As the executive vice president of marketing and distribution for the nonprofit Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), Bob Sharak is charged with furthering the association’s strategic promotional goals and objectives and serving the needs of its over 16,000 travel agency members and the world’s 24 major cruise lines, which collectively represent 98 percent of the cruise capacity marketed in North America.

Sharak, who joined CLIA in March 1993, directs all consumer and trade marketing efforts and promotional initiatives, including the association’s annual cruise3sixty travel agent conference and trade show, Web site development cruising.org, advertising and E-marketing, collateral production, CLIA’s annual National Cruise Vacation Month and World’s Largest Cruise Night campaigns. In addition, he manages industry alliances and partnerships, and spearheads CLIA’s travel agency membership programs, including its portfolio of gold-standard training programs.

Prior to entering the nonprofit arena, Sharak held senior marketing positions for several travel companies, including the Hertz Corporation, the Trump Organization, PeopleExpress and Continental Airlines.