New director is named for state tourism office

Leigh von der Esch, director of the Utah Film Commission, was appointed Friday by Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. as the new director of the state Office of Tourism.

The announcement was made during the second annual Utah Tourism Conference in Cedar City.

Von der Esch will continue to oversee the film commission. Beginning July 1, the commission and the tourism office will be part of the newly created Governor's Office of Economic Development. Von der Esch has been serving as deputy director of the Division of Travel Development since last July.

She has served as film commission director since 1985 and was president of the Association of Film Commissioners International from 1990 to 1996. Previously she was executive director of the Office of the Salt Lake City Council from 1980 to 1985.

Also at the conference, four people were inducted into the Utah Tourism Hall of Fame: Sen. Scott Jenkins, R-Plain City; Peggy Humphreys, director of the San Juan County Community Development/Visitor Services; Randy Harmsen, chairman of the board of directors of the Utah Division of Travel Development; and the late Dianne Binger, who was president and chief executive officer of the Salt Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau until her death in March from cancer.