The former head of Ohio’s travel and tourism initiatives has been named director of Nevada’s revamped Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs.
Claudia Vecchio, president of Destination Integration in Dallas, which develops marketing programs for small and mid-sized communities integrating tourism and economic development components, was appointed to the Cabinet-level post by Gov. Brian Sandoval.
From 2003-2006, Vecchio supervised the brand development of Ohio’s tourism strategy and worked with the Ohio Historical Society and the Ohio Arts Council to create new programs. While in Ohio, Vecchio led a marketing program to help open the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati and she worked to open the Toledo Glass Museum and the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati.
In her new position in Nevada, which pays $114,104 a year, she will oversee four state programs that were consolidated, the Nevada Tourism Commission, the Division of Museums and History, the Nevada Arts Council and the Nevada Indian Commission.
“Claudia is an experienced destination marketer with a solid background in social media and branding,” Sandoval said Monday in a release announcing the appointment.
“Together with her appreciation for history and culture, her background is ideally suited to taking us to the next level in how we engage with Nevadans and tourists alike,” Sandoval said. “I look forward to her leadership in promoting Nevada’s many fine destinations, as well as preserving and enhancing our sense of history, appreciation for the arts and well-being of our Native American population.”
The announcement came as the state kicked off Nevada History Month, culminating with Nevada Day Oct. 31.
Vecchio was selected from three finalists forwarded to the governor by the Tourism Commission last month. Larry Friedman, acting director of the Tourism Commission, where he has been employed for 20 years, and Frank Nocera, a senior executive at Visit Florida, a nonprofit organization that promoted tourism, were the other finalists.
Commissioners initially reviewed eight candidates for the job Aug. 22.
Vecchio, who will start her new job on Nov. 14, two weeks before the Governor’s Conference on Tourism, has a degree in organizational communications from Brigham Young University.
She has received several Public Relations Society of America and American Marketing Association awards, including recognition for Internet marketing. She has served on the Travel Industry Association of America’s Council of State Tourism Directors.