MORE: Visit Frederick taps Keys' GM as new executive director
Apr. 12—The Visit Frederick Board of Directors has announced the selection of Dave Ziedelis as the tourism organization's new executive director.
Ziedelis has worked in professional sports and event management for 32 years, most notably as the general manager of the minor league Frederick Keys baseball team, according to Monday's announcement.
The hire comes three months after longtime Visit Frederick Executive Director John Fieseler's announced his retirement earlier this year.
As the county's tourism agency, Visit Frederick is responsible for marketing the county and helping increase tourism revenue.
Scott Wisnom, chair of Visit Frederick Board of Directors, said the board created a small committee dedicated to finding an executive director who had a strong familiarity with Frederick and a strong sense of both leadership and management. Ziedelis, who has served on the board of Visit Frederick for the last 16 years, surpassed the committee's expectations, Winsom said.
"As a past Board President and leader in the Frederick community, Dave is a familiar face that will be a tremendous asset to Visit Frederick for many years to come," Wisnom said in a news release. "We are certainly going to miss John Fieseler and his tremendous dedication to Visit Frederick over the last 20 years. He won't be easy to replace. However, I'm certain we found the right person to honor John's legacy and continue the success of our great organization."
Ziedelis will be transitioning from his role at the Keys to Visit Frederick over the next month. He said it's an interesting time to be taking over as head of the tourism council, with the county dealing with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic that has significantly sliced into tourism revenue.
Ziedelis hopes to pick up where Fieseler left off in his plan of re-branding the county as an outdoor-first destination and promoting safe visits to Frederick County.
"It's a very important organization for economic reasons for Frederick. During normal times in 2019, there were over 2.1 million visitors to Frederick County that created well over $400 million in tourism-related revenue," Ziedelis said in an interview with the News-Post. "In being the replacement for John, it's certainly important to continue his legacy and continue to drive those numbers upward."
Ziedelis has lived in Frederick for 17 years and owns a home with his family. While he has lived in multiple parts of the country including the Midwest and Florida, he said he's fallen in love with Frederick.
"We have all the history in the area, we have all the outdoor activities that have certainly been important during the pandemic and all the great attractions and venues, the restaurants and the nightlife. The emerging craft beverage industry certainly has more than taken a foothold," he said. "There's so much to Frederick — it's just such an amazing place."
As the previous general manager of the Keys, Ziedelis feels he has the connections in the community — including to businesses, government leaders and venues — to make him a good fit for the high-impact role of Visit Frederick executive director.
Wisnom said the transition from a well-established leader like Fieseler, who has been with Visit Frederick for more than two decades, to a new executive is always difficult. But he is sure that Ziedelis' personal relationship with Fieseler will help in the transition.
"Dave brings new ideas, he brings a different perspective on things, but he also brings this appreciation for what John has done," Wisnom said. "... So although he's going to get to put his fresh ideas on how we get to the end result, he's certainly going to use a lot of what John put in place and that was important to us as well."
Follow Erika Riley on Twitter: @ej_riley
