NATCHEZ — The Natchez Board of Aldermen appointed several local professionals to positions Tuesday in an effort to rebuild the leadership of the city’s tourism operations.

The board appointed four members to the six-seat Natchez Convention Promotion Commission at its Tuesday meeting.

Those appointed are:

-Lance Harris, director of the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians;

-Katie Johnson McCabe, office manager for Ameriprise financial adviser Forrest A. Johnson III and marketing chair for the Natchez Festival of Music;

-Helen Moss Smith, co-founder of Smith Mason & Company, owner of Texada antebellum house and Natchez Garden Club board member;

-Former Judge Mary Lee Toles, who served this year as interim Ward 2 alderwoman and former president of the Natchez Association for the Preservation of Afro-American Culture.

The selected commissioners replace the commission that the previous board of aldermen asked to resign in mid-April after ongoing personnel issues at the Convention and Visitors Bureau and conflicts with then director Kevin Kirby, who was terminated at the same time.

Two vacancies still remain, and Mayor Darryl Grennell said Wednesday the city would accept applications no later than Monday.

Grennell said he would like to schedule and conduct interviews by the end of next week. Applications can be dropped off at City Hall.

Aldermen interviewed 13 candidates for the commission early this month.

“A significant number of (the candidates) had potential conflicts of interest that we felt strongly about,” Grennell said. “Right off the bat, many of them were eliminated (from consideration) because of that.”

Grennell said the conflicts of interest included candidates’ employment at local hotels and other tourism-related businesses.

Grennell said he would be contacting potential candidates directly who may not otherwise apply to be appointed to the commission.

“There are some people that … you have to go to and say, ‘You would be good at this. Will you come in for an interview?’” Grennell said. “You’ve got a diverse group of people out there, and some who would submit applications and some people out there you have to go and ask.”

The structure of the city’s tourism department is complicated, but NCPC essentially oversees the operations of the CVB and has historically had a management agreement with the city, although the last agreement has expired.

A director oversees the operations of the CVB and the city’s office of tourism management and reports to the NCPC and board of aldermen. The director position is currently filled on an interim basis by Tricentennial Director Jennifer Ogden Combs.

On Tuesday, aldermen appointed members to a search committee to lead efforts to hire a new CVB director as well.The city is currently taking applications and is publicly advertising the job description and requirements for the position.

Those appointed to the search committee include Ward 1 Alderwoman Joyce Arceneaux-Mathis, Ward 3 Alderwoman Sarah Smith and Ward 4 Alderwoman Felicia Irving. The alderwomen worked with a committee that recently drafted the job description for the director.

Others appointed to the search committee are NCPC commissioners Lance Harris, Helen Moss Smith and Mary Lee Toles, as well as Natchez National Historical Park Superintendent Kathleen Bond, Visit Mississippi Director Craig Ray and tourism research consultant Berkeley Young, who conducted research studies for Natchez.

Grennell recommended the appointments to the search committee and said he requested Ray and Young serve on the committee to serve as resources for the other members.

Applications for CVB director should be submitted to the city’s personnel officer, Brenda Cantu, at City Hall, 124 S. Pearl St., or electronically at personnel@natchez.ms.us.

The timeline for hiring a director, Grennell said, will depend on how quickly candidates can be interviewed and vetted by the committee, which will then make recommendations for a short list of candidates to be interviewed by the mayor and board of aldermen.