Travel Oregon Executive Search Updates

Last updated 6/5/26

Travel Oregon Executive Search Updates

The Oregon Tourism Commission is responsible for hiring the Executive Director of Travel Oregon pursuant to ORS. 284.142. Upon notification of the current CEO’s intent to retire, the Commission began organizing with the guidance from the Oregon Department of Justice (DOJ) and Oregon Government Ethics Commission (OGEC) to ensure the search process for the next Executive Director follows state best practices and Oregon’s public meetings and records laws.

This page is intended to provide status updates for those interested in this process, which will be updated as the process advances.  All past Commission meetings and minutes where decisions were made about the process are available below and will also be updated throughout this process.

Current Status

1. The Oregon Tourism Commission appointed Kate Sinner as Executive Director during their June 3, 2026, public meeting. Read more here.

Commission Actions and Decisions:

October 8, 2025 – Oregon Tourism Commission Meeting, virtual

• Commission holds a public meeting to welcome Heather Miller and Nick Pearson as new Commission members and establish a CEO Search Subcommittee
• Meeting recording
• Meeting minutes

November 14, 2025 – Oregon Tourism Commission Meeting, virtual

• CEO Search Subcommittee holds a public meeting to outline the Intermediate RFP process for a qualified executive search firm and votes to recommend Heidrick & Struggles search firm to a full Commission vote.
• Meeting recording
• Meeting minutes

December 3, 2025 – Oregon Tourism Commission Meeting, Corvallis

• Commission holds a public meeting that includes an update that the contracting process with Heidrick & Struggles search firm is underway and a CEO compensation study is underway via a third-party firm
• Meeting recording
• Meeting minutes

January 29, 2026 – Oregon Tourism Commission Meeting, virtual

• Commission holds a public meeting to review the hiring standards, policy directives, and hiring plan from executive search firm Heidrick &Struggles. Public comment on the documents is received by the Commission.
• Meeting Recording
• Meeting minutes

January 30, 2026 – Oregon Tourism Commission Meeting, virtual

• Commission holds a public meeting to consider the public comments received on January 29 and deliberate and adopt the hiring standards, policy directives and hiring plan. The compensation range is deliberated, voted and adopted.
• Meeting Recording
• Meeting minutes

April 17, 2026 – Oregon Tourism Commission Executive Director Search Subcommittee Meeting, virtual 

• The search subcommittee held a public meeting to advance candidates to the interview process.
• Meeting recording 
• Meeting minutes

April 29, 2026 – Oregon Tourism Commission Executive Director Search Subcommittee Meeting, virtual

• The search subcommittee voted to advance five candidates to the next interview with the full commission.
• Meeting recording

May 14, 2026 – Oregon Tourism Commission Meeting, virtual

• The commission voted to advance three candidates to the next interview.
• Meeting recording

June 3, 2026 – Oregon Tourism Commission Meeting, virtual

• The Commission voted to appoint Kate Sinner as the Executive Director.
• Meeting recording