Marianas Visitors Authority’s Concepcion to resign in February

Marianas Visitors Authority managing director Christopher A. Concepcion will resign in February. He submitted his resignation letter on Jan. 15, 2025, to the MVA board of directors. He said his last day will be on Feb. 28, 2025. His first day on the job was in May 2023.

“Our work has brought much success, and many challenges, but I truly believe in the continued potential of our team. However, after careful consideration, I have made the difficult decision to step down from my role in order to pursue other professional opportunities,” he said in his resignation letter.

Concepcion added, “I am confident that this decision is in the best interest of both myself and the MVA moving forward.”

The outgoing managing director said he would ensure a smooth transition and offered to help identify his replacement.

MVA board chair Gloria Cavanagh confirmed that Concepcion made the announcement at their monthly board meeting earlier this week.

“While he chose not to reveal his next career move, I have no doubt he will tackle it with the same commitment and excellence he has demonstrated over the past two years. The position of managing director at MVA is tough and often thankless; many may think they can do it better, but very few actually dare to take on the challenge. Like me, Chris has faced significant adversity and criticism, yet he has always prioritized the needs of the CNMI and performed admirably,” she told Marianas Press.

Gov. Arnold I. Palacios issued a statement Thursday afternoon extending well wishes to Concepcion and said that he played an influential role in the tourism industry.

The governor said in a press release, “Unfortunately, this comes at a time when the tourism industry is facing challenges, such as post-pandemic recovery efforts and change in visitor demographics. This creates both uncertainty as well as opportunities for new leadership to address these issues and bring new ideas or approaches that could benefit the tourism landscape.”