Governor picks Bangor woman for tourism board

BANGOR – Gov. Angus S. King has appointed Donna Fichtner, executive director of the Bangor Convention & Visitors Bureau, as a member of the Maine Tourism Commission.

Fichtner has been appointed to an at-large position of the 24-person commission to assist in maintaining awareness of tourism initiatives and to promote all aspects of Maine tourism.

“I am thrilled to be able to work with the Maine Tourism Commission to help shape tourism policy for the state of Maine. For many years, I have followed the work of the Tourism Commission closely, and it will be an honor and a pleasure to be a part of the decision-making process,” Fichtner said.

Fichtner has played an active role in tourism throughout Maine and has been the executive director of the Bangor Convention and Visitors Bureau since 1996.

She was a catalyst in the effort to bring the National Folk Festival to the city of Bangor for 2002, 2003 and 2004.

The National Folk Festival is a joint effort by the National Council for the Traditional Arts, Bangor Convention and Visitors Bureau, the city of Bangor and Eastern Maine Development Corporation in partnership with the Maine Folklife Center at the University of Maine. Bangor will play host to the event that expects to draw more than 60,000 people in August.

“This appointment enables everyone to recognize something that the Bangor Convention & Visitors Bureau has known all along – that Donna is a strong voice and leader in the tourism industry,” said Bob Brown Jr., chairman of the board for the BCVB.

Fichtner’s work in the Maine tourism industry is varied. She has worked for both for-profit and nonprofit organizations for more than 30 years throughout the state. She is a former president of the Maine Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, a former assistant professor and director of the Hospitality Management Department of Husson College, and former executive director of the Moosehead Lake Region Chamber of Commerce.

For more than 10 years, Fichtner has represented Piscataquis County on the board of directors of Eastern Maine Development Corp., where she continues to advocate for economic development issues related to the forest products industry, tourism, railroad and hospitality education in the six-county region.