Clarion economic agency hires tourism marketing director

From staff reports

The Clarion County Economic Development Corp. has hired Hind Karns of Oil City as the agency’s tourism marketing director.

The CCEDC was recently selected by Clarion County commissioners to become the county’s certified tourism promotion agency.

In the weeks since that selection was made, the CCEDC has started to restructure office operations to meet the needs of a county tourism office.

The search for additional personnel has been the most significant piece of the many ongoing changes. As the tourism marketing director, Karns will be responsible for creating and implementing the strategic operations of the CCEDC’s new tourism bureau.

“In 2007, I visited northwest Pennsylvania for the first time to meet my husband’s family in Oil City, and I fell in love with the area,” Karns said. “Over the past 14 years, we have spent many summers in northwest Pennsylvania, and in 2020, my family decided to invest in a new business in Pennsylvania, which led us to relocate to Venango County,” Karns said.

Karns has led marketing and business development efforts as well as institutional development and strategic affairs in the public sector. She is trilingual and has worked in various regions including Europe, Asia and the Middle East, in addition to the U.S.

“My admiration for this area, along with my skill set and the perfect timing within CCEDC, has presented me with the ideal opportunity to take on this exciting role and make a positive impact,” Karns said.