Deborah Ward, executive director of Visit Omaha (visitomaha.com), will retire on July 31, 2025, after more than 18 years of service to the city.
Since becoming executive director in 2020, she has helped grow Omaha’s tourism industry into a $2 billion annual economic driver that supports more than 15,000 local jobs. She successfully led the organization through the COVID-19 pandemic, and helped the city celebrate record-breaking tourism numbers for the last three years in a row.
“Deborah has been an advocate and creative force for Omaha over the past 40 years,” said Mayor John W. Ewing Jr. “She elevated how we market our city, built lasting partnerships and created real economic impact. Thanks to her leadership, more visitors than ever are discovering what makes Omaha special.”
Ward began her career as an award-winning broadcast journalist, spending 26 years at Omaha’s CBS affiliate. She joined Visit Omaha in 2007, bringing a reporter’s curiosity and a storyteller’s eye to destination marketing.
Vice President of Marketing and Communications Jasmyn Goodwin will serve as interim executive director of Visit Omaha. She joined the organization in 2007 as a marketing and public relations assistant and has played a key role in developing the city’s tourism strategy.
For more information, visit visitomaha.com.