Destination Osoyoos announced on Feb. 5 that Jo Knight has been appointed as the organization’s new executive director. She has served as the organization’s director of tourism and visitor experience for the past two years. Photo by Laurena Weninger - Click on picture for larger image
OSOYOOS TIMES-February 10, 2010
By Laurena Weninger – Osoyoos Times
Jo Knight has been appointed as the new executive director of Destination Osoyoos (DO).
“No one can replace Glenn Mandziuk,” Knight said, joking about how she doesn’t really have to fill Mandziuk’s shoes because of the new structure of the organization.
It was the position of chief executive officer of DO that Mandziuk vacated last year, but Knight will play a new role – executive director.
DO has changed substantially in both organization as well as staffing, Knight said.
“It’s a completely different organization at this point.”
The Town of Osoyoos decided last September that DO would no longer carry out economic development responsibilities for the community.
Instead, DO is going to focus on tourism and marketing for the Town, the NK’MIP Resort Association and rural Area A of the Regional District Okanagan-Similkameen.
Derek Noske, chair of DO’s board of directors, said Knight has been appointed to the top position, effective immediately.
Knight has been with DO for three years, serving as manager of the BC Visitor Centre at Osoyoos.
For the past two years, Knight also served as DO’s director of tourism and visitor experience.
“Jo has an extensive background in tourism marketing and visitor experience development with her three years of visitor centre management here in Osoyoos and before that having spent four years managing the Pacific Rim Visitor Centre in Tofino/Ucluelet on Vancouver Island,” Noske said.
He added that Knight has shown leadership by becoming an accredited WorldHost trainer and achieving national certification in Visitor Services Management.
Knight said she feels honoured to have been appointed to the new position.
“The work and vision of Destination Osoyoos and former Chief Executive Officer Glenn Mandziuk is what inspired me to move here from Tofino/Ucluelet,” she said.
Millie Jarrett, who until now acted as assistant manager of Osoyoos’s Visitor Centre, has been promoted to the position of manager.
She will manage the day-to-day operations of the visitor centre and will report to Knight.
Jarrett used to operate the now-defunct Vine Valley Grill that was located at the Best Western Sunrise Inn on Hwy. 3.
In its new form, DO has two basic mandates, said Knight.
The first is to administer the two-per-cent additional hotel room tax that is collected and returned to the organization.
That money will be spent according to the Osoyoos Tourism Marketing Development Plan.
The second mandate is to work with the B.C. Ministry of Tourism to operate the Osoyoos visitor centre.
[email protected]
