Board members announced for DMO

The initial six board members for the Explore Sisters destination management organization were announced at last week’s June 22 Sisters City Council meeting. All voting members of the board must either live in the City of Sisters or be affiliated with a business or organization located within Sisters.

The board will be made up of the executive director, two members-at-large, who may be, but need not be, tourism industry representatives, a minimum of three tourist industry-related representatives, one City staff representative, and one Sisters City Council representative. No single tourism industry may constitute a majority of the board and no more than one representative of any given business or organization may serve as a voting member at one time. The executive director and the City staff member will be nonvoting members.

The board members appointed by Mayor Michael Preedin and their terms are:

Crista Munro – Sisters Folk Festival – two years

Munro was named the executive director of the Sisters Folk Festival in 2019. Prior to that, she lived in Pagosa Springs, Colorado where she cofounded and ran the Four Corners Folk Festival and Pagosa Folk ’N Bluegrass from 1996 until 2019 with her late husband, Dan. While in Pagosa Springs, she also published summer and winter adventure guides for visitors as well as the Pagosa Springs Dining Guide, and was a member of the Town Tourism Committee, which was appointed by the town council to oversee distribution of the town’s lodging tax. She is thrilled to return to small-town living in Sisters after spending eight years in Eugene while running the Colorado festivals remotely.

Jesse Durham – Sisters Coffee Company – one year

Durham’s family moved to Sisters in 1988 to start Sisters Coffee Company. She grew up attending school in the Sisters School District K-12. She then lived in Costa Rica, Argentina, France, Portland, and New York City before returning to Sisters to help with the family business. As chief strategy officer at Sisters Coffee, Durham oversees the company’s supply chain and wholesale distribution channels. She has a BA in French from Portland State University and is fluent in Spanish. Durham loves to hike and explore the Three Sisters Wilderness while spending time with her 5-month-old baby boy.

Greg Willitts – FivePine Lodge – three years

Willitts is president and partner at FivePine Lodge and Spa in Sisters. FivePine was a family effort, planned, designed, and constructed by Greg and his parents. Willitts has served as a board member and president of the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce and an advisor, sponsor, and volunteer for some of Central Oregon’s most renowned events: the state’s largest mountain trail bike race – the Sisters Stampede, the Fresh Hop Festival, and host of the Happy Girls Run in FivePine’s backyard, the Deschutes National Forest.

Casey Meudt – Blazin Saddles – two years

Meudt was raised in Sisters, where he attended Sisters High School. After graduating, he went to UBI (United Bicycle Institute) and then worked in several bike shops from Florida to Oregon. With a mission of serving the Sisters community and beyond, Blazin Saddles was founded in 2010. In the years since, the shop has grown exponentially. Meudt has also been active with the Sisters Trails Alliance.

Nancy Connolly – City Council President – one year

Connolly was elected to City Council in 2014 and has been Council president for a majority of that time. She is a native Central Oregonian who earned her bachelor’s degree from Oregon State University. She recently retired from Sisters School District after 15 years of working in the schools. Prior careers included: YMCA Community Director, Downtown Retail Council Director, and Service Coordinator for the American Heart Association. Besides volunteering on City Council, Connolly likes to travel, read, garden, and walk the community and Peterson Ridge Trail system.

Cory Misley – City Manager (nonvoting) – one year

nMisley has been the city manager of Sisters for almost four years and has lived in Central Oregon for the past seven years. He holds a bachelor’s degree of science in political science and psychology from Portland State University. He earned a master’s degree of in public policy and management from Carnegie Mellon University. He was previously the city manager in La Pine, where he served from 2015-2018. When he’s not working, he can be found snowboarding in the winter and biking in all seasons.

A nonvoting executive director will be appointed at a later date.