Jefferson County Tourism Council elects new officers

The Jefferson County Area Tourism Council (JCATC) has elected new officers to serve in 2023. 

According to a news release, the new officers are President Holly Tierney, who is the tourism manager and marketing director for the Fort Atkinson Area Chamber of Commerce; Vice President Megan Cooper, who is the tourism and Main Street director for the Jefferson Chamber of Commerce; Treasurer Nicole David, who is the village of Johnson Creek deputy clerk/treasurer, and Secretary Carol Sapienza, representing the village of Cambridge. 

Additional voting members of the JCATC Board include Kellie Carper, executive director of the Whitewater Area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Council; Jessica Smith, program assistant with Legendary, Lake Mills, and Robin Kaufmann, tourism director for the Watertown Chamber of Commerce. 

Within the release, the board recognized its outgoing officers, including President Katie Newcomb, who is the director of tourism and communications for the Village of Johnson Creek; Vice President Robin Kaufmann, who is the tourism director for the Watertown Chamber of Commerce, and Treasurer Janet Werner, who is the Jefferson community member representing Gemuetlichkeit Days. Secretary Carol Sapienza, representing the village of Cambridge and the town of Oakland, was reelected in 2023.  

Looking ahead in 2023, the board outlined the following initiatives: 

• Working towards expanding membership to include other business and community representatives who possess the skills and determination to promote Jefferson County as a destination.

• Marketing the Jefferson County region as a wedding and event destination, including having a presence at the upcoming Watertown Bridal Fair on Sunday, Jan. 29, and the Fort Atkinson Wedding Expo on Saturday, Feb. 4.

• Producing the 25th Anniversary edition of the Jefferson County Official Guide for 2023.

• Reaching towards new benchmarks for the group’s website that include targeted blog posts, special features.

• Building through the addition of area locations the Barn Quilt Tour and designing and producing a printed tour map. 

• Exploring new grants and earned media opportunities.

• Awarding more than $500 in local gift cards to giveaway winners participating through the Enjoy Jefferson County website.

• Continuing with efforts to curate, manage and grow Jefferson County social media platforms.

A list of accomplishments in 2022 included: 

• The creation and production of the Jefferson County Official Guide, with assistance from Jennifer Erdman of design company Jennifer Creative. 

• The design and upkeep of the Enjoy Jefferson County website in cooperation with Jennifer Creative, which received over 200,000 visits in 2022.  

• The launching of a self-guided, countywide barn quilt tour with more than 40 locations displaying quilts between Watertown and Whitewater. The tour was created in collaboration with Fort Atkinson barn quilt artist Tawney Hadler. 

• The curating and management of the Jefferson County Tourism Facebook and Instagram accounts. 

• The successful application of funding from two grants to assist in the recovery from pandemic related setbacks in tourism and to promote a newly launched wedding project. 

• Contracting with Laura Rowoldt, a part-time administrative support person. 

About the Jefferson County Area Tourism Council 

According to the release, the Jefferson County Area Tourism Council is comprised of government, tourism, business and community partners. An affiliation with the tourism industry or any specific type of business is not required to join the group as a volunteer. For more information about the JCATC or to join a subcommittee, email: president@enjoyjeffersoncounty.com.