Growing up in the rural Four Corners town of Bloomfield, New Mexico, Tania Armenta was driven to compete. “I grew up doing some rodeoing—barrel racing, pole bending, roping,” Armenta, the president and CEO of Visit Albuquerque, notes. “As I got into junior high and high school, I was much more involved in the dance team. We had a dance team that participated in competitions—we were state champions, and we also won a national championship during my tenure.”
After attending college at the University of Nebraska, she returned to New Mexico and settled in Albuquerque. In 1998, she joined Visit Albuquerque as a public relations specialist, and she went on to serve as director of communications; vice president of marketing, communications, and tourism; and chief operating officer/chief marketing officer. She took over as president and CEO in early 2016. She serves as a New Mexico Tourism Commissioner and on several national and regional boards, including as the chair of the Destinations International Accreditation Board, and of those for the Albuquerque International Balloon Festival, the Jennifer Riordan Foundation, and Ski New Mexico. She is also an inductee into the New Mexico Tourism Hall of Fame.
“I have been with one organization [Visit Albuquerque] for 26 years,” Armenta says. “What I love about this community is the way it embraces affecting change. This organization is doing great work from a community-leadership standpoint and in the overall contribution to our community, but also with a vision for the future, being really committed to moving Albuquerque forward and in making it an even better place.”
What she really loves about her adopted city is its authenticity. She says, “[In Albuquerque, planners have] the ability to weave culture into the meeting experience. When you walk into our convention center, it doesn’t look like any other convention center—it’s authentically Albuquerque. [You see the city’s culture reflected in] the artwork within the convention center. We have a fresco that is being painted by a famous fresco artist right now. Frederico Vigil created [the ‘Mundos de Mestizaje’ fresco] at the National Hispanic Cultural Center, and now he’s working on a fresco at the convention center. When people are seeking someplace that is a bit different, Albuquerque fits the bill. We have a wonderful and special destination; visitors understand just how special this place is.”