Dominic leaves Tennessee better than he found it

In September, Dominic Gialdini will officially step away from the South Central Tennessee Tourism Association (SCTTA) as its Chief Operations Officer.

Over the last year and a half, Dominic has helped lead SCTTA through unprecedented growth. With that growth, our organization has taken on significant responsibilities, becoming a true partner in the community with Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) and other organizations across the region.

I challenged Dominic to strengthen stakeholder relationships, build trust with our partners, and drive engagement not only with our organization but also with grant participation and community advocacy.

Dominic was responsible for overseeing our region's at-risk and distressed counties and led by example after revitalizing not only tourism economics in Grundy County but also the entire economic framework of the community. Make no mistake about it, Tennessee’s South Cumberland is a thriving powerhouse today, built on a foundation that Dominic laid.

Dominic led our efforts to develop “Tennessee’s Amish Country” and oversaw the organizational efforts of “Nashville’s Big Back Yard.” These two projects alone were massive undertakings, and Dominic not only completed them but excelled in both.

Dominic is also a friend, not only to me but to many of you. Our relationship began by bidding against each other at the Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee Rural Tourism Conference in Sweetwater, Tennessee. Together, we endured the loss of a co-worker and mentor, survived marketing college (2024 class of TMPs), and systematically changed how SCTTA operates. We opened a welcome center, then transformed it into the Tennessee Whiskey Trailhead. We launched the Virtual Brochure Rack program, and we have published two amazing Travel Guides, with the all-new After Jack Traveler’s Guide on its way!

They say a manager is only as good as the people they surround themselves with. If that is the case, I’ve been pretty damn good while we have had Dom on our team.

There is a silver lining. Dominic will be staying on with SCTTA as a contracted consultant. For those of you who work with him on Marketing Grants, Enhancement Grants, and ARPA, good news—he will still be your point of contact. But I would be remiss if I didn’t stress just how much I am personally going to miss him as a co-worker and how thankful I am to have had him on my team.