A familiar face will now be leading the Emporia Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Lelan Dains has been named as the replacement for former CVB Director Susan Rathke who retired earlier this year. Dains, an Emporia native, has been heavily involved with the cycling scene for more than a decade helping to create and manage the world’s premier gravel bike race Unbound Gravel.
As Dains prepares to transition into his new position he will simultaneously transition out of his role as the event manager of Unbound Gravel. Dains says he came to the decision after having an abundance of time for self-reflection over the past year.
Dains was one of more than 25 individuals to apply for the position from across the United States. Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Jeanine McKenna says Dains rose above all other applicants for a variety of reasons.
Unbound Athlete Services Manager Treva Worrell says they are very excited for Dains’ new adventure and says though he may not be with Unbound come April they’ll still be working closely together as she says tourism and Unbound Gravel tend to go hand in hand.
According to Worrell, Lifetime is planning to backfill Dains’ position as soon as possible. Until that time, however, she says current leadership will be responsible for picking up the “extra slack” with Unbound Gravel tentatively scheduled for June.
In addition to his role in the creation and management of Unbound, Dains is the co-owner of Gravel City Adventure & Supply Company and is the founder of Emporia Spanish Speakers, a local non-profit organization dedicated to learning about Spanish language and culture.
Dains will officially assume his new position on Apr. 19.
