SPEARFISH - Visit Spearfish, the destination marketing organization for the city of Spearfish, has hired Mistie Caldwell as executive director of the newly created organization.

The Spearfish City Council wants the new operation to help stimulate economic growth in Spearfish by promoting the city as a convention site, group events location and vacation destination.

Caldwell is a Spearfish native and graduate of Augustana College in Sioux Falls. Her duties will include overseeing all advertising and promotional spending for the Visit Spearfish organization, representing Visit Spearfish at various trade shows and conventions regionally and nationally, developing a volunteer base to support increased visitor events in the community and creating a communications network with the hospitality industry within Spearfish and the Black Hills area.

"We are fortunate to have hired an executive of Mistie Caldwell's caliber to represent the Spearfish community," said Myles Kennedy, president of the Visit Spearfish board of directors. "The entire board is excited to have her take responsibility for this organization and start to make a difference in the marketing of our city as a quality vacation experience. Mistie is an individual with drive, creativity and integrity. We are all looking forward to working with her."

Caldwell previously was the director of public relations and staff development at the Northern Hills Training Center. She is a member of the Spearfish School District's board of education and the Spearfish Foundation for Public Education.