Leon Maisel was born on December 22, 1948, in Mobile, Alabama. He currently resides in Baton Rouge, LA, where he is President and CEO of the Baton Rouge Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Leon received a BA in Journalism and an MA in Communications from the University of Alabama. He is currently a PhD candidate at Southern University in Baton Rouge. He has served as Vice President of the Louisiana Association of Convention & Visitors Bureaus. He is on the DMO Council of the National Tour Association, and is Chairman of the Sister Cities Initiative of Baton Rouge.