Explore St. Louis Appoints Julie Gilbert as Chief Marketing Officer Tuesday January 27, 2026 By Catherine Neville ST. LOUIS: Explore St. Louis has named Julie Gilbert as its new Chief Marketing Officer. She joins Explore St. Louis from Destination Door County, Wisconsin, where she served as President and CEO, leading a comprehensive evolution of the organization’s go-to-market approach. Gilbert brings more than two decades of experience leading destination marketing organizations through periods of brand transformation, increased accountability and strategic growth. Her tenure in Door County was defined by an integrated, strategic approach to marketing that sharpened brand clarity, refined audience targeting and strengthened the connection between marketing investment and measurable outcomes. Under her leadership, marketing moved beyond awareness to demonstrate tangible impact, supported by analytics, dashboards, third-party research and ongoing stakeholder feedback. A central focus of Gilbert’s leadership has also been aligning destination marketing with broader organizational and community priorities, ensuring marketing strategy supports long-term goals, sustainable investment and pride of place. Prior to Door County, Gilbert served as Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Destination Niagara USA, where she led rebranding efforts and integrated leisure and meetings strategies to grow visitation and economic impact. Earlier in her career, she held senior marketing leadership roles with National Park Reservations, the State of West Virginia and the American Society of Travel Agents. She also founded and led a full-service travel and tourism marketing agency serving public- and private-sector clients domestically and internationally. “Julie brings a clear, disciplined perspective on what destination marketing needs to be today,” said Brad Dean, President and CEO of Explore St. Louis. “Our recent stakeholder assessment gave us valuable, candid feedback that our community wants Explore St. Louis to demonstrate stronger performance in marketing, growing leisure visitation and strengthening brand leadership while deepening community engagement. Julie’s experience, which is grounded in stakeholder input and community alignment, positions her extremely well to help us respond to that feedback and shape our next phase of marketing for St. Louis.” As Chief Marketing Officer, Gilbert will lead Explore St. Louis’ marketing department, with a focus on refining overall marketing strategy and strengthening the connection between brand storytelling, investment and measurable outcomes. “Marketing works best when it is rooted in clarity, accountability and pride of place,” said Gilbert. “I’m excited to bring that mindset to St. Louis and to work alongside a team that is deeply committed to the region’s long-term success.” Gilbert holds a Bachelor of Science in Business and Management Studies from the University of Maryland and the Certified Destination Management Executive designation. She currently serves on the Destinations International Foundation Board of Trustees and has held leadership roles across national tourism organizations. “Julie brings a strong understanding of how destination marketing fits into the broader fabric of a community,” said Steve O’Loughlin, chair of the Explore St. Louis Board of Commissioners. “Her focus on accountability, transparency and alignment with community priorities is exactly what the board values as we continue to steward and strengthen the St. Louis brand.” Gilbert will begin her role with Explore St. Louis on Wed., Feb. 25, 2026. Share
