Brand USA’s Interim Chief Has One Job
Caroline Beteta takes over Brand USA on 9 November with a single brief: win reauthorization before funding runs out in September 2027, as overseas arrivals keep falling.
Brand USA has handed its leadership to someone who has done the job before, and the choice tells the trade where the organization’s attention will sit for the next year: not on campaigns, but on Capitol Hill.
Caroline Beteta becomes interim president and CEO of Brand USA on 9 November 2026. She succeeds Fred Dixon, who leaves on 13 November and starts as president and CEO of NYC Tourism + Conventions on 1 December, according to the Brand USA announcement reported by TravelPulse. Dixon’s departure was first disclosed by the board in August.
Beteta led Visit California from January 1998 until September 2026. She is no stranger to Brand USA either: Skift reports she served as its interim president and CEO from June to October 2012 and has held board roles including chair.
A one-item agenda
Beteta has framed the appointment narrowly. “My focus will be singular: securing Brand USA’s reauthorization and ensuring this critical organization can continue its mission of welcoming the world to the United States,” she said in the announcement.
The timing explains why. According to Skift, Congress has funded Brand USA through September 2027 and is expected to take up reauthorization in the coming months. The organization has already absorbed a sharp cut: the federal matching cap was reduced by 80% in 2025, removing roughly $80 million a year, and Brand USA cut about 15% of its staff in September 2025, Skift reports. Five of its 11 board seats remain unfilled.
Read next · Trend AnalysisThe Vacation Americans Won't Cut2 min →The board approved a $165 million budget for fiscal 2027 at its July meeting, according to its August update.
Board chair Todd Davidson said Beteta “has led this organization before, she knows our partners and our mission, and she built Visit California into one of the most respected destination marketing organizations in the world.”
The demand backdrop
The change lands as inbound numbers weaken. Skift, citing National Travel and Tourism Office figures, puts overseas visitors in August 2026 at nearly 3.1 million, down almost 12% year over year.
For the outbound-focused luxury trade, Brand USA’s fortunes matter less directly. But for inbound operators, DMCs and US hotels that rely on long-haul visitors, a reauthorization fight with a reduced federal match puts more of the selling burden on states, cities and private partners.
For advisors
- Inbound partners: expect Brand USA’s international marketing and trade-show presence to stay constrained while reauthorization is unresolved; lean on state and city DMOs for co-op support.
- US hotels courting long-haul guests: soft overseas demand means more negotiating room on shoulder-season rates and value-adds for domestic and Canadian clients.
- Watch: the reauthorization bill’s timing, whether the matching cap is restored, and when a permanent CEO search begins.
- New York clients: Dixon returns to NYC Tourism + Conventions on 1 December; expect a refreshed trade push from the city in 2027.
Sources
Jeff Cameron is a chief operating officer who writes about the business of travel: operations, pricing, loyalty and the decisions behind the trips, seen through an executive lens.