Our Interview with a Local series has been a big hit thanks to you, our wonderful visitors! We truly hope that this series has allowed you to feel more welcome when visiting Vincennes & Knox County and helped to make your trip better than you imagined.
We realized though that very few of you know who WE are; the people who make the VKCVTB what it is. Today that changes. Today all three of us our introducing ourselves to you in hopes that you can get to know us a little bit better, and us you in return.
Keep reading to meet the three members of the Vincennes/Knox County Visitors & Tourism Bureau staff. We hope you enjoy learning about us and our journeys to how we got here, and how you too can live like a local when you visit Knox County on your next trip.
Meet Shyla
Can you explain what your job is? I am the Executive Director of the Vincennes/Knox County Visitors & Tourism Bureau. I’m responsible for managing the VTB office and staff including day-to-day administrative and office duties, marketing Vincennes and Knox County to bring tourism to our local attractions, festivals, and other points of interest. I do outreach and advocacy including being an active member of state, regional, and local tourism-related organizations. Working with local tourism groups and promoting the VTB locally in addition to promoting our own local tourism offerings to visitors that come to our office.
Have you always lived in Knox County? Yes, born and raised.
What did you go to school for? I earned an associate’s degree from Vincennes University in Business Administration, and a bachelor’s degree in Marketing from the University of Southern Indiana.
Where do you like to eat locally? I have several favorites but Graze 1885 & Pea-Fections are my go-to lunch spots.
What is your favorite festival or event in Knox County? Why? Spring and Autumn on Main because everyone is so happy gathered downtown and enjoying the festivities.
What is your favorite season in Knox County? Spring because everything is coming back to life after winter.
When you travel, do you prefer hotels, camping, or B&Bs? Hotels, but I would like to stay in a B&B sometime.
If someone only had 24 hours to spend in Knox County, what would you tell them they needed to do while they were here? Visit the Indiana Military Museum, George Rogers Clark National Historical Park, Old Cathedral, Vincennes State Historic Sites, Grouseland, the Red Skelton Museum. Walk on the Riverwalk, do the cell phone tour at the Old French House, and go to the Farmers Market on Wednesday nights for Bobe-B-Q and to pick up fresh local produce.
Tell us something about yourself that visitors may not know: I coach middle school cross country and track.
What do you like to do after work? I enjoy spending time with my husband and kiddo, watching my kiddo’s sporting events, and vacationing with my family. I also enjoy reading and doing puzzles.
Meet Olivia
What is your job and what are some of the things that you do? I manage all of our social media accounts, write our blog posts, keep our website up to date, greet & help visitors when they come into the office, answer the phone, schedule all of our group tours and field trips, and some of our bookwork.
Have you always lived in Vincennes/Knox County? I was born here and have lived here my whole life apart from when I moved away for college for a brief period of time.
What did you do before you started working for the VTB? What did you go to school for? I graduated from the University of Southern Indiana in 2019 with my bachelor’s degree in Anthropology & again in 2020 with a second bachelor’s degree in Art History with a minor in Arts and Heritage Administration.
Before I started working at the VTB I was a long-term substitute teacher for middle school English classes and worked as an administrative assistant for a finance company.
What made you want to work at the VTB? As someone who’s been lucky enough to travel a lot, I’ve always thought it would be interesting to work on the back-end of the industry. I love being able to plan things & helping visitors to have the best experience possible here from someone who knows our city inside and out.
What is your favorite part of working at the VTB? I love getting to help visitors when they come into the office & learning more about them, their past travels, and their future travel plans.
Where do you like to eat locally? Old Thyme Dinner is one of my favorite places to eat locally!
What is your favorite festival or event in Knox County? First City Music Festival or Spring on Main! Both have such a fun atmosphere, there’s no shortage of things to do, and you’re guaranteed to have a good time at both.
For lodging, do you prefer hotels, camping, or B&Bs? Hotels. If I was going to do a staycation in Vincennes though I would definitely stay at the Riley Home B&B.
What is your favorite season in Knox County & why? Summer or Fall! I love the warm weather, but I also love when it starts to cool off. I feel like all of our historic sites & their beauty really start to stand out during these seasons too.
If someone only had 24 hours to spend in Knox County, what would you tell them they needed to do while they were here? Eat your way through all of the restaurants downtown, stop and shop at all of our independent, locally-owned stores, and catch a sunset or sunrise at GRC.
Tell us something about yourself that visitors may not know about you. I own a jewelry business, Designs by Liv (www.shopdesignsbyliv.com).
What do you like to do after work? Read, hike, kayak, travel, work in my garden, spend time with my friends and family, and discover new music & podcasts.
Meet Jon
Can you tell us what your job is and what you do for the VTB? I am the VTB’s Office Assistant & Maintenance Man. I fulfill leads (visitor information requests), distribute visitor information to all of our hotels and historic sites, and help out with anything else that needs to be done.
Have you always lived in Vincennes/Knox County? No, I was born in Bridgeport, IL, and lived there most of my life. I moved to Vincennes in 1967 for work.
What did you do before you started working for the VTB? I worked in construction for 42 years.
What made you want to work at the Visitors Bureau? I needed to work part-time after retiring.
What is your favorite part of working here? Getting to meet new people.
What is your favorite festival or event in Knox County and why? Homecoming to see & visit with old friends.
Where do you like to eat locally? Old Chicago & Culvers.
What is your favorite season in Knox County? Spring – I love all of the colors and green.
If someone only had 24 hours to spend in Knox County, what would you tell them they needed to do while they were here? Visit the George Rogers Clark National Historical Park, Indiana Military Museum, and the Red Skelton Museum and Performing Arts Center.
Tell us something about yourself that a visitor wouldn’t know. I love to go horseback riding. I’ve gone ever since I was a kid.
What are some things that you like to do after work? I enjoy working in my garden and taking a nap.
