The city’s Office of Sports and Entertainment has a new head coach.
Mayor Alvin Brown announced Friday he has appointed Dave Herrell as head of the office.
Herrell recently served as senior director of sales, marketing and strategic partnerships for the Arizona Sports Foundation.
While there, he helped campaigns to secure the Fiesta Bowl’s position into the College Football Playoff and 2016 College Football National Championship.
In a news release, Brown called it a key position for attracting sports and entertainment to Jacksonville.
“With experience in sports, marketing and management, Dave Herrell will lead our efforts … and showcase our city to the world,” Brown said in the release.
Herrell succeeds Alan Verlander for the role full-time after Verlander left the city to take a position with Gator Bowl Sports at the start of the year. Joel Lamp has since served as interim director.
City Council in recent weeks approved a bill to pull the office out of the Office of Economic Development. In addition to sports and entertainment, Herrell also will oversee the city’s Office of Special Events and Film and Television Office, both of which are housed in sports and entertainment. He will be paid $155,000; Verlander was paid more than $179,000.
In the release, Herrell said he looked forward to working alongside Jacksonville’s community partners and was excited to play a role in “something special.”
The St. Louis native is scheduled to start Aug. 18.
His appointment is subject to council approval.