Lewis
Submitted photo
The Brown County Convention Visitors Bureau named its new executive director last week, and she’s no stranger to its operations.
The CVB board voted unanimously to hire Kamady Lewis at its meeting on Dec. 20, after the board’s executive recruiting committee made a recommendation to hire her into the role.
Lewis was most recently the CVB’s integrated marketing manager, a role she accepted earlier this year. In her new role as executive director, Lewis will be responsible for delivering the results of the CVB strategic and operational goals.
She will also oversee day-to-day operations of the bureau, providing the leadership and framework for the CVB goals as established and adopted by the board of directors.
The CVB was established in 1984, and is a marketing and service organization responsible for positively impacting the region’s economy by promoting lodging and visitor expenditures.
According to a press release from the CVB, Lewis will “champion the CVB mission, vision and values to set the tone and pace with the entire organization and with key stakeholders in the community.”
Lewis said last week that putting her name in the running for the position was not an easy choice to make.
She did not immediately apply for the role and took her time to see the recruiting committee’s process and what kind of person they had in mind.
“It’s a big job, I wanted to make sure that it was something that I would fit well, with the direction the board wants to go,” she said.
“(I was) really just trying to make sure it was a good fit for everyone. … I wanted to make sure I was comfortable with the job description and judge if I could fit what they were looking for.”
Ultimately Lewis appreciated the direction the CVB board hopes to go in the future, and has felt supported by them in her position.
CVB Chair Debbie Bartes said she spent a lot of time working with staff in the visitors center and saw Lewis clearly demonstrating leadership, marketing and people skills as well as a creative ability.
“All those things you look for in an executive director, she was exhibiting,” Bartes said.
Greg Fox serves as president of the CVB board and had stepped in as interim director after former director Jane Ellis vacated the position in July, until the role could be filled permanently.
Fox agreed with Bartes and said he saw the same qualities in Lewis.
It was not just her professional qualities, Fox said, but also her history with the area.
Lewis was born and raised in Brown County. She graduated from Indiana University with a bachelor of arts in communication and went on to hold positions in marketing in Las Vegas, Nev. before moving into various roles with television stations in the Midwest.
Her broadcasting roles included anchor, multimedia journalist, reporter and associate producer.
“We are so excited to have Kamady take on the leadership role for the Bureau. She has been a valuable asset to the Bureau and we look forward to an exciting future under her stewardship,” Bartes said in the press release.
Fox said after the Dec. 20 meeting that he was pleased to have Lewis in the role, and that she brings “a hometown perspective” while using a fresh perspective from her experiences outside of Brown County.
Lewis and her family moved back to the area in August 2021. She and her husband then took over her family’s business, the Jack and Jill Nut Shop.
Having left and returned to Brown County, Fox added that she has a fresh perspective that is “good and interesting.”
“(Lewis is) willing to look at things differently than how it’s always been, but also has the history, so she respects that,” he said.
Fox added that with a fresh perspective, she’ll also bring leadership and more community involvement, bringing various entities together to work more collaboratively.
“I think that’s just part of who she is and how she operates,” he said.
Bartes said that she also likes that Lewis is young and has a young family.
The executive director job description has been revamped, Fox said, with added expectations around community involvement, collaboration and more transparency than in the past, he said.
In 2023, the CVB will focus on their paid advertising and marketing, Bartes said.
The CVB focuses largely on an audience in the Cincinnati and Louisville regions. In 2024, they hope to grow their reach into the Chicago market.
“We’ve already done some exploring on costs, have had discussions with commissions on that,” Bartes said. “We’re trying to grow towards that. It’s the third largest market in the U.S. Our data does show that would be our next big step.”
Fox added that the CVB will continue to streamline the operations of the CVB, making it more efficient.
“There’s opportunity there. A lot of very clear expectations of staff, metrics to hold them accountable,” he said.
“I also would say with paid marketing that we’ve worked really closely with the marketing team to … change a lot of timing of campaigns to drive more steady tourism than in just the fall.”
The CVB will also launch its new website in the first quarter of 2023, adding more maneuverability on the site, Fox said.
Having taken on new endeavors, like partnering with news stations to promote Brown County, Lewis said that current CVB projects are exciting to her.
“I like that creative aspect of it, while being able to tell other people’s stories, in the town and the county,” she said.
For things she does not have a background in, like finances, Lewis said she is ready to learn.
”I know I don’t check every single box, but if I don’t know, I will learn,” she said.
In addition to being a business owner, Lewis also has a role in the schools, coaching Brown County High School basketball, and volunteering elsewhere in the community.
”I’m hoping my role with the school and coaching can kind of serve as a bridge for other opportunities,” she said.
Whether it’s in volunteer efforts or other ways, Lewis said the local students want to be involved in the community.
Lewis is looking forward to the “passion projects” that she’ll be able to pursue in the role as executive director.
She is passionate about kids and families, and making sure the community takes care of them.
“It’s really easy to be like, ‘Those people (in other communities) need this or that over there,’” she said.
“It happens in your own backyard. … With this role you have the opportunity to be in the know of what needs attention.”
“I’m excited to keep what’s working, and try some new things,” she said.
Lewis said there is a good foundation for the CVB, and that it is a privilege to take the step forward into the executive director role.
“The CVB is about tourism, yes, we’re marketing the destination. But also, we live here, we care about people here. We want everyone to have the best experience possible, living here and visiting here,” she said.
“I am just excited. I think I’ve been given this opportunity where, obviously there’s a lot of hard work in front of us, but a lot of hard work has already been done. I feel like this job is right up my alley.”
