LAS VEGAS
Rossi Ralenkotter, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), announced he is planning to retire during an authority board meeting, according to a story published in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The newspaper previously ran a report highlighting the mishandling of authority funds, including gift cards, and noted that Ralenkotter used $16,207 for personal travel.
Ralenkotter has since apologized for his actions and paid back the money spent as travel gift cards to the agency.
The article reported that Ralenkotter did not provide a retirement date but said he was “having conversations” with board members about stepping down from the publicly funded tourism agency and putting together a financial retirement package. He also told the board members of his battle with cancer over the past several years and his accomplishments during his time at the LVCVA.
“I’ve accomplished what I wanted to do,” Ralenkotter said to board members, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal article. “The vision has been completed. I will always sell Las Vegas. That will never change.”
When reached for further comment by Meetings Today, the LVCVA responded as follows.
"At this time, we don’t have any communications related to Rossi’s comments," an LVCVA representative said. "At the meeting, he did say he’d be getting back to the board with a more detailed plan in the future."
Ralenkotter has worked with the LVCVA for more than four decades.
Click here to read the full article from the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
