Conversation with Kyanne Merrill

Nearly two months into her role as director of the Lakewood Ranch Community Activities Corp., Kyanne Merrill is building relationships and picking up where her predecessor, Lori Basilone, left off.

A travel enthusiast who has visited Australia, Ireland, Greece and other parts of the globe, Merrill, 33, welcomes new experiences.

Since her first day on the job April 13,  Merrill has been filling her appointment book — which she calls her bible — with meetings to help increase sponsorships and support for events. She also has been busy brainstorming ideas for new attractions to add to the Ranch group’s lineup.

I haven’t even been in this position for 60 days. The first day and week were overwhelming but exciting. 

I felt like a kid who started at a new school midway through a semester. I’m trying to make new friends, and everyone already knows each other. A lot of people in this community have known each other for years, and I’m trying to fit into that and get to know people here.

A lot of this job is based on relationship-building and getting to know community sponsors and volunteers. A lot goes into this role other than hosting fun events. Right now, my main focus is to build relationships with sponsors and acquire more sponsorships for upcoming events.

One word to describe me as a leader is “team.” When you’re a leader, it’s you leading others, but that can’t be done without a team. It really takes a village to accomplish things. 

Over time, I plan to secure a platform for sponsors and create new events, maybe smaller ones geared toward adults. Being a young professional, I know and understand there’s a want and need to offer events that cater to a mom’s night out.

I started event planning while I worked for my previous company, Lighthouse Property Management. I was there for nine years, and I did a range of activities and held different roles there. I took over the marketing for one office and then that position grew to cover five offices. I’ve organized expos, conferences and other types of event planning. 

I studied travel and tourism in college in New York, but then Sept. 11 happened. I loved New York, but it was devastating to see people outside crying while they talked on their cellphones. The travel industry took a hit for the worst, and I didn’t want to invest in a career doing that anymore. 

Travel is still a passion of mine, though, since I traveled to Ireland for a senior class trip when I was 18. I was hooked after that and my three-week trip to Australia. We saw wallabies, we bungee jumped and snorkeled in the Great Barrier Reef. 

For me, traveling broadened my knowledge of other cultures, which I can now incorporate into things like the Irish Celtic Festival and other events.