Kristen Reynolds is President and CEO of Choose Chicago, the official tourism promotion organization for the city of Chicago. With nearly 30 years of experience in the tourism and hospitality industry, Reynolds has held senior leadership positions in areas ranging from communications and government affairs to global destination development, meetings and conventions sales, and destination marketing.
As a Certified Destination Marketing Executive (CDME), Reynolds brings a national perspective to Chicago, backed by his previous experience in leadership roles in both Arizona and New York, as well as his service on the boards of Destinations International and the U.S. Travel Association. He moved to Chicago in 2025 to lead Choose Chicago and is currently responsible for driving visits to the “Best Big City in the U.S.” and North America’s largest convention center.
Under his leadership, Choose Chicago is driving a core mission: to strengthen the economic vitality of Chicago and Illinois by growing the visitor economy—an industry that generates $20 billion annually, supports more than 130,000 local jobs, and generates significant tax revenue that benefits residents and communities throughout the city. Reynolds leads a talented, high-performing team focused on driving sustainable tourism growth, attracting international meetings and events, and ensuring that the benefits of tourism reach every neighborhood.
Reynolds is a graduate of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University. She lives in downtown Chicago with her husband and their two dogs. As parents of five adult children who have already left home, the couple is enthusiastically enjoying Chicago’s walkable neighborhoods, its dining scene, its shops, and its world-class cultural attractions.