The Nevada Commission on Tourism is searching for a tourism director to replace Bruce Bommarito, who is leaving Dec. 2 to become a vice president of the Travel Industry Association in Washington, D.C.
Larry Friedman, 52, NCOT's Rural Programs senior manager, has been appointed interim director.
Friedman oversees two programs that award more than $2 million in grants to rural communities for tourism promotion and infrastructure and produces NCOT's annual Rural Roundup conference. He also directs a statewide network of tourism marketing volunteers and promotes Nevada as a tourism destination at trade events across the continent.
The search committee will be led by Lt. Gov. Lorraine Hunt, along with Ferenc Szony, of Reno, and Van Heffner and Irwin Kishner, of Las Vegas, who will choose an executive search firm and begin an advertising campaign.
Hunt praised Bommarito for his landmark achievements during more than six years at the helm, especially for securing the only license ever issued by the Chinese government to a U.S. entity to advertise tourism to outbound Chinese.
The tourism director serves as administrator for the department's 39-member staff, which includes the tourism department and Nevada Magazine.