SANTA ROSA BEACH — Candidates from the local area, the state and across the country were represented Monday when 10 finalists were chosen to vie for the position of Walton County Tourist Development Council director.
Highest on the candidate list of a five-member council chosen to select the finalists was Tampa resident Kelly Miller, the former head of Tampa’s tourism, marketing and development organization.
Read the candidates' resumes. >>
Miller caused quite a stir last October when he left his job with Tampa Bay & Company. All he said publicly about the decision was that “very tough personal choices” compelled him to leave.
Douglas Traub, who is president and chief executive officer for the Lake Havasu City Convention and Visitors Bureau in Arizona, scored second highest in a ranking system devised by the county to pare a list of 45 candidates.
Traub said Monday being selected as a finalist came as “news to me.”
“I’m surprised,” he said. “I’m interested in hearing back from them (the county) to see where this might go.”
The 10 candidates selected will have their names brought before the Walton County Commission for consideration.
County commissioners will decide whether all 10 will be brought in for interviews or whether some or all interviews will be conducted by phone, said Nan MacGinnis, a county human resources official who directed the applicant selection process.
Traub said he would definitely make the cross-country trip if called to interview with the Walton County Commission.
Robert Warren, CEO for the Evansville, Ind., Convention and Visitors Bureau, finished third highest among candidates.
Terry Cook of Harrison, Ark., was ranked fourth.
A local candidate, Rosemary Beach Town Manager Jim Bagby, tallied the fifth-highest score, which was calculated by ranking candidates 1-10 in seven employment categories.
Yan Baczkowski of Miami and Dennis Tracy of Jacksonville also made the list of finalists, as did applicants Julie Morgan of Sweetwater, Tenn., and Mary Chris Murry of Atlanta, Ga.
Fort Walton Beach resident Jessica L. Jarosz, president and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast, also made the list of 10 finalists.
The person selected to serve as the TDC director will replace Dawn Moliterno, who is scheduled to step down April 9.
MacGinnis said the board of commissioners is “still considering its options” in regard to filling Moliterno’s job until the new TDC director takes over.
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Tom McLaughlin at 850-315-4435 or tmclaughlin@nwfdailynews.com. Follow him on Twitter @TomMnwfdn.