Rob Mortensen is a veteran Nashville business leader, public affairs strategist and policy advocate and currently serves as president and chief executive officer of the Hospitality TN (HTN) the statewide membership organization for thousands of lodging, dining and tourism entities that help drive the state’s largest employed industry.
Mortensen, who holds dual master’s degrees in conflict management and international politics, started his career as a lobbyist with The Ingram Group in Nashville in 1995, where he played a role in bringing the Tennessee Titans to town, among other notable campaigns. He later served as legislative director for the Tennessee Alliance for Children and Families before becoming state director and chief executive officer of Camelot Care Centers, Inc., growing the company that connects foster children and parents into a premier foster care agency for the state of Tennessee.
A graduate of the 2017-18 class of Leadership Tennessee, he was named Child Advocate of the Year in 2015 and appointed by Governor Bill Haslam to the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth, where he currently serves as vice chair.
In 2020-2021, Mortensen was appointed to serve as an advisor to both Governor Lee of TN and Mayor Cooper of Nashville to help the hospitality and tourism industry navigate the pandemic. Working closely with the Department of Tourist Development and Department of Labor, Mortensen leads state-wide teams working to save businesses and to bring new employees to the state. Currently, Nashville and Tennessee are leading the nation in tourism recovery and destination travel.