Destination Door County seeks new leader with president/CEO leaving
Julie Gilbert resigned from her roles with Door County’s official tourism marketing and management organization after more than four years to take a new role in tourism in St. Louis.
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Door County’s official tourism marketing and management organization is in the market for new leadership after Destination Door County president and CEO Julie Gilbert informed its board of directors she is resigning from those positions.
After more than four years in Door County, Gilbert is leaving to join Explore St. Louis, that city’s and county’s official destination marketing organization, as its chief marketing officer. She will continue to serve as CEO for the next couple of weeks and work with the Destination Door County board and leadership team to help with the transition to a new president and CEO, according to a Jan. 26 news release from the organization.
Also as part of the transition, current chief communications officer Jon Jarosh will serve as interim CEO effective Feb 9. Jarosh has worked with the organization full time for more than 27 years, starting out in college as part of the summer welcome staff in 1997 for what then was called the Door County Chamber of Commerce before taking a permanent role in 1998.
Gilbert came to Destination Door County in October 2021 after serving in several roles over seven and a half years with Destination Niagara USA, lastly as vice president of sales and marketing for the Niagara Falls, New York-based organization. Her more than two-decade career in the tourism industry includes earlier positions with National Park Reservations, the State of West Virginia and the American Society of Travel Agents, as well as founding a full-service travel and tourism marketing agency.
Jeff Lutsey, Destination Door County board chair, credited Gilbert with leading the organization through a period of significant growth and progress, strengthening its role as a steward of the local visitor economy and building strong community partnerships during her tenure.
“We have the deepest respect and appreciation for Julie and the leadership she has provided to Destination Door County and the greater community,” Lutsey said in the news release. “Under her leadership, [the organization] has transformed and grown stronger as a leader in destination marketing as well as community collaboration and stewardship. And this has made us much stronger and more resilient moving forward.”
The board is working on plans for the leadership transition and has initiated a comprehensive search process for its new president/CEO, the news release said. It also said the organization’s priorities, programs and day-to-day operations will continue without interruption during this time.
Contact Christopher Clough at 920-562-8900 or [email protected].
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