Celebrating the Career of Cathy Kretz
We’re bidding farewell to Travel Portland’s retiring national account director after a storied career.
Jim Etzel, chief executive officer of Sport Oregon, remembers sitting in a suite at the Moda Center, Portland’s largest concert and sports arena, with Cathy Kretz, CMP, in 2019. A record crowd had packed the arena for the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament, and the Oregon Ducks, led by Sabrina Ionescu, were making a run to the Final Four. At one point during the raucous game, Etzel and Kretz looked at each other and wondered, “Why the heck are we not bidding for the Women’s Final Four?”
Kretz, national account director at Travel Portland, was passionate about sports and echoed the sentiment. The duo wasted little time, calling the NCAA office and asking if they could submit a bid to host the NCAA Women’s Final Four in 2025 or 2026. The organization agreed, noting that the full presentation deadline was quickly approaching. Before the final buzzer, Etzel and Kretz had booked their flights to the tournament’s later rounds in Florida, where they met with representatives from the NCAA.
Kretz and Etzel found out in early 2020 that Portland was not selected to host the event — but they were determined to try again. Along with a bidding team that included the Portland Trail Blazers and the University of Portland, they launched a new bid in early 2022 and eventually landed the NCAA Women’s Final Four, one of the nation’s most popular showcases of women’s basketball, which will tip off in the Moda Center in April 2030. It’s the latest — and perhaps biggest — accomplishment in a storied career that will come to a close when Kretz retires in August 2025.
As Kretz prepares to depart Travel Portland, we talked with her and a few colleagues about her career, what she’s meant to the city’s tourism industry, and what’s on the horizon as she contemplates the next chapter.
Bringing Excitement, Collaborative Spirit to Travel Portland
Kretz joined the organization in 1999 and will retire in August 2025. Officially, Kretz was responsible for bringing sporting events, conferences and conventions to Portland. More than that, though, Kretz always felt she sold something bigger. “When I joined Travel Portland, I realized I wasn’t just selling something — I was inviting people to discover our city,” she says. “It was about sharing the Portland experience and everything that makes it so special.”
Over the years, numerous colleagues have seen that passion and excitement firsthand. Desiree Everett, CMP, CGMP, is the vice president of convention sales and services at Travel Portland. In that role, she saw Kretz emerge as an eager collaborator who puts the client first and shows how Portland can meet their needs. “She loves the city,” Everett says. “You don’t always find someone who has a deep pride in the city and a deep pride for the industry itself.”
Cindy Wallace, CMP, CMM, PMP, is the executive director at the Oregon Convention Center — and has worked closely with Kretz since 1999. She says that passion carries over to the professional approach that Kretz brings to every meeting and site visit. “She knows exactly what the client is looking for,” Wallace says.
Landing World-Class Events for a Growing, Changing City
Over the years, Kretz has seen a lot of change at Travel Portland. In her 26 years with the organization, she’s seen it more than double in size as its hard-working, enthusiastic team celebrated the creativity of a growing city. “There are a lot of super passionate people here, people that are really dedicated to the city,” Kretz says. “I have been blessed to work with an amazing team.”
Kretz also saw Sport Oregon, a nonprofit promoting sports in Oregon, grow from a staff of two to a team of 16. She also watched with excitement as the Oregon Convention Center doubled in size to roughly 1 million square feet. In late 2019, the 600-room Hyatt Regency Portland at the Oregon Convention Center opened across the street, giving the convention center a headquarter hotel.
Taken together, the developments made possible some of the biggest accomplishments in Kretz’s time with Travel Portland. She’s worked alongside incredible partners at the Oregon Convention Center to book conferences and bring valuable tourism dollars to Portland, which helped spur local economic development. And with Sport Oregon, she helped attract the Davis Cup tennis tournament in 2007, the MLS All-Star Game in 2014, and the World Athletics Indoor Championships in 2016 — the first time the biennial track-and-field event was held in the United States.
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Just weeks before retiring, she booked a tech conference that will bring 16,800 room nights to Portland in February 2026. That represents Kretz’s largest convention booking in her time at Travel Portland — and a fitting end to what has been a wildly successful tenure. “It was just the perfect way to close out my career,” she says.
Looking Ahead to What’s Next
As Kretz looks forward to retirement, she’s ready to tackle a list of hobbies and leisurely activities that she’s been compiling for some time. That includes doing yoga and Pilates, gardening, visiting some of her favorite restaurants, traveling (Italy is high on the list for Kretz and her husband Tom), and spending time with their young grandchildren.
Kretz also looks forward to keeping her eye on a number of high-profile projects that will come to fruition over the next few years around Portland — including a new concert venue under construction at the Lloyd Center shopping mall, the opening of the James Beard Public Market, and the return of the WNBA in 2026.
In fact, she’s already looking forward to being in the stands for the NCAA Women’s Final Four in 2030. Her granddaughter was born while the NCAA was in Portland considering Portland’s bid to host the prestigious event. “She’ll be 8 years old when they’re here,” she says. “I’ll take her to the game and say, ‘Look what Grandma helped make happen.’”
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