Travel Oregon Names New Executive Director

By James Neff
June 3, 2026

Kate Sinner, a director at Business Oregon with connections throughout state government, was selected Wednesday to take over as the executive director at Travel Oregon, the state’s tourism promotion agency.

Greg Willitts, chair of the Oregon Tourism Commission, said in a statement: “Kate strikes the right balance between government executive leadership and private-sector acumen. She is passionate about Oregon, and her energy is infectious. Kate is the leader we need for Travel Oregon.”

Sinner, 48, steps into an important job at a tough time. Tourism generates about $14 billion of economic activity annually and supports 120,000 jobs in Oregon. (Travel Oregon’s $45 million budget comes directly from lodging taxes.)

But international travel to Oregon, particularly from Canada, is down, according to Travel Oregon data, due in part to the Trump administration’s tariffs and its rhetoric about making Canada the 51st U.S. state.

Furthermore, domestic travel to the state has been hurt by rising gas prices, which have soared due to the U.S.-Israel war with Iran.

Sinner, whose salary was approved at up to $249,000, replaces former executive director Todd Davidson, who had a base salary of $365,000 and whose total compensation reached $477,000 in 2024.

The decades-long Travel Oregon leader announced his retirement last May just before OJP published an investigation into the agency that detailed a toxic workplace that flourished from loose oversight by its board of commissioners and the Legislature, and delayed $9 million in grants for small businesses.

Sinner worked for the past eight years at Business Oregon, the state’s economic development agency.

Before that, she served as a legislative staffer for Govs. John Kitzhaber and Kate Brown from 2014 to 2017. She lobbied for Oregon State University from 2007 to 2014 and worked as a contract lobbyist in the Capitol for CFM Advocates from 2004 to 2007.

“My entire career has been dedicated to Oregon,” Sinner said in a statement, “and I can’t think of a better way to contribute to its economic success than serving in this role with the many partners across the state.”

Gov. Tina Kotek, who approved her hiring Thursday, said in a statement: “I am excited for the opportunities ahead under Kate’s leadership to broaden our approach to destination management so that we maximize the economic potential of travel and business development in every corner of our state, while staying true to Oregon’s values.”