Discover Long Island CEO Kristen Reynolds named head of Chicago's tourism bureau

The head of Discover Long Island has accepted a job in Chicago but the tourism promotion agency won't skip a beat with the crucial summer season only weeks away, officials said on Thursday.

Kristen Reynolds, who has served as CEO and president of Discover Long Island for nearly 10 years, will hold the same positions at Choose Chicago, which is one of the country's largest tourism promoters. She will start the new job on May 5.

Members of the Discover Long Island board of directors are expected to meet next week to devise a plan for finding Reynolds' successor. In the meantime, board chairman Mitch Pally will serve as interim CEO.

"We will continue all of the initiatives; we don't intend to stop anything," Pally said. "We're moving full speed ahead."

In the past decade, Discover Long Island has increasingly used economic data to promote the region's attractions to visitors from out of state. The group has a podcast featuring Reynolds and chief operating officer Sharon Wyman, an app and YouTube channel, a mobile visitors center and an online store.

Pally said he expects the board will hire a search firm to identify CEO candidates.

In 2015, the old Long Island Convention & Visitors Bureau and Sports Commission selected Reynolds from a field of more than 80 applicants. At the time, she was senior vice president of the Arizona Lodging & Tourism Association, according to the hiring announcement.

After New York City, Long Island is New York State's most popular tourist destination with visitors spending $7.5 billion in 2023 and supporting 76,000 jobs, according to data from the research firm Tourism Economics.

For Reynolds, the Chicago job is "the pinnacle of my career," she said.

Choose Chicago, also known as the Chicago Convention & Tourism Bureau, has yearly revenue of $33 million, according to its spokeswoman. Discover Long Island has yearly revenue of about $5 million, according to its federal income tax return.

Choose Chicago has been without a permanent CEO since the January 2024 resignation of Lynn Osmond. She was paid $546,065 in 2023, based on the nonprofit's tax return. 

Discover Long Island paid Reynolds $267,650 in the same year, based on its tax return. Her pay at Choose Chicago wasn't available on Thursday, according to the group's spokeswoman. 

Reynolds said from Chicago, "It's a bittersweet decision for me because I love Long Island. I've raised my two daughters there and the community embraced me in so many ways from Day One."

Besides Chicago being a larger tourism market, Reynolds said the Windy City is where her husband, Thomas, is from, and daughter Penelope is a sophomore at Loyola University Chicago.

“While I could not be more excited to take the helm at Choose Chicago … Long Island will always hold a special place in our hearts," Reynolds said.

In announcing Reynolds’ hiring, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker cited her years of experience and the importance of tourism to the local economy. Johnson initially backed his economic development chief for the job but eventually came to support Reynolds, according to a report in the Chicago Sun-Times last week.

The two met in Chicago on Thursday, Reynolds told Newsday.

In a statement, the Illinois governor said, “I’m excited to see how Kristen’s leadership at Choose Chicago will further elevate our state’s standing on the global stage.”

By James T. Madore

james.madore@newsday.comJamesTMadore

James T. Madore writes about Long Island business news including the economy, development, and the relationship between government and business. He previously served as Albany bureau chief.