RENO, Nev.
The Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority (RSCVA) Board of Directors appointed Jennifer Cunningham as interim managing director on Oct. 22. The news follows the recent firing of president/CEO Chris Baum, who was terminated by the board in a 5-2 vote on Oct. 16, according to the Reno-Gazette Journal.
Baum was released “without cause” in the first year of a three-year renewed contract. The departure occurred roughly four years after he was hired to run the agency after a year-long search.
Cunningham has more than 30 years of tourism and sales-related experience, including a previous stint with the organization as the director of tourism sales, from 1987-1996. Since that time, Cunningham worked for the Silver Legacy Resort Casino as the director of tour and travel sales, and spent nearly 10 years as the director of sales, advertising, entertainment and casino marketing at Circus Circus Reno.
Cunningham has served as the executive director of marketing for the RSCVA since 2010.
“I’m honored by the board’s confidence in my capacity to lead the RSCVA through its most current evolution,” Cunningham said. “I look forward to working with our partners to help promote and improve the perception of Reno Tahoe, and to ensure our tourism endeavors are persuasive and impactful.”
In her role as managing director, Cunningham will oversee the day-to-day operations of the RSCVA, working with Board Chair Bob Lucey in the development of a new, five-year strategic plan for the organization.
The board also voted to begin the request for quotation (RFQ) process for a search firm to assist in the RSCVA’s search for its next president/CEO. The RSCVA is seeking a candidate that can take the agency in a new direction.
