As president and CEO of Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau (ACVB), William Pate is charged with maintaining tourism as one of the city's top economic drivers. The industry brought nearly 52 million visitors to metro Atlanta in 2016, generating $15 billion in visitor spending and sustaining approximately 280,000 jobs.

Prior to joining ACVB, Pate served as president of Career Sports & Entertainment, a national sports marketing and representation firm. He is the former chief marketing officer of BellSouth, one of the world's largest communications companies. Prior to joining BellSouth, Pate supervised domestic and international advertising and communications at MCI during the telecom ad wars of the 1990s.

Georgia Trend magazine named Pate to its list of 2017 Notable Georgians. Atlanta Business Chronicle honored him as one of Atlanta's 50 most admired CEOs for the past three years. The Atlanta Chapter of American Marketing Association selected him as corporate marketer of the year, and Atlanta Business Chronicle named him to its 100 most influential Atlantans list every year since 2009. Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International recognized Pate as one of the top 25 most extraordinary minds in sales and marketing.

Pate is very active in the Atlanta community, serving on the board of directors for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Metro Atlanta Chamber, Central Atlanta Progress, Children’s Museum of Atlanta, East Lake Foundation and Woodruff Arts Center. He is also on the Board of Councilors of The Carter Center and the industry advisory board for Georgia State University’s Cecil B. Day School of Hospitality Administration.

Pate’s involvement in Atlanta’s sports industry includes serving on the boards of Atlanta Sports Council, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl and College Football Hall of Fame. He is currently vice president of the Atlanta Host Committee, which will manage the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship, Super Bowl LIII in 2019 and 2020 NCAA Men’s Final Four.

He is also a leader in the nation’s hospitality industry, serving on the boards of directors of U.S. Travel Association and Destinations International.

A native of Atlanta, Pate grew up in Decatur and attended Georgia State University where he received his undergraduate degree in journalism and his graduate degree in communications.