PIGEON FORGE, Tenn.—The Smoky Mountains Tourism and Development Council (SMTDC) has established an office in Sevierville and named Agnes Gorham executive director. The Council is composed of representatives from three Sevier County destination promotion organizations and Sevier County as well as the county’s Economic Development Council.
SMTDC members include David Perella, Gatlinburg Department of Tourism; Leon Downey, Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism; Brenda McCroskey, Sevierville Chamber of Commerce; Allen Newton, Sevier County Economic Development Council; and Ken Maples, assistant mayor of Sevier County.
The mission of the SMTDC is to foster cooperative marketing by the three member destination promotion organizations and tourism businesses and to serve as a forum for the discussion of both economic development projects and planning initiatives that are judged to be beneficial to the tourism industry in Sevier County, Tennessee.
Gorham is the Council’s first executive director. She served 13 years as regional director for the Middle East Tennessee Tourism Council and recently retired from eight years of service with the Tennessee Department of Tourism. She was selected the 2003 Knight of the Roundtable by the Tennessee Tourism Roundtable during September’s Governor’s Conference on Tourism.
“We certainly are delighted to have Agnes as our executive director,” said Leon Downey, chairman of SMTDC. “This important step will allow the Council to represent the Sevier County tourism industry on an entirely new level.”
With the assistance of the Sevier County Commission, the SMTDC has undertaken cooperative marketing projects for 18 years, including the creation of the county Winterfest celebrations.
The Council office will temporarily be located at the Sevierville Chamber of Commerce.