The Haines Borough will interview at least three of nine of the initial applicants for its tourism director job.
Manager Mark Earnest completed the first phone interview before leaving town Nov. 12 for this week’s Alaska Municipal League conference in Juneau.
“We’ve started interviews and I’ll schedule some more here, next week,” Earnest said. “We’re going through the interview process now, of the finalists.”
Tanya Carlson, a product developer at Holiday Vacations in Eau Claire, Wis., was the first candidate interviewed. She also received the top endorsement of the borough’s Tourism Advisory Board, a group comprised of citizens and local tourism business representatives.
The board also recommended interviews for two other candidates Earnest had yet to interview.
Carlson is a 2001 graduate of the University of Alaska-Southeast who worked from 2001-2004 as a naturalist aboard Holland America ships. She’s known to board members Michael Ahmuty and Jason Gaffney from her cruise experience.
Carlson’s bachelor’s degree in general studies focused on marine biology and communications. The company she works for researches and develops new tours for group travel, with specific focus on cruises and Alaska, according to her resume.
“Her resume and presentation were heads and shoulders above all the other candidates,” said board member Gregg Johnson.
Ahmuty said Carlson had the best application for the job, including a varied resume that included awards for community involvement. “She had a variety of experience that I thought would be good for the community.”
Ahmuty said many of the initial nine applicants didn’t meet the job’s requirements. The borough has received “two or three” additional applications since Oct. 15, said manager Earnest, but those won’t be considered until review of first-round applicants is complete.
“We had set it up so that there was a first cutoff, but it’s still open until filled,” Earnest said.
An application and job description are available online at http://www.hainesborough.us. The starting wage is listed at $18.81 per hour, or about $39,000 per year.
Minimum qualifications include a high school diploma or equivalent with a minimum of four years of work experience in the visitor or marketing industry, preferably with management experience involving supervision of employees.
Earnest updated the assembly during his manager’s report at the Nov. 9 meeting. He said he would perform background and reference checks on all finalists.
Former tourism director Lori Stepansky resigned Oct. 1, after six years on the job. She was paid $45,157.