Marketer of the Year
Congratulations, Lisa Nucci, on being recognized as the 2026 Marketer of the Year!
AMA Chicago’s Marketer of the Year award recognizes a top Chicagoland marketer who is leading their brand forward. Our city is a hub for marketing’s creative minds promoting brands of all sizes: the Marketer of the Year award honors the most outstanding professional in a competitive field. Read on to learn about this year’s honoree, Lisa Nucci of Choose Chicago, and past winners.
2026 Marketer of the Year:
Lisa Nucci
This year’s recipient was selected for her combination of strategic thinking, creative execution and successful leadership: Congratulations, Lisa Nucci on being the 2026 Marketer of the Year!
As Chief Marketing Officer of Choose Chicago, Lisa’s work demonstrates the vision and adaptability that are needed to navigate today’s complex and constantly shifting brand landscape. Under her leadership, Choose Chicago has earned several AMA Chicago Palmer Marketing Awards for outstanding campaigns. She has made a significant impact for the organization–and for Chicago.
Prior to joining Choose Chicago, Lisa served as Chief Creative Strategy Officer at the Chicago Architecture Center, where she built a new marketing team and established a digital strategy. She was also the Executive Director of Marketing for the Chicago Bulls, where she led marketing initiatives, youth engagement programs, retail marketing and special events. At Choose Chicago, Lisa leads strategic marketing initiatives across the organization to attract leisure and business visitors as well as meetings and events to Chicago.
Previous Marketers of the Year
2025: Tara Giuliano
Chief Marketing Officer of NuveenAs a member of the executive management team, Tara oversees a marketing team that develops and executes go-to-market plans aimed at acquiring, retaining and expanding client relationships while producing compelling investment stories that distinguish Nuveen from competitors.
2024: Christine Buck
Chief Marketing & Communications Officer, HIMSSChristine leads a team that plays a critical role in growth and revenue generation through product marketing, brand management, market research, corporate communications and advertising. She collaborates with other senior leaders across the mission-driven organization to build a company-wide marketing philosophy characterized by agile decision-making and a focus on innovation, experimentation, data-driven accountability and diversity of thinking.
2023: Chris Duncan
VP of Consumer Insights & Digital Marketing, Claire’sWith over 20 years of executive-level experience in marketing, digital and agency operations, he has helped lead the brand’s transformation into a powerful, omnichannel organization delivering engaging content, experiences and programs globally.
2022: Meghan Hurley
VP of Marketing, Farmer’s FridgeAt Farmer’s Fridge, Meghan built their marketing department to address rapid expansion into new markets and channels. She launched performance marketing in 2020 paving the way for growth in e-commerce.
Nominations for 2027 will open June 1, 2027. Request to be notified when submissions open.