Suzanne D. Cook
Senior Vice President of Research

Dr. Suzanne Cook is Senior Vice President of Research for the U.S. Travel Association 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. U.S. Travel also monitors the size, characteristics and growth of existing and emerging travel markets on an ongoing basis through programs such as TravelHorizons ™, a quarterly travel survey conducted in conjunction with the Ypartnership.

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 in Washington, D.C., abroad, and online, and has served as President and Chair 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 U.S. Travel 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 spends time at the historic tavern she owns with her husband 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 has served on the Board of Directors of the Southern Maryland Heritage Area Consortium.