After nearly six years with Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), Kelly Craighead, the association’s president and CEO, has decided to step down at the end of the year as part of a planned leadership transition.
CLIA represents a broad network of the world’s leading ocean, river, and specialty cruise lines, as well as a community of highly trained travel agents and a diverse group of stakeholders, including ports, destinations, shipbuilders, suppliers, and business services.
During her tenure as president and CEO, Kelly led the organization’s efforts as the leading global voice of the cruise industry across its five regions: North America, Europe, Australasia, Brazil, and the United Kingdom and Ireland. A key aspect of her leadership involved shaping and executing CLIA’s advocacy strategy, supporting the international coalition that drives the global cruise sector.
Under Kelly’s guidance, CLIA and its members have made significant strides in promoting responsible tourism, increasing industry investment in research, development, and education, and launching advocacy and promotional initiatives that benefit the cruise community and its partners.
Kelly joined CLIA in January 2019, bringing over two decades of leadership experience in both the public and private sectors, including her role as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Travel and Tourism at the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Earlier in her career, she held senior roles at the White House, where she traveled extensively on official government business, building a strong network of international partners across government, media, and business sectors. Before joining CLIA, she founded Vertimas Consulting, providing strategic planning and business development support to private sector clients, including the World Travel and Tourism Council. An active advocate for travel and tourism, Kelly has served on Visit Florida’s board of directors since July 2020 and was recognized as the “Outstanding Woman in Travel and Tourism Leadership” by Women in Travel and Tourism Industries in 2017.