Since 2021, I have operated Nina B. Winston Consulting (NBWC) as a solo practice, building my business slowly and carefully.

I’m thrilled to announce that the time has come to expand NBWC with new additions to the team. We’re increasing the breadth and scope of our services with the addition of highly accomplished professionals who bring strategic horsepower to a dynamic range of projects. With a proven track record and extensive experience in tourism and economic development, civic and cultural affairs, placemaking, marketing, and nonprofit leadership, we are ready to listen to your needs and deliver impactful work.

With the addition of our newest offering Speaking Out Loud, we extend beyond our traditional consulting work with something entirely different: a best-in-class keynote speakers program that offers fresh, original voices and new ways of resonating with audiences. Speaking Out Loud will make a profound impact on your next business event.

We look forward to talking with you about your next project!

Prior to starting her consulting practice in 2021, Nina was Executive Vice President for Washington D.C. based Destinations International—the world’s largest resource for convention and visitors bureaus—where she oversaw global development, strategic alliances and member- and-partner relations.

Nina is based in Chicago, a city that has been integral to her career, and a place she is thrilled to call home. As Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at Choose Chicago, the city’s tourism marketing arm, Nina supported the organization’s goal of bringing regional, national and international business and leisure visitors to Chicago for its economic benefit. In this role, she delivered more than $15 million in new revenue from public and private partnerships, including those involving Fortune 100 companies, as well as federal, state and local governments.

Nina exerts a practical, innovative and collaborative approach to consulting. Excelling at tackling complex challenges, her expertise in developing new and impactful programs and building strategic relationships is highly sought after in the industry. She is a graduate of Harvard Kennedy School, where she earned a master’s degree in public administration.

As one who cares deeply about making a difference in her community, Nina supports some of Chicago’s premier arts and cultural organizations in her volunteer leadership roles, including Steppenwolf Theatre Company and Lincoln Park Zoo. For the latter, she successfully raised more than $1.5 million as co-chair of the zoo’s annual fundraiser in 2023.

Connect with Nina on LinkedIn

Matt Nielson, Principal

For more than 25 years, Matt has helped shape the nonprofit, public, and private service landscape. In his current role as a Principal at Nina B. Winston Consulting, he is committed to building successful community-driven partnerships for tourism and convention bureau entities.

A series of high-impact roles distinguish Matt’s career journey. As Strategic Advisor to the Houston Parks Board (HPB), he is dedicated to enhancing and protecting parks and green spaces across Houston, driving the organization’s mission and managing its growth. Matt served as HPB’s Chief Operating Officer from 2020 to 2024.

Matt’s former roles include Senior Director of Campus Planning and Operations at the YoungArts Foundation in Miami; and Deputy Commissioner for the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events, playing a crucial role in overseeing major cultural assets such as Millennium Park and the Chicago Cultural Center, and creating the 2012 Cultural Plan of Chicago.

Throughout his career, Matt has been a catalyst for change and innovation. He lends his talents to numerous organizations including Impact House of Chicago, the City Parks Alliance and the American Planning Association. He is also a Co-Chair of Howard Brown Health’s 50th Anniversary Campaign and the Planning Advisory Council at Iowa State University. Matt’s executive board experience includes his current position with the Creative Chicago Reuse Exchange, and past board service with Howard Brown Health, the League of Chicago Theatres, the International Wine Institute, the Fairy Godmother Foundation and the Nonprofit Finance Fund.

A graduate of the University of Southern California’s Sol Price School of Public Policy with an Executive Master of Urban Planning degree, Matt also holds a Bachelor of Science in Community and Regional Planning from Iowa State University.

As Strategic Advisor at NBWC, Matt continues to leverage his vast experience and networks to drive impactful change and support our client’s growth and development.

Connect with Matt on LinkedIn

Rachel Kisber Obermeier, Project Manager

Possessing more than 25 years in the tourism industry, Rachel holds a strong track record for creating international relationships with both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations. She has worked in a diverse range of sectors including tourism, federal and state government, and social work. Most recently Rachel held the role of Director of Sales & Sports Commission for the destination marketing organization, DistiNCtly Fayetteville, North Carolina. In this role, Rachel was responsible for the tourism entities’ efforts to market and position the Fayetteville area as a premier destination for meetings, conventions, and sporting events.

Her experience includes serving as the Director of Sales for Visit Mississippi, the Tourism Division of the Mississippi Development Authority; plus driving economic growth and increasing international and domestic travel to Mississippi.

Rachel served as a Board Member of the U. S. Civil Rights Trail Marketing Alliance and a member of the International Marketing, Sales & PR Committee for Travel South USA. Prior to that position, she launched RKO Marketing, a tourism company based in Bad Soden, Germany. While at RKO Marketing, Rachel supported sales efforts for Tennessee Tourism, Memphis Tennessee, and the State of Mississippi.

A native Tennessean, Rachel was a driving force behind the 2016 twinning between Bad Soden and Franklin, Tennessee, which fostered cultural, economic and educational exchanges.

Rachel holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Vanderbilt University and a Master of Arts from the University of Chicago.

Connect with Rachel on LinkedIn

Kara (Carmichael) Gardeen, Communications Strategist

Kara is a collaborative communications strategist with nearly two decades of experience guiding leaders through complex, multi-stakeholder environments. A connector by nature with a gift for putting people at ease, she specializes in translating vision into compelling narratives and actionable communications frameworks that drive results.

Recent work includes serving as communications strategist for Americans for the Arts through Miles Partnership across multiple initiatives—from high-profile advocacy campaigns such as #ProtectTheNEA and National Arts in Education Week to organizational messaging and content development, as well as conducting strategic DMO partnership comparative analysis across leading destinations (through Nina B. Winston Consulting).

During her seven-year tenure as Director of Public Relations at Choose Chicago, Kara oversaw the city’s leisure public relations efforts in key markets around the globe, connecting journalists and travel writers to local makers and securing countless destination features that illuminated Chicago’s unique character. Her work inspired interest and visitation among target audiences worldwide.

She has coordinated storytelling campaigns featuring Fortune 500 companies including Medtronic, Ecolab, and others, managing HR partnerships to showcase women leaders through digital content and executive video production. Her regional recruitment work included leveraging a citywide engineering conference to elevate Minneapolis-Saint Paul as an attractive destination for professional talent.

In a key leadership role, Kara served as acting Executive Director to establish The Great Northern festival nonprofit, transforming Minnesota’s “tourism obstacle” of winter travel into competitive advantage. Working with the Board of Directors, title sponsor Target, and community partners, she led the organization through successful 501(c)(3) establishment, secured funding, and hired its first full-time Executive Director. Her viral snow art installation with internationally-renowned artist Simon Beck at Target Field during Super Bowl 52 week demonstrated her ability to create buzz-worthy activations.

A graduate of Marquette University with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications, Kara brings clarity, momentum, and strategic rigor to every engagement.

Based in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, she continues to help organizations transform communications challenges into meaningful connections and measurable results.

Connect with Kara on LinkedIn

Jordan Parker, Project Manager

Jordan Parker is a strategic arts and economic development professional with proven experience connecting creative talent and community resources to advance economic equity, opportunity, and growth.

She previously served as an Arts and Economic Development Fellow at the Cook County Bureau of Economic Development, where she designed and administered the Nonprofit Relief Grant Survey to assess the impact of close to $800,000 in unrestricted relief funding on 100 nonprofit arts organizations.

Jordan is passionate about leveraging arts and cultural programming—particularly fashion and textiles—as tools for economic development, global diplomacy, and cross-sector collaboration.

She is a proud Spelman College alumna and a Master of Public Policy candidate at the University of Chicago, specializing in Culture & Arts Policy and International Development.

Connect with Jordan on LinkedIn