A long-time staffer at the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce has been promoted to a new management position.

According to the Chamber, Tiffany Benien is the new director for Visit Salina.

Benien, who has served as the sports & special events manager for Visit Salina since June of 1995, will
succeed Sylvia Rice who had served as the director for 34 years prior to her death in April of 2024. The
Chamber operates Visit Salina as a convention and visitors bureau with transient guest tax dollars allocated
by the City of Salina.

In a statement, Salina Chamber president Renee Duxler cited Benien’s extensive experience in the tourism
and destination marketing industry, as well as her extensive relationships through the community, region
and state as key in choosing her to lead Visit Salina.

“Tiffany has such a wealth of knowledge and experience regarding tourism and destination marketing, as
well as critical relationships that continue to make Visit Salina a premier convention and visitors bureau
throughout the state,” Duxler said, “She also has the passion and drive to continue to elevate how Salina
promotes itself which will be crucial as we move forward with our community marketing initiative.”

The Chamber worked to renegotiate their transient guest tax agreement with the City throughout 2024 to
incorporate a reallocation of a percentage of transient guest tax dollars to help fund a community
marketing initiative. During this time, Duxler served as acting director for Visit Salina after Rice’s death.
The new agreement and budget were approved by the City Commission earlier this year, and subsequently
a search for a new director began.

Tiffany grew up in the Salina area and graduated from Bennington Grade/High School before attending
Kansas Wesleyan University. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration with an emphasis
in Marketing. During her time at KWU, Tiffany developed a passion for sports, marketing and Salina as a
collegiate athlete, playing both volleyball and softball for the KWU Coyotes. Throughout her work in sports
and special events at Visit Salina, Tiffany has welcomed thousands of visitors, sports fans and event
organizers to Salina. Tiffany has also earned designations as a Certified Sports Events Executive (CSEE) and
Kansas Destination Specialist (KDS). Tiffany serves on the Travel Industry Association of Kansas (TIAK)
Executive Board of Directors, is a member and past-president of SportsKS, a member of SportsETA and the
Kansas I-70 Association.

“I’m excited and honored to take on the role of Visit Salina Director,” said Benien. “The Chamber and the
Salina community offer so much, including countless community-minded people who make this a great
place to visit. Whether you’re interested in sports, the arts, history, food, unique attractions, or
comfortable places to stay, Salina has something for everyone. I’m thrilled to be part of this amazing
community and look forward to collaborating with others to share the wonderful things that make Salina
an exceptional place!”