New City Tourism Manager Appointed

As the City of Vernon positions itself as a major player in the Okanagan tourism scene with a bid for the 2012 BC Winter Games and the upcoming 2011 World Masters Cross Country event at Sovereign Lake and Silverstar, the next step is to establish a tourism function for the City of Vernon.

The City is, therefore, pleased to announce the appointment of Michelle Jefferson as the new Tourism Manager. As the outgoing Tourism Marketing Leader at the R.D.N.O., Ms. Jefferson, already has established positive relationships within the tourism industry, and is the obvious choice for this important role.

In making the announcement, Deputy CAO, Marg Bailey, noted that, "Since coming to Vernon in 2008, Ms. Jefferson's work with the NORD /GVS tourism office provided her with a significant introduction to our local tourism challenges, and we are sure that her professionalism and positive relationships already formed with Vernon's hotel and tourism community gives her a distinct advantage and a head start on the City's tourism mandate. We are confident that Michelle's considerable skills will draw an effective team to serve Vernon's tourism needs over the next few years. She has built solid relationships with Vernon's tourism partners and insured that the Visitor Centres were able to meet the needs North Okanagan visitors." Ms. Jefferson begins her duties in January, 2009