Sarah Lira is the new executive director of Visit Morgan Hill, the nonprofit tourism marketing organization announced Oct. 21.
Lira, 33, succeeds previous director Krista Rupp, who stepped down in April without a replacement. Six months later, Lira has arrived to step into the role.
A native of Gilroy, Lira said she has watched Morgan Hill from the outside as a close neighbor for most of her life. Now, she says, she has the opportunity to see it from a new perspective as she markets the city as a tourist destination to the rest of the world.
“Morgan Hill was always the location that we frequently visited,” Lira said. “Right now I am in a very fun part of this new career journey where I get to explore Morgan Hill and look at it from a different lens now that I’m in this role, which I’ve been enjoying. There’s a lot of gems in Morgan Hill.”
Lira, who still lives in Gilroy, was born and raised there. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from Saint Mary’s College of California in Moraga, which she attended on a softball scholarship.
Lira began her tourism marketing career as an assistant marketing manager at Visit Gilroy, before later joining Simon Property Group as director of marketing and business development about eight years ago, she said. In that role, she oversaw marketing at the Gilroy Premium Outlets and Stanford Shopping Center.
She said the work at Simon translates directly to her new job.
“Although the destinations may be different, the concepts are the same,” Lira said. “We are creating experiences that give people a reason to visit.”
Visit Morgan Hill Board Chair Michael Meredith said in a press release that Lira’s “proven track record in marketing and deep familiarity with the South Bay region make her the ideal leader to build on our recent successes.”
Visit Morgan Hill is a nonprofit funded by the Morgan Hill Tourism Business Improvement District, which collects a 1.5% assessment on gross short-term revenue from Morgan Hill hotels, according to the agency’s website. It is separate from the city and governed by an independent board.
Lira said her first weeks have been spent touring the city and meeting hotel operators, city leaders and community groups.
“I’m really out in the community building relationships, shaking a lot of hands and meeting a lot of people, which has been fun,” she said.
She declined to say whether she plans structural changes, calling it too early to tell. She said she sees Visit Morgan Hill as having “a really great foundation” and described her approach as building on its momentum rather than changing course.
“I’m not seeing things I would do differently,” Lira said. “I’m looking at it more as continuing to build on the positive momentum.”
She credited Rupp, who she said led the organization through the COVID-19 pandemic, with establishing it.
“Everyone says, ‘Oh, I love Krista,’” Lira said. “I think that’s really telling.”
Among the assets Lira plans to promote are Morgan Hill’s wineries, restaurants, outdoor recreation, sports facilities and community events. She cited a line from the visitor guide calling the city one of California’s “best-kept secrets.”
“I really do think the wineries in this area are a gem, and more people need to know about them,” she said.
Lira also addressed downtown’s stalled Hotel MOHI project, which would improve the city’s capacity to host visitors by adding a planned 76 hotel rooms once completed. The project has experienced significant delays, with the developer failing to meet deadlines set in a 2022 Memorandum of Understanding with the City that required the hotel to be open and operational by Dec. 31, 2025.
“It’s important to recognize that hotel development has been challenging, not just in Morgan Hill but throughout the Bay Area and California,” she said. “From what I hear about Hotel MOHI, it’s actively moving forward, and I hear rooms are looking to open in 2027. While there have been delays, it’s a really exciting project, and I think it will be transformative for the community.”
She described her role as drawing visitors who stay overnight, which she hopes will encourage more hotel investment.
“If I do my job correctly and we market Morgan Hill correctly, hopefully that will make more hotels want to come to Morgan Hill,” she said.
Asked how she would balance tourism growth with residents’ quality-of-life concerns such as sharing limited downtown parking with visitors, Lira instead emphasized the economic benefits of overnight visitors, including jobs and tax revenue.
“Tourism benefits the community,” she said. “[It] plays an important role in sustaining and supporting our amazing assets. We want to attract visitors who not only experience what Morgan Hill has to offer but also stay at our hotels overnight, dine at our restaurants, shop at our local businesses and spend more time experiencing the community.”
