Nicole Smoucha is an experienced professional in sales and management with a diverse background in hospitality and event coordination. Currently serving as Group Sales Manager at the University Club of Chicago since March 2022, Nicole previously held significant roles including Moorage Coordinator at the Port of Everett, where management of a large public marina and comprehensive reporting on revenue trends were key responsibilities. Prior experience includes successful tenures as Group Sales Manager at Space Needle & Chihuly Garden and Glass, achieving notable sales goals, and Sales Manager at Hampton Inn Seattle/Everett Downtown, where corporate rate negotiations were a focus. Nicole’s career began in front desk supervision and sales coordination roles within various hotels, complemented by an academic foundation in Music and Marketing from Southern Illinois University.
University Club of Chicago
Our Story It began over a century ago, when a small group of university graduates gathered together in order to establish a meeting place of their own. The State of Illinois granted them a charter in 1887. Their goal was simple – to foster an appreciation of literature and the arts and to create an environment where they, their guests and all future members could draw upon sustaining values of a common educational experience. The founders represented a variety of higher education institutions, bringing together unique backgrounds and interests. Among these founding members were Cyrus Hall McCormick Jr., President of International Harvester, Frederic Clay Bartlett, an avant-garde painter and art collector, and William Eliot Furness, an abolitionist credited with creating one of the Union Army's first regiments of free and former slaves. The Club first rented rooms in the Henning Speed building at 125 N. Dearborn Street and later purchased 116 N. Dearborn Street which provided accommodations for members during the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. In 1906, the present property became available and the Club made plans to move to its final (and current) home at 76 E. Monroe Street, just as Michigan Avenue was becoming a major cultural hub for Chicago. As vanguards of the Chicago School of Architecture, members and architects William Holabird and Martin Roche presented designs for the new Clubhouse. Although the members had been expecting designs in the style of the adjacent Gage buildings, which Holabird and Roche also designed, the pair returned with a shocking Gothic "skyscraper." Their design became the first of its kind, and the completed building was occupied by the membership on April 3, 1909. Who We Are We are a private members' club that is committed to fostering an appreciation of literature and the arts. We are member-owned, Board-driven and are proud to provide a space where members can explore many intellectual and cultural pursuits. College or universit