Search continues for new tourism chief

Tuesday, Feb. 18, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

RSCVA members and community leaders interviewed four finalists for the job on Monday. When the process was over, two prospects were considered possible choices. But the committee said it wants to continue searching.

"The pool that we looked at was not the pool that we expected," said Jim Rogers, senior vice president and general manager of Harrah's Reno who served on the search committee.

Board members hope to convince Ronald Davis and William Hanisch to remain available while they keep looking.

Davis, 46, is president of the Oakland, Calif., Convention and Visitors Authority. Hanisch, 47, is a principal in Resort and Recreation Resources in Aspen, Colo.

The search committee eliminated two others, Ray Ballard, 55, a consultant for an Ohio time share development company, and Kathilynn Carpenter, 38, a management consultant for Downtown Las Vegas Partnership.

The RSCVA is looking for someone to replace Jay Milligan, who resigned in August after an outside consultant criticized the agency's operation and lack of leadership.

Meanwhile, some agency directors criticized the selection process, claiming they and candidates did not know what to expect.

The candidates were not told they were finalists and were unaware how they would be interviewed. They also were given little opportunity to ask questions of RSCVA directors.

"I don't think we really made Reno look real well to the candidates today," said Reno Councilwoman Candace Pearce, who also serves on the RSCVA board.

Fellow board member Stephen Ascuaga, marketing vice president for John Ascuaga's Nugget, said he was "embarrassed for what the candidates saw."

The selection process was handled by Heidrick & Struggles, an executive search firm based in San Francisco.