Meg Winchester is retiring from her position as president and CEO of Visit Spokane, the regional destination marketing organization announced this morning. 

Winchester’s last day with Visit Spokane is scheduled to be Jan. 1, 2023, almost exactly four years after she came to Spokane to replace Cheryl Kilday as the leader of the visitors and convention bureau. Her retirement will culminate a 30-year career in the tourism industry that started with the San Diego Convention Center and involved a time as director of the Galveston Island Visitor & Convention Bureau, in Texas, prior to her arrival in Spokane.

A search already is underway for her replacement, according to the organization. 

Meg Miller, board chair for Visit Spokane, says Winchester led through “the hardest days in our industry’s history” and characterized her leaving as a loss to the organization. 

Winchester, 62, describes leading Visit Spokane through the pandemic as “difficult yet inspiring” and expressed pride for her team. 

“It’s been a wild ride, and one I’m thankful to have been on,” she says in a prepared statement.