Skip Strittmatter has recently announced her plans to retire from the DuPage Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) in July 2014.
During her tenure, the bureau’s budget has grown from $50,000 to over $2.5 million. DuPage County tourism has become a powerful force for economic development, producing the second largest revenue in the state through visitor expenditures and occupancy tax from over 16,000 hotel rooms.
Strittmatter celebrated twenty years with the DuPage CVB last December. When she joined the bureau as executive director in 1993, it had a 3-person staff and was housed in a small county office. Today, the bureau employs 12 full-time staff members, augmented by part-time contractors and interns.
Over her two decades of service, the DuPage CVB has provided valuable support when DuPage County hosted prestigious events that have brought visitors to the area such as the 2012 Ryder Cup, PGA Championships, BMW Championship, LPGA Solheim Cup, NCAA Track & Field Championships, and more.
Strittmatter has served as president of the Illinois Council of Convention & Visitors Bureaus and Chicago Plus, and a has been a board member for Visit Illinois. She currently sits on the boards for Choose DuPage and the DuPage County Workforce. She has been honored as an Influential Woman in Business by The Business Ledger and the College of DuPage’s Outstanding Travel Professional, and she has been featured in Crain’s Chicago Business.
Strittmatter plans to remain available as an advisor to the new director, as needed, to ensure a smooth leadership transition.