Visit South Jersey (VSJ) Executive Director Jake Buganski was recently selected to fill the position of President of Corning and Southern Finger Lakes, Steuben County, New York’s tourism marketing agency (formerly known as the Steuben County Conference and Visitors Bureau.) He was selected from a national candidate pool of nearly 40 and reported to his new position Jan. 11.
Buganski has spent more than 10 years in advancing leadership roles with Visit South Jersey — known as the South Jersey Tourism Corporation prior to 2014, a nonprofit funded in part by the New Jersey Department of State, Division of Travel and Tourism — and has served as Executive Director for nearly seven years.
Current Visit South Jersey Marketing Director Devon Perry will assume the position of interim Executive Director of Visit South Jersey in the wake of Buganski’s departure.
“Visit South Jersey and Jake Buganski have been friends to Gloucester County. I know that he will be an incredible asset to the Finger Lakes region, as he has been to South Jersey,” Freeholder Heather Simmons of Gloucester County said. “With the foundation he’s laid and Devon Perry’s marketing prowess, South Jersey is positioned well for the future. I’m excited to see what lies ahead.”
“…We are confident, through the relationship that we’ve developed with Devon Perry, that she will continue in this spirit, working to promote South Jersey for what it is — truly a wonderful place to call home or visit for a weekend,” said Sandi Kelly of the Department of Events & Community Outreach for Camden County.
Devon Perry’s preceding position of Marketing Director of Visit South Jersey was a new role for VSJ, coming about in late 2015 due in part to a grant from the Pascale Sykes Foundation, given in an effort to support South Jersey’s development of the Outer Coastal Plain AVA as a wine and culinary destination. It is the Pascale Sykes Foundation’s financial commitment to South Jersey that has allowed for Perry to transition to the Interim Executive Director (IED) role, using her training under Jake Buganski in 2015 to keep Visit South Jersey running through the process of restructure. Perry will serve as IED until the board of directors selects a permanent candidate to fill the role.
Perry’s background in nonprofit marketing speaks to her interest and expertise; she’s managed marketing efforts on staff at both The United Way and The American Red Cross. Perry’s decade of experience includes many startups, including the thriving co-working space Kings Hall in Haddonfield. Perry holds a Masters of Business Administration from Drexel University.
“This is an energizing opportunity that has been presented to me; I look forward to following in the footsteps of Jake and utilizing the knowledge I’ve gained working closely with him over this past year to carve a path forward for South Jersey as a tourist destination,” said Devon Perry.
