Visit Emporia will be seeking a new leader in the coming months.
The Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce announced in a news release Monday that Lelan Dains will soon be stepping down as the Director of Visit Emporia. Dains’ resignation comes as he plans to assume the role of Executive Director of Emporia Spanish Speakers a non-profit organization begun by Dains back in October of 2017.
Dains says the move is “bittersweet,” however;
Dains assumed the role of Visit Emporia Director, then known as the Convention and Visitors Bureau in 2021 following the retirement of longtime leader Susan Rathke. In addition to overseeing the rebranding of the organization in 2021, Dains also led the way for tremendous growth in both tourism and dollars coming into the community.
Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Jeanine McKenna stated in the aforementioned news release, “LeLan has been an invaluable asset to Visit Emporia, and we are deeply grateful for his contributions over the years. We look forward to the next chapter and welcome new ideas and energy as we work to find our next Director to lead Emporia’s tourism efforts.”
The big question now is who will be taking Dains’ place as leader of Visit Emporia. According to McKenna, the Chamber will be launching a nationwide search for Dains’ replacement in the coming weeks. Dains will remain in his role as Visit Emporia Director into the first quarter of 2025.
