Looking Back on Last Year’s Accomplishments and Ahead at 2023 for Jefferson County Area Tourism Council

A new executive board and plenty of tourism-related changes on the horizon for Jefferson County, and a recap of 2022’s many accomplishments

The Jefferson County Area Tourism Council (JCATC) has recently announced changes to their Executive Board. The previous Executive Board included President Katie Newcomb, Director of Tourism & Communications for the Village of Johnson Creek; Vice President Robin Kaufmann, Tourism Director at the Watertown Chamber of Commerce, Treasurer Janet Werner, Jefferson community member representing Gemuetlichkeit Days, and Secretary Carol Sapienza, representing the Village of Cambridge and the Town of Oakland.

This executive board, with the help of the entire Tourism Council, worked on and completed several important initiatives over their time leading JCATC, including:

• The continued creation and production of the Jefferson County Official Guide, with assistance from Jennifer Erdman of design company Jennifer Creative
• The design and upkeep of the Enjoy Jefferson County website in cooperation with Jennifer Creative, which received over 200,000 visits last year
• The launching of a self-guided, county-wide barn quilt tour with over 40 quilts (and growing!) from Watertown to Whitewater, in collaboration with local barn quilt artist Tawney Hadler
• The curating and management of the Jefferson County Tourism Facebook and Instagram accounts reaching thousands of accounts
• The successful application of funding from two grants to assist in the recovery from pandemic related setbacks in tourism and to promote a newly launched wedding project
• Contracting a part-time administrative support staff, Laura Rowoldt

The newly elected 2023 JCATC Executive Board includes President Holly Tierney, Tourism Manager & Marketing Director for the Fort Atkinson Area Chamber of Commerce, Vice President Megan Cooper, Tourism & Main Street Director for the Jefferson Chamber of Commerce, Treasurer Nicole David, Deputy Clerk/Treasurer in the Village of Johnson Creek, and Secretary Carol Sapienza, representing the Village of Cambridge.

Additional voting members of the JCATC Board include Kellie Carper, Executive Director of the Whitewater Area Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Council, Jessica Smith, Program Assistant with Legendary Lake Mills, and Robin Kaufmann, Tourism Director at the Watertown Chamber of Commerce. This group of volunteers is fortunate to have representatives from area hotels, museums, libraries, community Parks & Rec departments, and additional area businesses, departments, and organizations regularly attend and support the JCATC board as well.

A few of exciting initiatives the JCATC will be working on in 2023 include:

• Working towards expanding membership to include other business and community representatives who possess the skills and determination to promote Jefferson County as a destination
• Marketing the Jefferson County region as a wedding and event destination, including having a presence at the upcoming Watertown Bridal Fair on Sunday, January 29, and the Fort Atkinson Wedding Expo on Saturday, February 4
• Producing the 25^th Anniversary edition of the Jefferson County Official Guide for 2023
• Reaching towards new benchmarks for the group’s website that include targeted blog posts, special features, and more as they continue their goal of reaching a wider audience
• Reaching out to additional locations to feature on the newly created Barn Quilt Tour while also designing and producing a printed map for this activity in the future
• Exploring new grants and earned media opportunities to expand on what the group can accomplish
• Awarding over $500 in local gift cards to winners who enter to win on the Enjoy Jefferson County website
• Continuing to curate, manage, and grow the Jefferson County social media platforms to build a wider audience

The stories of Jefferson County are an important part of marketing the region and the JCATC encourages visitors and residents to be a part of the process! Current and future couples who have been married in Jefferson County are encouraged to submit their own wedding stories for publication on the JCATC website by completing the submission form. Barn Quilt owners and artists interested in sharing their quilts are encouraged to complete the Barn Quilt Tour Form on JCATC website. Everyone is encouraged to follow along on the JCATC social media platforms and share your stories of fun and adventure in Jefferson County.

The Jefferson County Area Tourism Council is made up of government, tourism, business, and community partners and welcomes a diverse community involvement. Interested volunteers do not need to be in the tourism industry or any particular business to participate. For information about the JCATC or to join a subcommittee relating to weddings, grant writing, barn quilts, or several other topics, reach out to [email protected] for more information.