shown: Virgin Falls, Sparta Tennessee
Dr. Suzanne Cook
Sr. Vice President of Research
Travel Industry Association
Dr. Suzanne Cook is Senior Vice President of Research for the Travel Industry Association (TIA) in Washington, DC. She directs a multi-faceted program of marketing, economic and international research and report publication, including the Travel Economic Impact Model, the only national model which provides consistent and comparable estimates of both domestic and international travel's economic impact at the national, state, and local levels. TIA also provides consumer travel research to the industry through two major programs: TIA TravelScope®/DIRECTIONS® by DKS&A and TravelHorizons ™ , a bi-monthly travel intentions survey conducted in partnership with Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown & Russell, both designed to monitor the size, characteristics and growth of existing and emerging travel markets on an ongoing basis.
Dr. Cook is the principal author of many reports, a frequent speaker at industry conferences, and an adjunct faculty member at The George Washington University. She has taught graduate level courses in research methods both in Washington, D.C. and abroad, and has served as President and chairperson of the Board of the International Travel and Tourism Research Association (TTRA). Travel Agent Magazine named Dr. Cook as one of the 200 most powerful women in the travel industry. She is the recipient of the Travel and Tourism Research Association's highest and most prestigious award, The Lifetime Achievement Award, as well as the Access to Freedom Award given by the Society for Accessible Travel & Hospitality.
Dr. Cook joined TIA in 1977. Prior to that, she held the position of Senior Project Director for the Arbitron Company, a major broadcasting research firm. She received a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Social Psychology from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. She resides in Alexandria, Virginia, but also owns, with her husband, an historic tavern in Bryantown, Maryland. Reflecting her interest in heritage tourism, she also serves on the Board of Governors of the Alexandria Convention And Visitors Association, as well as on the Board of Directors of the Southern Maryland Heritage Area Consortium, as well.