Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism welcomes new CEO

Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism welcomed its new president and CEO Dylan Deane-Boyle on January 17. He replaced Sandy Ward after her retirement at the end of 2022.

“Bellingham and Whatcom County is such an incredibly unique geographic and cultural area,” Deane-Boyle said. “When you have mountains and ocean, and you have that amount of recreation with vibrant communities in Whatcom County, and you combine that together as a visitor experience, that is so incredibly unique and really what drew me to this opportunity.”

Deane-Boyle spent the past decade as the former executive director of the Whitefish Convention and Visitors Bureau in Whitefish, a resort town of 8,500 people in Montana. There, he created a sustainable tourism management plan to ensure the natural environment and community were being protected while bringing business to the area. Deane-Boyle also focused on visitor flow, particularly with lodging occupancy, to drive business during off seasons. 

“I’m proud to continue that work, which is really at the core foundation of what we did in Whitefish as a destination marketing organization and something that is very important here as well, particularly as we’re coming out of the pandemic,” he said.

To help businesses rebound from the pandemic, Deane-Boyle said he wants to continue highlighting the sports and conference facilities available while telling the story of what makes the area unique.  

Deane-Boyle has a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of Colorado, Boulder and a master’s degree in parks, tourism and recreation from the University of Montana. He served on the Glacier County Regional Tourism Board, the Montana Tourism Advisory Council Research Committee, the Rail Service Competition Council, among other groups.

While he’s not working, Deane-Boyle said he looks forward to spending time skiing, hiking and camping with his wife and 1.5-year-old son.

“I don’t think the work Sandy did here can truly be measured,” he said of the former president and CEO. “My goal is to build upon that strong foundation and make sure we are sticking to our core mission and vision, while also looking to the future and that new normal while we come out of the pandemic.”