Burger is the executive director of the Pennsylvania Tourism Office and has built a career in travel marketing that has largely focused on her (and Muhlenberg’s) home state.
The 2025 Groundhog Day celebration in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, drew tens of thousands of revelers who congregated in the predawn frigidity to see the rodent that Governor Josh Shapiro has dubbed “the official state meteorologist of Pennsylvania.” Among the crowd was Kaitie Burger ’12, who came to Punxsutawney on behalf of the Pennsylvania Tourism Office, where she serves as executive director. She and her team distributed branded hand warmers, met Governor Shapiro, and had a weird and wonderful time.
“It’s just such a cool thing to see that entire teeny little town come together for this weekend of people having this bucket-list travel experience,” says Burger, who was a media and communication major and dance minor at Muhlenberg. “It feels a little bit like a fever dream in the best way possible.”
“I changed my major a bunch of times and was just kind of exploring around and figuring out what was interesting to me. Knowing a little bit about a lot really helped me to get a strong basis as I was coming into the workforce.”
Burger began her current role a year ago after working for Madden Media, a travel-focused marketing agency, and Discover Lehigh Valley, the organization that promotes the region that includes Allentown and Muhlenberg. A Pennsylvania native, Burger came to Muhlenberg intent on pursuing dance and something else — though what, exactly, she wasn’t sure.
“I changed my major a bunch of times and was just kind of exploring around and figuring out what was interesting to me,” says Burger, who also serves as president of Muhlenberg’s Alumni Board. “Knowing a little bit about a lot really helped me to get a strong basis as I was coming into the workforce.”
Burger with Governor Josh Shapiro and Deputy Secretary for Tourism Anne Ryan at Groundhog Day 2025
An interest in new media led Burger to commit to her eventual major, and a connection she made through Muhlenberg College neighbor and Board of Associates member Michael Drabenstott got her in the door at Discover Lehigh Valley. There, she helped build the brand’s social media presence and worked on other online initiatives including newsletters, blogs, and user-generated content. At Madden Media, her clients included destinations like Atlanta; Buffalo, New York; and Provincetown, Massachusetts. When the opportunity to focus on her home state again arose, she jumped at the chance.
Today, she’s part of a “small but mighty” team of five in the Pennsylvania Tourism Office. Many other states have 20 to 40 employees in their equivalent offices, she says, but Pennsylvania is rebuilding after years of underinvestment in tourism. Her office has branded Pennsylvania as The Great American Getaway, “hearkening back to that nostalgic, Americana feeling that we had as children, looking at some of the state’s great assets — drive-in movie theaters, old-school diners, Knoebels amusement park — all these cool, classic, fun experiences,” Burger says.
The office’s target audience is the 72 million people who live within a four-hour drive of Pennsylvania, residents of New York City and Washington, D.C. among them. Since Burger started her role, the office has launched a new website, invested in relationships with destinations and tourism boards across the state, and partnered with external marketing firms to create memorable content. For example, custom-designed murals were hand-painted on buildings in Brooklyn this summer, imploring passersby to “touch some grass,” “stop scrolling,” and get away to Pennsylvania.
“I think people are just looking to disconnect, to be able to take a breath, take a pause, and just relax from the day-to-day chaos that we live in,” Burger says. “The backbone of our work is inspired by that.”
“At the end of the day, the work that we do generates jobs, generates economic impact for the state, and helps to reduce taxes for in-state residents.”
Looking ahead to 2026, Pennsylvania is going to host a number of significant sporting events, including the NFL Draft, the PGA Championship, the MLB All-Star Game, and some FIFA World Cup matches. And, the state will be hosting its own celebrations in honor of America’s 250th anniversary. Burger is looking forward to the challenges and opportunities that come with these milestone moments and is grateful to be part of this revitalization of tourism in her home state.
“It’s just over $900 and change that each individual would have to pay more in taxes if the tourism industry wasn’t as robust as it is in Pennsylvania,” she says. “At the end of the day, the work that we do generates jobs, generates economic impact for the state, and helps to reduce taxes for in-state residents.”
Through graduate and continuing studies programs and corporate partnerships, Muhlenberg helps fuel the city’s and the Lehigh Valley’s significant growth.
