Diana Mayhew became Executive Director of the National Cherry Blossom Festival in 2000, and has been President of the National Cherry Blossom Festival since 2007. Under her leadership, the Festival has grown from an all-volunteer, seasonal organization to a fully staffed, year-round 501(c)(3) not-for-profit.  Her success as a “connector” has led to developing strong partnerships with business, media, government and industry leaders; resulting in the Festival’s growth in programming, funding, and staff support.   Today, the strengthened brand of the Festival receives local, national and international recognition, attracting more than one million visitors to Washington, DC each year and generating over $150 million for the nation’s capital annually. Diana is a 25-year veteran of Washington’s hospitality industry.  Her previous experience includes serving as the Marketing Director of Odyssey Cruises and the Spirit of Washington, where she first became involved with the Festival as a volunteer herself.  Diana Mayhew is a member of Leadership Greater Washington, the Destination DC Marketing Advisory Committee, and the Woman’s Leadership Group of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Washington. Diana and her husband, Carey, longtime residents of suburban Maryland, have four children.

Diana Mayhew joined the National Cherry Blossom Festival in 2000 as its first full-time paid staff member, growing the organization from a seasonal, all-volunteer organization to a year-round, fully staffed nonprofit. She led the three-year run-up to the festival’s 2012 centennial, raising more than $5 million in cash and in-kind contributions, luring 1.5 million people and generating hundreds of millions of dollars for the region’s economy.