Choose Chicago counts some of the city’s most accomplished professionals among our board members, each committed to promoting Chicago as a premier leisure, meetings, and events destination. In conjunction with the Choose Chicago Executive Office, the Board of Directors serves as a primary source of communication, decision-making, initiative leadership, management, and execution to better serve the Chicago tourism industry.
Board of Directors
Officers
Glenn Eden
Board Chair
Executive Vice President, Weber Shandwick Chicago
Marilynn Gardner
Vice Chair
President & CEO, Navy Pier
Michelle Mason, FASAE, CAE
Treasurer & Chair of the Finance Committee
President and CEO, Association Forum
Jay Blunk
Secretary
Executive Vice President, Chicago Blackhawks
Board of Directors
Board
Jeff Bethke
Chairman
Metropolitan Pier & Exposition Authority (MPEA)
Catherine De Orio
Executive Director
Kendall College Trust
Lisa Duarte
Partner
Croke Fairchild Morgan & Beres
Rosa Escareno
Commissioner
Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection
Michael Fassnacht
Chief Marketing Officer for the City of Chicago
Interim President & CEO of World Business Chicago
Richard Gamble
Chair of the Nominating Committee
Founder and President, Realized Value Collaborative, LLC
Chevy Humphrey
President & CEO
Museum of Science and Industry
Ayesha Jaco
Executive Director
West Side United
David Jacobs
General Manager
Hyatt Regency McCormick Place
Michael Jacobson
President and CEO
Illinois Hotel and Lodging Association
Arthur "Art" Johnston
Co-Founder | Co-Owner
Equality Illinois | Sidetrack Bar
Mark Lauer
Chair of the General Managers Advisory Committee
General Manager | Sheraton Grand Chicago
Liz Lombardo Stark
Director of Marketing & PR
Gibsons Restaurant Group
Jerry Mickelson
Chairman and Co-Founder
Jam Productions
Gary Perinar
Executive Secretary – Treasurer
Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters
Maria Razumich-Zec
Regional Vice President and General Manager
The Peninsula Chicago
Robert G. Reiter, Jr.
President
Chicago Federation of Labor
Jamie L. Rhee
Commissioner
Chicago Department of Aviation
James Rondeau
President & Eloise W. Martin Director
The Art Institute of Chicago
Meg Sahs
Owner
Monteverde Restaurant & Pastificio
Myrna Salazar
Executive Director
Chicago Latino Theater Alliance
Juan Salgado
Chancellor
City Colleges of Chicago
Manuel “Manny” Sanchez
Founding and Managing Partner
Sanchez Daniels & Hoffman LLP
Rebecca Shi
Executive Director
American Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC)
Alexandra Sims
President & Founder
APS & Associates
Michael Strautmanis
Executive Vice President for Civic Engagement
Obama Foundation
Christie Tarantino-Dean
CEO
Institute of Food Technologists
Sam Toia
President & CEO
Illinois Restaurant Association
John Wells
General Manager
Hilton Chicago
Nykia Wright
Chief Executive Officer
Chicago Sun-Times
Elizabeth "Betsy" Ziegler
CEO
1871/CEC - Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center
Board
Ex-Officio
Walter Burnett Jr.
Alderman, 27th Ward
City of Chicago
Larita D. Clark
Chief Executive Officer
Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (MPEA)
Don Finn
Business Manager, Financial Secretary
I.B.E.W. Local 134
Sylvia Garcia
Acting Director
Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity
Billy Glunz
Regional Director, Government Affairs
American Airlines
Mark Kelly
Commissioner
Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events
Barbara Laken
Regional Sales Director
United Airlines
Rich Levin
Managing Director, Corporate & Investment Banking
Bank of America
