Convention bureau changing leaders
If you've met Amy Bull at the St. Charles Convention and Visitors Bureau, you probably won't be surprised to learn she's getting a bump up the local tourism ladder.
Bull, the bureau's quick-witted and aggressive marketing and sales director, is set to become executive director of the operation this spring when its veteran chief, Kathy Loubsky, changes roles, officials announced.
The shuffle is part of a restructuring plan that was in the works for months and is set to take effect April 1.
In her new job, Bull will oversee a $900,000 annual budget and five-person staff. She also will work directly with the Illinois Bureau of Tourism and the city of St. Charles. Loubsky, meanwhile, will assume the new position of associate director, organizing leisure tourism and special events, including the bureau's biggest annual event, the Scarecrow Festival.
In a news release announcing the changes, CVB board President Jim Martin said direction of the festival itself has become a year-round job, hence the new position.
"The festival has had several coordinators over the years. All of whom did a really wonderful job," Martin said. "However, each of them had additional career responsibilities that, when combined with the festival requirements, ended up burning them out."
Bull has been director of sales and marketing since 2005, before which she worked for the Greater Woodfield and DuPage County CVBs. She was director of sales and marketing for the Holiday Inn Crystal Lake from 1997 to 2001, officials said, and holds a communications degree from Elizabethtown (Pa.) College.
Be nice: Verbal sticks and stones will be the topic of discussion during a Feb. 26 workshop on bullying at St. Charles North High School, 255 Red Gate Road.
The "Mean Girls" seminar, put on by District 303's Parent University, is described as a peek into the "world of relational aggression, where snide remarks, online attacks and social isolation are used to establish a hierarchy on the social scene."
An expert on the subject will discuss strategies to help girls cope with bullying and teach parents why and how the abuse takes place.
The workshop is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Room 302. To reserve a seat, call (630) 513-4408 or go to www.d303.org.
Bee Roman: Reading up on Julius Caesar is probably a good way to prepare for the Trivia Bee for Literacy on March 15 at the Q Center, 1405 N. Fifth Ave.
The event, which raises money for Literacy Volunteers Fox Valley, has an "Ides of March" theme, promising participants lots of questions on the historic Roman leader and other related topics.
Morning radio host PJ Harrigan of WDKB plays host to the event, set for 9 a.m. to noon. Three-member teams will be pitted against each other (as well as the clock) in three rounds. There will be prizes for answering the most questions correctly, coming up with the most creative team name and, of course, donning the coolest togas.
Entry fees are $400 a team. Sponsorships and donations are being sought to help offset the costs for teams.
For information, call (630) 584-4425 or go to www.lvfv.org.
jstockinger@dailyherald.com