About Visit Omaha

Mission Statement:

To stimulate economic growth for our community by increasing visitation.

Key Objectives: 

​• Successfully sell and promote our community as a desirable visitor destination.
​• Influence tourism development to ensure future destination success.
​• Deliver a positive and memorable customer experience.
​• Collaborate and enhance relationships with local organizations, businesses and stakeholders.
• Operate as an efficient, high performing organization.

Organization Description:

Visit Omaha creates sustainable visitor demand for the community through: meeting, event, sport and leisure marketing; collaborative relationships; broad industry experience; and unprecedented product knowledge. Visit Omaha’s efforts result in economic growth and job creation for our community.

Guiding Principles:

Relevance: We are committed to being consistent, accountable, transparent, perseverant, and dedicated to excellence.

Innovation: We are committed to being creative, pioneering, collaborative, and problem solving.

Gratitude: We are committed to being appreciative of both the big and small contributions that make our organization and industry valuable to our community.

History:

Visit Omaha (a.k.a. Omaha Convention & Visitors Bureau) began operating on December 1, 1980 as the Douglas County Department of Conventions and Tourism. In 1997, the name was changed to the Greater Omaha Convention and Visitors Bureau (GOCVB), but was still operated by Douglas County. In 2002 during the development of the new city-owned convention center, the first Interlocal agreement between Douglas County and the City of Omaha was established to transfer control of the GOCVB to the city and to add the GOCVB’s executive director to the Mayor’s cabinet. The Interlocal agreement was renewed in 2007 and again in 2013 for a ten-year term, ensuring the department would remain a City entity through 2023. In 2016, the name was changed to Visit Omaha, Omaha’s Official Tourism Authority in an effort to simplify and better brand the department.

Visit Omaha continues its efforts in showcasing Omaha as a destination for leisure, convention, meeting, sport and motor coach visitors. The current team enthusiastically supports the economic growth and development of the entire Omaha metro area.

Visit Omaha Awards:

View the complete list of awards and designations.

DMAP Certification:

Visit Omaha is certified through the Destination Marketing Accreditation Program (DMAP). The globally recognized DMAP accreditation ensures that Visit Omaha's policies, procedures and practices meet the highest standard in the industry. 

DMAP Seal_color

Staff Directory

Administration

Contact Visit Omaha, at 402-444-4660 or toll-free at 866-937-6624.

Staff Photo - Deb

Deborah Ward Executive Director

Strengths

Achiever, Responsibility, Ideation, Individualization, Learner

“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” - Seneca, Roman philosopher

Staff Photo - Dean

Dean Miller Vice President of Operations

Strengths

Futuristic, Achiever, Strategic, Competition, Self-Assurance

“Whether you think you can, or think you can’t, either way you are right.” - Henry Ford

Staff Photo - Jodie

Jodie Jordon Office Manager

Strengths

Responsibility, Harmony, Relator, Consistency, Discipline

”Responsibility finds a way. Irresponsibility makes excuses.” - Gene Bedley

Staff Photo - Shannon

Shannon Wiig Director of Visitor Services

Strengths

Empathy, Developer, Learner, Positivity, Achiever

“Make each day your masterpiece.” - John Wooden

Staff - Christine

Christine Eipperle Visitor Services Manager

Strengths

Relator, Arranger, Significance, Achiever, Communication

"The future is no place to place your better days." – DMB

Sales & Services

To contact Sales & Services please call 402-444-4037.

Staff Photo - Cathy

Cathy Keller Vice President of Sales & Services

Strengths

Strategic, Maximizer, Relator, Achiever, Includer

”We are visitors on this planet. We are here for 100 years at the very most. During that period, we must try to do something good, something useful with our lives. If you contribute to other people’s happiness, you will find the true meaning of life.” - Dalai Lama

Staff Photo - Mark

Mark Rath, STS Director of Sports

Strengths

Positivity, Arranger, Responsibility, Developer, Self-Assurance

“Great things happen to those who don’t stop believing, trying, learning, and being grateful.” - Roy T. Bennett

Staff Photo - Mattie

Mattie Scheeter, CMP Director of Sales

Strengths

Developer, Empathy, Achiever, Responsibility, Relator

“Don’t ruin a good today thinking about a bad yesterday.” - Russell Simmons

Staff Photo - Matt

Matt Heck Senior Sales Manager

Strengths

Responsibility, Relator, Arranger, Deliberative, Self-Assurance

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” - Lao Tzu

Staff Photo - Jessica

Jessica Settje Tourism Sales Manager

Strengths

Futuristic, Arranger, Individualization, Achiever, Woo

“Every individual matters. Every individual has a role to play. Every individual makes a difference.” - Jane Goodall

Staff Photo - Jen

Jen Swanson National Sales Account Manager

Strengths

Empathy, Futuristic, Adaptability, Activator, Maximizer

"The noblest art is that of making others happy." - P.T. Barnum

Staff - Bryan

Bryan Schlotterbeck Research Analyst

Strengths

Context, Achiever, Analytical, Intellection, Restorative

"Character is the architect of achievements." - Mark Twain

Staff Photo - Noah

Noah Huber Sales and Marketing Coordinator - Sales

Strengths

Consistency, Futuristic, Context, Focus, Harmony

"Success is not final; failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts." - Winston S. Churchill

Staff - Matt D

Matt Duhs Sales and Marketing Coordinator - Sports

Strengths

Learner, Achiever, Focus, Competition, Discipline

"The key to all victory lies in the organization of the non-obvious" - Marcus Aurelius

Staff Photo - Erin B

Erin Brungardt Director of Convention Services

Strengths

Communication, Restorative, Connectedness, Responsibility, Woo

“Communication is merely an exchange of information, but connection is an exchange of our humanity.” - Sean Stephenson

Staff - Madonna

Madonna Scott Convention Services and Housing Manager

Strengths

Communication, Positivity, Responsibility, Discipline, Includer

"I would rather walk with a friend in the dark, than walk alone in the light." – Helen Keller

Marketing & Public Relations

To contact Marketing & Public Relations, please call 402-444-1763.

Staff Photo - Jasmyn

Jasmyn Goodwin Vice President of Marketing & Communications

Strengths

Maximizer, Achiever, Responsibility, Competition, Focus

“Don’t be afraid. Be focused. Be determined. Be hopeful. Be Empowered.” - Michelle Obama

Staff Photo - Erin O

Erin O'Brien Director of Marketing

Strengths

Learner, Input, Restorative, Responsibility, Empathy

“You’ll never grow beyond your current circumstances if you’re closed off to everything except what you currently know.” - Marie Forleo

Staff Photo - Megan

Megan Feeney Marketing Content Manager

Strengths

Input, Strategic, Learner, Achiever, Positivity

"Let the beauty we love be what we do." - Rumi

Staff Photo - Noelle

Noelle Agenor Social Media Manager

Strengths

Input, Developer, Learner, Intellection, Achiever

“What good are wings, without the courage to fly?” - Atticus Finch

Staff Photo - Lynn

Lynn Mace Marketing Research Analyst

Strengths

Empathy, Input, Adaptability, Learner, Individualization

“I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.” - Albert Einstein

Staff Photo - Amy

Amy Cunningham Graphic Designer

Strengths

Intellection, Relator, Deliberative, Input, Developer

“Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best.” - Henry Van Dyke

The Omaha Visitors Center is staffed with knowledgeable ambassadors ready to assist you with ideas and directions. Two airport information desks are located in each terminal at Eppley Airfield.  

For Visit Omaha job opportunities, please see our careers page.