NANCY HELMAN | Director, Virginia Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau

The first woman to lead the city’s tourism program since its inception, Nancy Helman oversees an organization that welcomes 14.1 million annual visitors, generating $3.8 billion in economic impact.

In the role since 2021, Helman manages a multimillion-dollar budget and leads more than 100 full-time professionals tasked with promoting meetings and conventions and leisure, business, international and sports travel to Virginia’s most populous city.

What’s the secret to Helman’s success? Possibly her ability to collaborate.

“I embrace the idea that working together and inspiring and empowering team members leads to successful outcomes,” she says.

With her workforce, Helman values traits that sometimes get overlooked: adaptability, emotional intelligence and determination.

“As a leader, recognizing these qualities is an important step toward achieving success in an organization,” she says.
Previously, Helman worked as director of the sports marketing program for the convention and visitors bureau. She managed planning and development for the Virginia Beach Sports Center, a $68 million facility that opened in 2020.

A Virginia Beach native and Kellam High School graduate, Helman earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a minor in sports administration from the University of South Carolina, where she was the first female sports editor of the student newspaper.

Return to the full list of this year’s recipients