Former Hilton executive named to head L.A. tourism board

A former executive with Hilton Hotels Corp. has been named president and chief executive of the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board.

Ernest Wooden Jr., a former executive vice president for global brand management at Hilton, was named by the board Thursday to replace Mark Liberman, who retired last year.

Most recently, Wooden has worked in Southern California as a consultant to the hotel industry. Before that, he spent more than a decade in senior positions at Hilton.

Wooden is a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., who earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in management science from Thomas Edison State College in Trenton, N.J.

“We are very pleased to welcome someone with Ernie’s depth of global hospitality branding and operations experience,” said Tom Mullen, chairman of the tourism board. “He is known in the industry for building relationships and driving business results, and we look forward to working with him to capitalize on the momentum our tourism industry is enjoying.”

Tourism is one of Los Angeles’ top industries, with the city expected to set a record with a projected 41.3 million visitors in 2012, according to the tourism board.

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