May 20--M&T Bank Corp. executive Atwood "Woody" Collins III has succeeded Edwin F. Hale Sr. as chair of the Baltimore Convention and Tourism Board, city officials said Monday.

The appointment of Collins, an executive vice president of M&T, became effective Friday, Visit Baltimore announced. Collins has served on the convention and tourism board since 2008 as treasurer and head of the finance committee, advising on budget management and fiscal matters for both Visit Baltimore, the city's tourism and convention bureau, and the Baltimore Convention Center.

Collins replaces Hale, a Baltimore developer, owner of the Baltimore Blast and former CEO of First Mariner Bancorp. Hale had chaired the board since it was formed in 2006 and led a charge in obtaining a tax settlement from online travel booking agencies in 2011.

Collins "understands that our convention and tourism industry is an important economic engine for the city, creating thousands of jobs for residents," Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said in a statement.

The board provides oversight to both Visit Baltimore and the convention center, helping to create marketing and sales plans and goals for both.

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