Hospitality | Tourism 2023: CLIFFORD B. ‘CLIFF’ FLEET

A corporate executive and college professor, Fleet became the ninth president of the world’s largest living history museum in 2020. He is charged with sharing America’s enduring story with new and diverse audiences, while improving its financial health.

Before joining the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Fleet served as CEO and president of 22nd Century Group and, prior to that, was president and CEO of Richmond-based tobacco manufacturer Philip Morris USA. He is also an adjunct professor in William & Mary’s Raymond A. Mason School of Business.

Fleet served as president of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation from 2014 to 2019 and had been a board member since 2009. Fleet earned his bachelor’s degree in history and religion, and graduate degrees in history, business administration and law from William & Mary.

In March, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission hosted the first planning event for America’s 250th anniversary in 2026. Nearly 300 representatives from 34 states and 50 Virginia localities gathered on the Colonial Williamsburg campus to explore ways to mark the anniversary and acknowledge the global significance of the founding of the United States in 1776.