Tim Zahner named director of Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau

County tourism veteran to transition to Valley post by Aug. 20|

The Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau, also known as Experience Sonoma Valley, has hired Tim Zahner as its new executive director. Zahner, 43, will start on August 20.

Zahner will take the reins from interim director and longtime board member Gary Saperstein, who has led the destination-marketing organization since Jonny Westom’s departure in January 2018.

The search was conducted by the Santa Rosa-based recruiting firm Leap Solutions.

Zahner was most recently chief operating officer of Sonoma County Tourism, after serving as the interim CEO and as the chief marketing officer of that organization for more than a decade.

During the October 2017 wildfires Zahner led the efforts of the county tourism office to support the hospitality industry by developing “open for business” messaging in the months that followed.

“We spent a lot of time searching for the right candidate to lead the Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau,” said board president Hunt Bailie when announcing Zahner’s hiring. “Sonoma Valley is a world-class place to visit with a great local community, and we needed to find someone who understands who we are at our core, while also having the skills to promote the incredible experiences, businesses, organizations and events we have here. Tim is the perfect fit.”

When reached by phone on Thursday, Zahner said that he excited to narrow his focus to the Valley.

“Sonoma is a jewel, not just of the county but in California,” he said. “People here seem to really value a sense of place and I am excited to be a part of that.”

Zahner said that he enjoys “people who are passionate about welcoming visitors.”

“I love working with small businesses and hearing entrepreneurial stories of people working in hospitality – whether it is students in their first job, immigrants new to the country or accomplished retirees looking for a change of pace, I find people who work in hospitality have really great stories,” he said.

Zahner attended a SVVB staff meeting on Thursday and said that he feels confident that his new team has a strong staff, dedicated volunteers and a passionate board.

“The office has a great energy and depth of experience,” he said. “I am excited to work on new ways to get the message out about Sonoma Valley and ways to integrate the work we do with the community at large here.”

Zahner and his wife Christy have two children. Zahner has an MBA from Sonoma State University and a BA from Marquette University.

Experience Sonoma Valley promotes local hospitality businesses as part of a rural economic development strategy. Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau has more than 350 local business members.

Contact Lorna at lorna.sheridan@sonomanews.com.

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