Siesta Key chamber hires new executive director

The Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce announced today that it has closed a seven-month search for a new executive director.

Ann Frescura, who served as promotion and events director for eight years at Downtown Springfield, Inc., will start Jan.1, according to Siesta Chamber Chairman Elect Mark Smith.

“We’re really excited,” Smith said. “She has a lot of experience putting on events, which we do a lot of,” Smith said.

The search began in the spring and included more than a dozen applicants.

Smith said the chamber wanted someone with experience promoting tourism because of how heavily it emphasizes that in addition to the normal operations of a chamber.

“We are as much a visitors’ center as we are a chamber,” Smith said. “There are a number of people that come into our office every day looking for a place to eat, a place to stay, … That’s what makes the chamber unique in our area.”

That’s not unique across the country, Smith said, but it is in the Sarasota area, and so they wanted to find someone who came from a similar situation.

“Coming from Springfield, Ill.,” Frescura said, “we also have a thriving tourism and business community because of our connection with Abraham Lincoln.”

She added that she recognizes the influence of tourism and the importance of nonprofits and retailers aligning themselves together.

Frescura is also eager to come to Sarasota.

“It’s been a dream of mine,” she said. “I’ve been looking for opportunities in the Sarasota area. I’m excited to join the community.”