MIDDLETOWN – The state’s official meetings and sports event sales and marketing organization has elected a new chair and vice chair to its board Thursday, July 17.
Alex Peterson, senior advisor and director of government affairs for the Connecticut Airport Authority (CAA), is the new chair and Tina Mazzullo, area director of sales and marketing at the Residence Inn Stamford Downtown and the Courtyard Stamford Downtown, is the new vice chair for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. Peterson succeeds Thomas Madden, who served as chair of the board since 2018.
“We congratulate Alex Peterson and Tina Mazzullo to these top positions on our board; both are knowledgeable about what it takes to sell our state to planners as a prime destination for conventions, meetings and sports events,” said Robert Murdock, president of the Connecticut Convention & Sports Bureau.
“Alex’s expertise and partnerships within Connecticut’s transportation, business, and hospitality industries are invaluable as we work to secure new and return bookings for our state, and he brings legislative relations experience to this position. “Tina is a longtime Fairfield County-area hospitality and sales professional who has worked with many planners and their meetings and events at various hotel brands.”
Murdock reports that bookings by the bureau in FY25 generated approximately $55.8 million in revenue for the state, as visitors stayed in Connecticut hotels, dined in restaurants, shopped and enjoyed attractions. An estimated 15,540 jobs in the state’s hospitality industry were supported, and $3.39 million in Connecticut taxes were generated.
Peterson joined the bureau’s board in July 2020 and, two years later, was elected to its Executive Committee. He is an appointed member of the Connecticut-Ireland Trade Commission, a board member of the Connecticut Tourism Coalition, and a member of the Bradley Development League Operations Committee. Peterson was also recognized in Airport Business magazine’s “Top 40 Under 40” list in 2024. Prior to joining the CAA in 2014, Peterson served as a legislative aide in the Connecticut General Assembly, a campaign manager for a State Senate campaign, and a legislative intern in Sen. John Kerry’s Washington, D.C. office. Peterson holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass. He lives in West Hartford, Conn. with his wife and son.
Mazzullo began her career as a guest service agent in the hotel industry and quickly grew into operations and sales management roles. She brings over a decade of hands-on hospitality experience, working with clients in corporate, airport/international travel, social-collegiate, and entertainment segments in various hotel brands.
Previously, Mazzullo served as a General Manager with Dream Hotel Group and as director of sales and marketing with Island Hospitality. She currently serves as a director of Stamford Center of the Arts and Stamford Chamber of Commerce board, and she co-chairs the Chamber of Commerce’s Young Professional Program – HYPE. The Stamford resident also is an advisor to J.M. Wright Technical High School – Hospitality and Tourism School, and she volunteers her time with Person–to–person, nonprofit serving lower Fairfield County.
