DMA West Foundation Establishes “Brad Burlingame Honorary Scholarship” at Cal Poly Pomona
In recognition of Brad Burlingame’s commitment to the destination marketing industry, the DMA West Education & Research Foundation has established a legacy scholarship in his name. The “Brad Burlingame Honorary Scholarship” will be awarded annually to a sophomore or junior studying at Cal Poly Pomona in California.
Burlingame served as President & CEO of what now is Visit West Hollywood (WeHo) for 18 years. Under his leadership, Visit WeHo helped West Hollywood become a major travel destination. He passed away in December 2015. It is so fitting and special that Visit West Hollywood has made the first donation pledge ($5,000) to the scholarship program.
He gave many years of dedicated service to the Association and Foundation. Burlingame served six years on the WACVB (now DMA West) Board of Directors, including service as its Board President. He also served as President of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation. Burlingame believed in introducing young people to the destination marketing profession and was a widely respected leader in the industry.
When Burlingame was honored in 2013 with the Association’s “Spirit of Leadership Award,” he penned post-award comments about receiving the award. These are just some of his comments: "It is always nice to be honored even though my personal philosophy is not to seek the spotlight. Simply Accept the Big Challenge and Be a Leader. That kind of professional attitude is one of the many rewards I have received from WACVB (now DMA West) throughout the years.”
Each year, a $1,500 scholarship (or scholarships) will be awarded to a sophomore or junior enrolled at Cal Poly Pomona. Please join us in celebrating Brad Burlingame’s contributions to the destination marketing industry and his commitment to encouraging young people to explore career paths in our profession. We invite you to make a tax-deductible contribution to the DMA West Foundation for the “Brad Burlingame Honorary Scholarship” fund. For more information, contact DMA West Foundation staff at (916) 443-9012 or info@dmawest.org.