ECCO Select’s Jeanette Prenger elected Chair of non-profit; representatives from Sheraton/Westin Crown Center, Chicken N Pickle join board as new appointees
Visit KC Team
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January 28, 2022
KANSAS CITY, MO—Kansas City’s premier hospitality and tourism organization confirmed its 2022 Board of Directors on Tuesday, swearing in new and continuing members at the group’s first meeting of the year.
After serving two years as Vice Chair, Jeanette Prenger of ECCO Select Corporation ascends to the role of Chair. She succeeds Immediate Past Chair Cindy Circo of Evergy, whose leadership guided the organization through the onset of the pandemic and the selection of Visit KC’s new leader, Kathy Nelson, who assumed the position on Jan. 1.
“On behalf of the Visit KC team and my fellow board members, I’d like to thank Cindy Circo for her outstanding leadership and advocacy these last two years. The travel and tourism industry witnessed unprecedented challenges during her tenure, but she never wavered in her commitment and passion for Visit KC and our local hospitality workforce,” said Prenger. “I am humbled to be asked to fill her shoes. Together with our new CEO and our 2022 board of directors, I look forward to serving Kansas City as we navigate the destination’s continued recovery.”
Joining Prenger as executive officers in 2022 are Randy Wisthoff of the Kansas City Zoo Foundation (Vice Chair), Brian Johnson of the Loews Kansas City Hotel (Secretary) and Stacey Paine of the Crown Center Redevelopment Corp. (Treasurer). These officers comprise the board’s 2022 Executive Committee, in addition to Directors Mike Cappo of Shook Hardy & Bacon, Adam Miller of Barkley, Councilman Kevin O’Neill of Kansas City’s 1st District and City Manager Brian Platt.
Other changes effective Jan. 25 include:
- Bill Crooks, CEO of Chicken N Pickle, joins the board as a new appointee by the
organization for a two-year term.
- Chad Mohwinkle, General Manager of The Westin/Sheraton Crown Center Hotels, and Assistant City Manager Kimiko Gilmore join the board as ex-officio appointees.
- Pat Macdonald of the Healthcare Institute for Innovations in Quality transitions to
ex-officio status after several years of service to the board as a director.
- Outgoing board members include Alan Dietrich of Sporting Kansas City, Nia Richardson of KC Bizcare and Jim Snow of The Westin/Sheraton Crown Center Hotels.
The organization’s Board of Directors is composed of up to 30 civic and business leaders from the greater Kansas City area. The Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, appoints half of its members and the Visit KC Board appoints the other half. For more information about the organization, go to VisitKC.com.
2022 Visit KC Board of Directors
Leadership
- Chair – Jeanette Prenger, Founder & CEO, ECCO Select Corporation*
- Vice Chair – Randy Wisthoff, Executive Director, Kansas City Zoo Foundation*
- Secretary – Brian Johnson, Managing Director, Loews Kansas City Hotel*
- Treasurer – Stacey Paine, President, Crown Center Redevelopment Corp.*
Members
- Mike Cappo, Associate, Shook, Hardy & Bacon, LLP*
- Tony Carovillano, General Manager, Worlds of Fun
- Thalia Cherry, Founder & CEO, Cherry Sports Gear
- Bill Crooks, CEO, Chicken N Pickle
- George Guastello, President & CEO, Union Station Kansas City
- Bob Kendrick, President, Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
- Teresa Loar, Councilwoman, 2nd District-At-Large, City of Kansas City, Missouri
- David Lopez, General Manager, Manny’s Mexican Restaurant
- Riccardo Lucas, President & CEO, N.Stride Consulting, LLC
- Adam Miller, Director of Diversity & Inclusion, Barkley*
- Kevin O’Neill, Councilman, 1st District, City of Kansas City, Missouri*
- Kevin Pistilli, President, Raphael Hotel Group
- Brian Platt, City Manager, City of Kansas City, Missouri*
- Kris Riddell, Legal Administrator, GM Law PC
- Melissa Robinson, Councilwoman, 3rd District, City of Kansas City, Missouri
- Maria Salcedo, Partner, Shook, Hardy & Bacon, LLP
- Philip Strnad, General Manager, Hilton President Kansas City
- Lylette Utz, Managing Partner & President, Global Green Solutions, LLC
* Denotes members of Executive Committee
Ex-Officio Members
- Kimiko Gilmore, Assistant City Manager, City of Kansas City, Missouri
- Gregg Givens, Chief Financial Officer, Park University
- Pat Klein, Director, Aviation Department, City of Kansas City, Missouri
- Pat Macdonald, Director of Strategic Ventures & Operations, Healthcare Institute for Innovations in Quality
- Kurt Mayo, Hotel & Lodging Association of Greater Kansas City
- Chad Mohwinkle, General Manager, Sheraton and The Westin Hotels at Crown Center
- Bill Teel, Executive Director, Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association
- Amy Jordan Wooden, President & CEO, AJW Consulting
