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The appointment is only the third in the 18-year history of the
local tourism bureau and fills a recent vacancy in the position. The
tourism bureau is currently under the leadership of interim director
Ron Schilling, retired Lincoln College president. "Geoff was hired
on the strength of his tourism experience and years of media
experience, and his presentation was knowledgeable, personable and
confident. He's someone who brings us a fresh perspective on what
the county has to offer," Schilling said.
A longtime Jacksonville resident, Geoff (pronounced "Jeff") Ladd
has worked at the Jacksonville Bureau for nearly three years. During
that time he has worked in the areas of media relations; media
development; publication design; computer, Internet, website
technician; and assistant to the director. He has also served as the
bureau liaison to the Underground Railroad Committee of Morgan
County since its inception.
Ladd also serves on the Jacksonville Web Partnership Committee,
the Jacksonville Looking for Lincoln Committee and the Cass County
Tourism Committee. He is a member of the Beardstown Chamber of
Commerce and the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce.
In addition, he owns and maintains a website design company and
has designed numerous tourism and governmental websites.
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 Ladd said he is honored to accept the position of executive
director. "I bring years of experience in business and media radio,
television, videography, print media, Internet to the table in
addition to my background in tourism," he said. "I already have some
sound ideas and have identified our strengths and areas needing
improvement. Overall, I feel Logan County is ideally situated with
what we have to offer -- three communities in the Looking for
Lincoln program, historic Route 66 attractions, a railsplitting
festival, and a widely known and very popular annual art and balloon
festival, which, by the way, is coming up right around the corner on
the Aug. 27 weekend."
Ladd holds communication and psychology degrees from Western
Illinois University and is nearing completion of his master's degree
at the University of Illinois in Springfield.
Ladd will take the helm at the local tourism bureau on Sept. 6,
with several trips to the county in the interim, including a recent
tour with board president and professional tour guide Bob McCue and
an upcoming appearance at the Lincoln Art & Balloon Festival.
The Abraham Lincoln Tourism Bureau of Logan County, phone (217)
732-8687, is located at 1555 Fifth St., at the corner of Fifth and
Route 66 in Lincoln. The facility is also the home of the
Lincoln/Logan County Chamber of Commerce and the Lincoln and Logan
County Development Partnership.
[Abraham Lincoln Tourism
Bureau of Logan County news release]
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