Choose Chicago CEO Lynn Osmond is stepping down to focus on a family health matter after less than two years at the helm of the city’s tourism arm.
The decision, announced Thursday, leaves a void at the top of the organization vested with promoting Chicago as a travel destination, as the city prepares to welcome the Democratic National Convention and the return of NASCAR this summer.
“It has been gratifying to serve as CEO of Choose Chicago for nearly two years, but, right now, I have to put my family first,” Osmond said in a news release. “I know this is the right decision for me, my family, and for the organization at this time as we gear up for a very busy year.”
Osmond, a longtime civic booster who previously headed the Chicago Architecture Center, is leaving Choose Chicago on Jan. 31. Board member Rich Gamble will serve as interim CEO while a search is conducted for Osmond’s successor.
Named president and CEO of Choose Chicago in March 2022, Osmond took the reins of city’s tourism efforts as it began to emerge from the pandemic, which disrupted everything from the hotel industry to convention and events. The city, which had 61 million visitors in 2019, is slowly clawing back to pre-pandemic levels, with a projected 54.5 million visitors in 2023, Choose Chicago said.
Last year, the city hosted its first NASCAR Chicago Street Race, which drew more than 47,000 unique attendees and generated nearly $109 million in economic impact during July Fourth weekend, according to a Choose Chicago study. That performance earned a return engagement from Mayor Brandon Johnson’s new administration this summer.
Chicago also landed the Democratic National Convention, which will be held Aug. 19 to 22 at the United Center, the site of the city’s last such event in 1996. The convention is projected to bring 50,000 visitors, 20,000 members of the media and 5,500 delegates to the city, according to the Chicago DNC 2024 host committee.
Another benchmark during Osmond’s tenure was resurgent hotel revenue and tax collections during the summer of 2023, boosted by NASCAR and Taylor Swift, who swept into town in June for three sold-out shows at Soldier Field. The confluence of 60,000 Swifties per night and the annual American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting at McCormick Place filled nearly 97% of rooms during a record weekend, according to Choose Chicago.
Choose Chicago took its time in selecting Osmond as president and CEO in 2022, making the appointment seven months after her predecessor, David Whitaker, left for a similar role in Miami. Whitaker, who was hired in 2016, completed a five-year contract as CEO of Choose Chicago, the last year of which was spent navigating the height of pandemic disruption.
The organization’s interim leader, Gamble, formerly served as COO of the Brookfield Zoo, spent 16 years at the Chicago Tribune in various executive roles, including as publisher of Chicago Magazine. Beginning in February, he will guide the city’s tourism efforts as Choose Chicago conducts its search for a new CEO.
“I am pleased to be able to provide support to the organization during this time of transition,” Gamble said in the news release. “Choose Chicago has an extraordinarily strong team with deep experience. The organization is well poised to continue to build on the momentum established in 2023.”
Choose Chicago was launched in 2012 under then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel by combining two bureaus into the city’s official tourism organization. The not-for-profit gets most of its funding from state and city sources, with a budget of $29 million in 2023.
Osmond earned a base salary of $317,449 in 2022, according to the most recent Choose Chicago nonprofit tax return posted online.
The resignation of Osmond follows the loss of another major Chicago booster.
In December, Michael Fassnacht announced he was stepping down after four years as CEO of World Business Chicago, the city’s public-private economic development arm. He is expected to exit in February, and a search for his successor is underway.