Marcia Rozell has been named as the new Director of the Manhattan Convention and Visitors Bureau, also known as Visit Manhattan. The announcement was made by Jason Smith, President and CEO of the Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce at the Chamber Board of Directors meeting Tuesday. The move will be a promotion for Rozell who has served with the CVB since 2008 in a variety of roles, most recently sports and leisure sale manager.
The announcement came after a nationwide search started in January to replace long-time director Karen Hibbard, who announced her retirement late last year.
“After interviewing candidates with a variety of experiences from locations across the region, it became clear that Marcia was the best candidate to lead our program into the future,” Smith said. “She has a strong passion for Manhattan and will bring that passion to her new role. We are at a critical point in our community with new assets being built that will attract visitors from across the world. Marcia is the right person to lead the organization in this transition and I look forward to seeing what the next few years will bring for our community.”
Rozell is an avid outdoors adventure seeker who loves promoting Manhattan to the visitor. As the Director of Visit Manhattan, she will lead the day-to-day activities of Manhattan’s lead tourism organization. Visit Manhattan is a division of the Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce, and its activities are funded by transient guest taxes through a contract with the City of Manhattan.
Rozell utilizes her Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Animal Science to educate visitors about the importance of agriculture since agriculture is important to Kansas. She and her husband, Tim, have two grown married children who live around the world and two active dogs.
“Visit Manhattan has a solid foundation on which we can build to reach even more visitors to experience our amazing community,” Rozell said. “I’m excited for the opportunity to lead our tourism team in the role of Director. I look forward to finding new and creative ways to promote our vibrant community and to connect our out-of-town guests with our local businesses.”