The veteran executive director of Destination Osoyoos has been relieved of her duties.
Jo Knight, who was hired as the former manager of the Town of Osoyoos Visitor’s Centre more than six years ago and worked her way up to being named executive director of the town’s destination marketing organization, was informed three weeks ago by the Destination Osoyoos board of directors that she was being replaced.
“A decision was made by the board at a meeting held March 15 that she would be relieved of her duties … it was a unanimous decision by the board,” said Don Brogan, who accepted the nomination at last week’s Destination Osoyoos annual general meeting to return as board chair.
Destination Osoyoos has undergone numerous changes over the past five years, but it’s clear the organization’s mandate and mission moving forward is to concentrate on destination marketing and this was not Knight’s area of expertise, said Brogan.
“The board is definitely looking at bringing in someone with a keen sense of marketing acumen,” he said. “We need someone who has experience and success in destination marketing … I think that’s the top quality we’re going to need for this position.”
Knight was hired as the manager of the Town of Osoyoos Visitor’s Centre when Destination Osoyoos’ mandate included economic development promotion for the town, running a busy visitor information centre and marketing, said Brogan.
The town has formed its own economic development committee and the visitor information centre is now run by the provincial government.
Destination Osoyoos recently moved its head office to Main Street beside town hall from its longstanding home at the provincial Visitors Centre on Hwy. 3.
The board will be holding a special meeting on Thursday, April 4 to discuss the direction of the organization and qualifications needed to replace Knight as the executive director, said Brogan.
“We want to make sure we’re structured in the right way and roll up our sleeves as a board and hammer out exactly where we’re going as quickly as possible,” he said. “I do know this organization plays a key role in promoting this town and we don’t want to be without a leader for very long.”
The board’s decision wasn’t made without careful consideration, said Brogan.
“We realized some time ago that the focus of our organization has to be on external marketing,” he said. “The board has been meeting and started discussions on how we might be lacking in this key area for the better part of the past year. It has taken us this long to get everyone on board and make this decision.”
Brogan, who is the general manager of the Walnut Beach Resort, said the Town of Osoyoos has a solid reputation as one of the premier destination tourist locations in the province and he’s convinced Destination Osoyoos will be able to attract a long list of excellent candidates to replace Knight.
“Everywhere I travel across the province, I repeatedly hear Osoyoos remains one of the top tourist destinations,” he said. “We’re known as a small town that has really got its act together in terms of recognizing the importance of tourism. With the right Request for Proposal or job description, I don’t think we’ll have any trouble attracting some of the brightest and most talented minds out there when it comes to external marketing who will want this job.”
The decision to replace Knight is simply a change in direction for the organization, said Brogan.
“I wasn’t there when she was given the news, but from several reports giving to me, she took things relatively well under the circumstances and said she would be more than willing to help during any transition period,” said Brogan. “She handled the news as well as could be expected under difficult circumstances. We thank her for all her hard work and wish her well in the future.”
Coun. Michael Ryan, the Town of Osoyoos council representative on the Destination Osoyoos board, said his understanding of the situation is the board feels someone with more expertise in external marketing is needed for this position and that’s why the decision about Knight was made.
“I know the board felt there was a need for a re-organization and they weren’t sure they needed an executive director or administrator who didn’t have a strong background in marketing.”
It’s obvious the mandate of Destination Osoyoos has changed dramatically over the past four or five years and the board believes external marketing is now is primary function, said Ryan.
“They are now a marketing organization and my guess is they feel more could be done and certain skills that are needed weren’t there,” he said.
Town of Osoyoos Mayor Stu Wells said Destination Osoyoos is a “standalone organization with its own board that makes it own decisions” and while he respects the decision made regarding Knight, it did take him by surprise.
“Destination marketing is a tough business with so many communities competing against each other,” he said. “From my understanding, Destination Osoyoos wants to go in a new direction with much more concentration on marketing.
“I think Jo had done a great job over the year and her spirit and enthusiasm for Osoyoos was unparalleled. I have no doubt she will land on her feet in no time.”
With her bubbly personality and charm, Wells is confident Knight will be able to stay in Osoyoos and find work quickly.
“I would like to think with her skill set and all of the winery and accommodation opportunities in this community that she would be able to find something very quickly,” he said. “She may well want to move on, but Jo is well-known and popular in town and I think she will be OK.”
