Tourism Kelowna has appointed Cassandra Zerebeski as its next President & CEO, effective May 21, following a national search that drew more than 50 applicants, the organization’s board announced this week.

According to Tourism Kelowna’s industry news release, Zerebeski brings more than 25 years of destination leadership across British Columbia’s resort and regional visitor economies. Chemistry Consulting, the firm that ran the search, characterized her as a seasoned destination leadership executive with deep experience guiding tourism organizations and public-private partnerships.

Two details from the announcement are worth flagging.

First, the search drew 50+ applicants for a regional CEO seat. That sounds routine, but it is a useful data point in a year when boards across North America are quietly worried about thin candidate pools. Tourism Kelowna ran a structured, public search and got real depth. Boards complaining there are no candidates should ask whether they are running the same kind of search.

What this means for DMOs

Second, Zerebeski’s resume reads like a deliberate counter-archetype to the “marketing leader who got promoted into the CEO seat” model that has dominated the last decade of DMO succession. Her experience is anchored in destination strategy, public-private partnerships, and regional visitor economies — the messy political and operational layer of running a CVB, not just the campaign layer.

This is consistent with a broader trend in DMO leadership succession. As Destinations International has documented through its emerging-leader programs, the next generation of CEOs is coming up through funding strategy, board governance, and stakeholder engagement — not just creative.

For Canadian DMOs in particular, the appointment also lands at a sensitive moment. Cross-border travel sentiment between Canada and the U.S. has been volatile through the year, and Kelowna’s visitor economy depends heavily on a mix of domestic, U.S., and Asia-Pacific demand. Putting a CEO in place who has lived through previous regional demand shocks is a defensive move as much as an offensive one.

The bigger takeaway for the industry: succession planning is not a 2030 problem. The organizations running structured searches now are the ones who will land the candidates everyone else wants in 2027.

Photo by Kate Joyce on Unsplash