Gretchen Hall, president and chief executive officer of the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau, will receive the prestigious Beta Gamma Sigma award Thursday, Dec. 5, in the Bailey Alumni Center at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

Beta Gamma Sigma is an international honor society serving programs accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International of which the UALR College of Business has met its rigorous set of quality standards.

Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield will present the award at the ceremony which begins at 4:30 p.m. A reception for Hall and other UALR students who will be newly inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma will follow.

Membership in Beta Gamma Sigma is the highest recognition that a business student can receive in programs accredited throughout its system.

“We are pleased to recognize Gretchen Hall’s accomplishments through this annual Beta Gamma Sigma honor,” said Dr. Jane Wayland, Stephen Harrow Smith Dean of Business.

“She plays a leadership role in promoting Little Rock and central Arkansas, finding new ways to conduct outreach and effectively bringing others to our community.”

Previous recipients of the Beta Gamma Sigma award are Sam Walls of Arkansas Capital Corp., Michael Brown of Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield, Walter Smiley of SI Bank, and Michael A. Shelley of U.S. Bank.

Hall, a native of Sheridan, received a bachelor’s degree from Lyon College in Batesville, and MBA from UALR in 2010.

At the LRCVB, Hall oversees a staff of 120 persons. She is responsible for all aspects of individual and professional travel to the area, interconnecting with both private business and public sectors.

She joined the bureau in 2001 as an events coordinator, later taking roles as director of destination meetings and convention services and director of merchandising and communications. She was named its president and CEO in 2011.

Hall’s first professional position was as a tournament coordinator for USA Hoops Inc. in Dallas. Basketball continues to figure in Hall’s life; she volunteers annually in a showcase and fundraiser for high school girls.