Meet The Staff

A graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Stout with a degree in Hotel/Restaurant Management, Darien has worked for Holiday Inn Corporation, Marriott Hotels, and Tharaldson Lodging. It was with Tharaldson Lodging, as an Area Director responsible for 13 hotels in 8 different markets, that Darien began working closely with destination marketing organizations. Darien eventually left Tharaldson Lodging to become the Executive Director for the Janesville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau in 1998.

In April of 2000, Darien joined the Wausau/Central Wisconsin Convention & Visitors Bureau. During his 13 years as the Executive Director, Marathon County rose from 17th to 9th out of 72 counties in Wisconsin for Economic Impact from traveler spending. Darien expanded the role of the CVB by creating a Sports Authority function that was responsible for developing new sporting events. Darien joined the Lake Geneva Chamber of Commerce and Convention & Visitors Bureau in November 2013. Under Darien’s leadership, the two organizations were merged into Visit Lake Geneva in 2016.

Darien joined Visit Big Bear in 2017 as President & CEO to promote the resort community of Big Bear Lake, CA. In addition to growing tourism receipts by 83% in three years, Darien directed the purchase and renovation of a 5,000 sq. ft. building for a new Visitor Center and offices.

Darien and his wife, Karen, moved to Pensacola in April of 2020 when he accepted the position of President & CEO for Visit Pensacola.

Before Visit Pensacola, Stacey was the director of the Pensacola Beach Chamber of Commerce, where she was responsible for day-to-day operations. She has over 10 years of marketing and communications experience and has been in the tourism and hospitality industry for over 15 years. Her major achievements include:

• Evolved Visit Pensacola public relations efforts which include out-of-market activations in Nashville at the Country Music Awards, New York, London, and Canada
• Responsible for multi-rebranding campaigns, including Visit Pensacola's newest brand, The Way to Beach
• Evolved Tourism Works for Pensacola campaign, an initiative to communicate the value of tourism in Escambia County
• Evolved Visit Pensacola’s marketing grant program to include marketing dollars for events (big and small) and has awarded over $1M in marketing
• Managed a $281,000 multi-year BP grant to improve Taste of the Beach, an annual festival on Pensacola Beach that highlights the area's diverse cuisine and drives tourism

Stacey is active in several state and national professional and travel industry associations, including:

• Destinations Florida Board Member and PR Task Force committee member
• Destinations International PR Task Force
• NWFL Beaches Coalition Brand Team member
• Leadership Pensacola Chair c/o 23
• Florida Public Relations Association – state board member: 2016-2020

Stacey is actively involved in the Pensacola community. She currently serves on the University of West Florida Alumni Board of Directors as the President of the association, Leadership Pensacola Chair, Fiesta Pensacola Board of Governors, Hip Huggers Mardi Gras Krewe Board of Directors, and is the festival curator for Pensacola's Foo Foo Festival. Nicole is a graduate of Leadership Pensacola's c/o 2015, was named one of InWeekly's rising stars in 2013, and is the 2022 FPRA recipient for the Communicator of the Year award. She holds a master's degree in strategic communications and leadership and B.A. in public relations and marketing from the University of West Florida.

She enjoys being Auntie Coco, spending time with family/friends, and traveling in her spare time!

Prior to Visit Pensacola, Steck served as a corporate communications assistant for the Kansas City Chiefs where she served as a public relations contact for community outreach events. She was responsible for writing for press and publication, press conference facilitation, public relations, football communications support, assisting club executives and game day support. Throughout her time in college, she served in athletic communications as the public relations contact for men and women’s cross country and additionally assisted with 13 other sports.

Steck began her journey in the tourism industry working for Florida House on Capitol Hill, the country’s only state embassy in Washington, D.C. There, she supported events, assisted administration and welcomed guests from across the globe. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations from the University of West Florida.

Outside of the office, Steck is actively involved in the community. She currently volunteers with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida, Junior League of Pensacola and serves on the Board of Directors for the Florida Public Relations Association. In her free time, you can find her scouring farmer’s markets, watching NFL football and working on her East Hill cottage.