MSC Cruises USA President Richard E. Sasso today announced the appointment of Bonnie Levengood to the newly created position of senior vice president of marketing, leading the company’s consumer and travel industry marketing and digital activities throughout North America.

“It is with great pleasure that we welcome Bonnie Levengood to the MSC Cruises family,” said Sasso. “As our new senior vice president of marketing, she joins the company at an auspicious time to help grow and strengthen awareness of our brand to both consumers and our travel agent partners.”

Levengood’s appointment is a critical piece of MSC Cruises’ recently announced “Serving You” initiatives to the travel agent community at CLIA’s Cruise3Sixty in April.  Ramping up the “human factor,” according to Sasso, includes strategic senior level appointments such as Levengood’s, more than doubling the MSC Cruises’ sales force by adding Business Development Managers in critical regions around the country and undertaking its most extensive roadshow to-date.

Levengood brings extensive expertise to her new position, with nearly two decades of marketing and financial experience and a proven track record creating successful multichannel campaigns.  Most recently, she ran her own marketing company.  Prior to that, she headed up marketing and sales for nearly eight years for 1-800-PetMeds, America’s largest pet pharmacy, leading the company’s annual revenue to more than $239 million by creating new direct marketing programs that included comprehensive email marketing campaigns, new TV commercials and direct mail and catalog programs.

Under her marketing leadership, 1-800-PetMeds realized tremendous growth and was recognized with several awards including Forbes Best Company winner for four years, Business Week Hot Growth Company and a Top 100 Online Retailer by revenue. In 2009, Levengood accepted the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Florida on behalf of her company and, in 2010, a product she created won the prestigious Private Label Manufacturers “Salute to Excellence” Award against the world’s largest private label brands.

Levengood’s marketing experience also includes serving as manager, director and interim vice president for American Express Financial and, on the agency side, she ran the creative and customer service departments for First Marketing, A Taylor Company, servicing Fortune 100 clients nationwide.

For her active and committed involvement in the South Florida community, Levengood was awarded Woman of the Year in 2013 by the 1000+ Club. She serves as Fund Development Chair on the Executive Board for the Children’s Home Society of Florida Intercoastal Division, co-chair of the Helping Turn Lives Around Event and, for many years has helped the fundraising efforts to provide support for less fortunate children in Broward County through the Children’s Home Society.

A native Floridian, Levengood currently lives in Boca Raton and graduated cum laude from the University of Miami.