate for the role tourism can play in shaping and bettering a community. She also believes the hospitality and service industry plays a vital role in providing career opportunities to all people and therefor works tirelessly to help others gain and grow employment within the industry.
She continues to be inspired daily by the hospitality and service industry and is proud to be a part of it.