Michael Woody is the Chief Tourism Officer for Galveston Island, leading daily operations for the Convention and Visitors Bureau.  He moved to Galveston Island in July of 2019 and lives in the downtown Historic District.  Born in Bethesda Maryland, Michael grew up as an Army Brat, moving every 2-3 years.  His family moved to Dallas just prior to his senior year of Highschool and both college and careers kept him in the DFW area for 32 years.  He moved to San Antonio in 2017 and then to the Island in 2019.  Michael is married to Kevin Smith and has a daughter Lauren Woody who is a Senior at the University of Arkansas.

Michael has more than 36 years of leadership experience in hospitality and tourism with an emphasis on operations, sales, marketing, communications and public relations. Most recently this has included the VP of Community Relations and Development at Visit San Antonio, executive management positions in hospitality development and consulting, and leadership roles as the Chief Operations Officer at Meeting Professionals International and the Assistant Executive Director at the Grapevine Convention and Visitors Bureau. He has also worked for American Airlines as the publisher of the in-flight collection of magazines, overseeing American Way, Celebrated Living and American Airlines Nexos as well as the custom publishing portfolio of magazines. In addition, his background includes management positions with national restaurant chains and global hotel brands.

Michael holds a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management from The University of North Texas where he served as Chair of the Board of Governors and is now a member of the Dean’s Advisory Board for the College. Michael also has served on the Board of Advisors for the University of Houston Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management, San Antonio Campus, and as a Board Member for the Texas Association of Convention & Visitor’s Bureaus.