SACKETS HARBOR — Michael Bristol has assumed the role of president and CEO of Seaway Trail, Inc., the organization that promotes the 518-mile Great Lakes Seaway Trail scenic driving route.
He takes over in the leadership role today, making him the second president and CEO in the Sackets Harbor–based organization’s history. Bristol succeeds Teresa Mitchell, who held the positions from 1986 until she passed away in January of this year. Charles Krupke, a former Seaway Trail, Inc. board chairman, has been serving as the group’s interim executive director.
“We are pleased to bring aboard Mike Bristol with his proven fundraising and development skills, his knowledge of the tourism industry, and his ability to develop successful partnerships,” current Seaway Trail, Inc. Chairman John Hall said in a news release.
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Bristol previously served as director of marketing and outreach for the Antique Boat Museum on the Great Lakes Seaway Trail in Clayton. He was president and CEO of the Tallahassee Area Convention and Visitors Bureau in Florida from 2002 to 2005, and has also been the associate director of Seminole Boosters, Inc., which is a fundraising corporation for Florida State University.
The Great Lakes Seaway Trail is a scenic driving route along the St. Lawrence River, Lake Ontario, Niagara River, and Lake Erie. It stretches from Massena in New York to a Pennsylvania section on Lake Erie that terminates at the Ohio state line. It is a National Scenic Byway and New York State Scenic Byway that has also been designated a bicycle route in both New York and Pennsylvania.
“The Great Lakes Seaway Trail is the leading regional tourism, cultural, and economic-development organization that puts New York and Pennsylvania on an internationally recognized stage by promoting the unique inland coastline of the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence River region and its dynamic travel opportunities,” Bristol said. “I look forward to the opportunity to promote the fabulous National Scenic Byway experiences that are found only on the Great Lakes Seaway Trail.”
Contact Seltzer at rseltzer@cnybj.com
