North of Boston

Nancy Gardella serves as the Executive Director of the North of Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau. With a strong background in tourism and nonprofit leadership, she has steered regional promotion and marketing efforts since joining the bureau in early 2022 following over 15 years leading the Martha’s Vineyard Chamber of Commerce. Gardella brings a passion for storytelling, a wealth of advocacy experience for tourism funding, and a positive, energetic leadership style that supports growth and collaboration across the region.

The North of Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau is a private, nonprofit, membership-based regional tourism council founded in 1955 and located in Salisbury at the Maria Miles Visitor Center on I-95. It promotes Essex County—including its communities from Salisbury to Rockport—as a premier, year-round travel destination by acting as the official liaison with the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism. The bureau supports more than 200 member businesses across accommodations, dining, attractions, events, and cultural institutions, while offering visitor services, marketing campaigns, grants, networking opportunities, and educational outreach to drive tourism and economic development in the region.