Management Team

Leonard Hoops is President & CEO of Visit Indy, the official destination management organization of Indianapolis. He joined Visit Indy in 2011 and leads a team of 58 industry professionals who are charged with growing Central Indiana’s nearly $6 billion convention, tourism, and event business.

Under Hoops’ leadership, Visit Indy has shattered all-time records for convention and tourism sales, been named the #1 convention city in America by USA Today, and ranked as a top visitor destination by The New York Times, Conde Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, and Time. Visit Indy has also been recognized as a “Best Place to Work in Indiana” for ten consecutive years. Hoops also leads Tourism Tomorrow Indy which oversees Indy’s Destination Vision.

Prior to joining Visit Indy, Hoops was EVP & Chief Customer Officer of San Francisco Travel for five years, where he led teams that produced all-time convention sales records and managed international tourism development offices in 13 countries. In Hoops’ 35+ years of destination and corporate marketing experience, he has also served as SVP & Chief Marketing Officer of the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau, SVP of Marketing of the San Jose Convention & Visitors Bureau, and managed corporate communications for a $1 billion global division of FMC Corp. (then a Fortune 120 company).

Hoops has been named one of the 250 most influential business leaders in Indiana (the “Indiana 250”) by the Indianapolis Business Journal, an “Indiana Living Legend” by the Indiana Historical Society, one of the “25 Most Influential People in the Meetings Industry” by Successful Meetings, and one of the “Top 25 Most Extraordinary Minds in Hospitality & Travel Sales & Marketing” by HSMAI. He has received the Sloan-Kettering Award for Business from Delta Upsilon Fraternity, a Kinetic Catalyst Award from Smart Meetings, and the Vonnegut Humor Award from the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library. Most recently, he was inducted into the Junior Achievement of Central Indiana’s Business Hall of Fame.

Hoops earned a BA in Journalism from San Jose State University and an MBA from Santa Clara University, both with honors.

He serves as the past chair of PCMA and on the boards of the U.S. Travel Association, the Marion County Capital Improvement Board, the Indy Chamber, Downtown Indy, the Indiana Sports Corp., the Immigrant Welcome Center, the Conner Prairie Museum (executive committee) and the Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee. He is also a Governor’s appointee to the Indiana Protection and Advocacy Services (IPAS) Commission. He has previously served on the boards of Destinations International, Super Bowl XLVI (2012), the 2022 College Football Playoff Championship, the NBA and WNBA All-Star Games and several NCAA Final Fours.

Hoops and his family (wife, Dorene; children, Cannon & Avalon) live in downtown Indianapolis.

As executive vice president and chief business officer, Chris directs Visit Indy’s sales, marketing, and customer service functions along with community engagement, government relations, and fundraising. This includes overseeing a budget of $15 million to sell and market Indy as a destination to visit and hold meetings. During his 21-year tenure, Chris has led the effort to rebrand the organization and the city’s brand positioning in support of driving tourism to record-setting levels. Prior to Visit Indy, he was part owner of a marketing firm in Honolulu, helping Hawaii tourism. Chris was named a “Indiana Top 250” business leader by the Indianapolis Business Journal. He holds a degree in communications from Butler University, where he also sits on the University’s Board of Trustees. His community service also includes currently serving on the Indianapolis Urban League Board, Madam Walker Legacy Center Board, Indianapolis Indians Board, Indy Economic Development Board, and the Eiteljorg Museum Board. His wife Catherine serves as a vice principal of a middle school in Central Indiana and they have two sons, Kanoa and Kai.

Susie has been part of the hospitality and meeting professional industry for over 31 years. She is a graduate of the Indiana University School of Business with a degree in Marketing. Susie started her career working for Hyatt Hotels and for the past 30 years has been with Visit Indy having roles in both sales and services. In her current role Susie oversees convention services, convention housing, and visitor experience. Susie was a loaned executive for the Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee for Super Bowl XLVI in 2012. She has served as the chair or on the board for local organizing committees for the United States Conference of Mayors, the NCAA Men’s Final Four, the NCAA Women’s Final Four, and currently is serving on the Meeting Professionals International Global Board of Trustees. In addition, Susie is a lecturer for the TCEM (Tourism, Convention, and Event Management) Department at IUPUI. Susie is married to Bill and is the proud mom of two children, Matt and Rebecca.

James began his Visit Indy career in 1990 as accounting manager with previous experience on the audit staff at Arthur Young (now Ernst & Young). During his time at Visit Indy James has increased visitor quantity by 50%; designed and implemented an ROI-based flexible pricing model for the Indiana Convention Center; implemented systems to measure the economic impact of conventions and meetings; coordinated a statewide approach to economic impact for the state and many Indiana counties; fostered the creation of the Indiana Sports Impact Calculator; secured new sources of revenue; restructured the team to align with new goals and the changing environment; and designed and implemented custom productivity solutions including customer relationship management (CRM), content management systems, and business intelligence solutions. James serves on the boards of the Indiana Tourism Association (past president), Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site (past chair), and the FBI Indianapolis Citizens Academy and was appointed to the Indiana Tourism Council by Governor Eric Holcomb. He is a CPA and a graduate of Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas. James and his wife Missy have three children, Lincoln, Landon, and Katelyn.

Visit Indy’s Management Team also includes a Leadership Council, with two directors serving each month with the CEO and VPs in Executive Team meetings to guide the organization’s business strategies and operational policies. The Leadership Council also meets independently to ideate and identify/address challenges in achieving our annual organizational goals.