The Greater Pooler Area Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau has announced the selection of Christian J. “CJ” Jackson as Director of Destination Development following an executive search coordinated by The Chason Group.

Jackson brings more than a decade of experience in strategic growth, business development, partnerships, organizational leadership and market intelligence. His career has focused on building relationships, identifying growth opportunities, and using data to strengthen organizational performance.

Most recently, Jackson worked in strategic growth and partnerships at HIG Education Consulting, developing national growth strategies, market intelligence tools, and business development systems. Previously, as Director of Business Development for CG Schmidt, he led regional growth efforts and originated a $16 million project opportunity. Earlier, he managed 65 national education accounts for Douglas Stewart Company and achieved 10.5 percent year-over-year growth.

“CJ brings a strong combination of strategic thinking, relationship development and results-focused leadership,” said Kate Miller, President & CEO of the Greater Pooler Area Chamber of Commerce. “His ability to build partnerships, identify opportunities and use data to guide decisions will be valuable as we continue strengthening Pooler’s position as a destination and expanding the economic impact of tourism in our community.”

Jackson said he sees tourism as an important economic development tool and believes Pooler can continue building its own destination identity while complementing the broader Savannah tourism market.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to serve the Greater Pooler Area Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau and invest in a community with so much potential,” Jackson said. “I look forward to working with Kate, the Chamberteam, hospitality partners and community stakeholders to strengthen Pooler’s destination identity and create opportunities that generate lasting economic impact.”

As Director of Destination Development, Jackson will lead tourism promotion and destination development efforts, including destination marketing, event and group-travel recruitment, hospitality and regional partnerships, tourism performance analysis, and strategies to increase visitation, overnight stays and visitor spending.

Jackson holds an MBA from the University of Cincinnati and a bachelor’s degree from Langston University. His leadership involvement has included strategic planning and capital campaign committees and technology advisory groups. He was also an NCAA Division I football student-athlete.