Alumni Spotlight – Anne (Miller) Druck ‘83
January 2, 2014
“Presenting a positive image of York County with the primary purpose of making an impact on its economy,” is how Anne (Miller) Druck – a proud member of the Class of 1983 – summarizes her employer’s mission statement. As President of the York County Convention and Visitors Bureau, it’s her mission to make that happen.
She points to many of her Susquehannock teachers and experiences as contributing to her success. “The leadership and life skills offered in the extracurricular program were very important to me,” she said. And she remembered the lessons of her English teacher Susan Schultz and other members of the department as particularly important in her current profession, one that requires expert communication skills.
As a Warrior, Anne was a member of Student Council for four years and lettered in basketball, track and field, and hockey. She was a tri-captain of the field hockey squad, competed in districts, and was a county all-star.
After graduation, she attended Shippensburg University where she continued her field hockey career. Anne started out as “undeclared”, but eventually majored in speech communications, the field in which she graduated with a B.A. in 1987. Of her initial career confusion she offered this advice. “Even if you don’t know what you want to do, college is worth the journey. It certainly was for me.”
Her first job was in copier sales with Pitney Bowes in Harrisburg, a position she held for two years before taking a sales representative position with Adhesives Research in Glen Rock. At first the extensive travel in the new job was exciting, but being away from home for weeks at a time began to wear on her and she looked for something closer to home.
Seeing an advertisement for the executive director position at Main Street York, she applied because “it looked challenging.” She discovered that it was, and also that she was very good at it. When the top position at the York County Convention and Visitors Bureau opened in 1993 she was offered the job. She accepted and has worked there ever since.
Under her leadership, the Bureau has enjoyed great success and is generally thought of as being among the best such organizations in Pennsylvania.
“When I started there, we really didn’t have a brand for York County,” she recalls. “We developed Factory Tour Capital of the World.” The program has worked very well for the county and now boasts 25 different tour locations. The Bureau also has trademarks on Mason-Dixon Wine Trail and Susquehanna Ale Trail.
Anne and her staff target three distinct tourist markets: the leisure market beyond a 50-mile radius, the group tour and convention market, and sports tournament organizers. One notable accomplishment in the latter category include bringing the Keystone Games to York. The Bureau was successful in attracting the 2014 Can-Am Police and Fire Games – the first time the event will be held in Pennsylvania.
She served on the board of directors of the Pennsylvania Association of Convention and Visitor Bureaus (where she was President for two years) and is now on the boards of York Rotary, The Partnership for Economic Development of York County, and the 4th Congressional District Internship Board. She is an active SHS alumnus and has served on the Southern York County School District Foundation.
She keeps in shape by running and recently competed in the SYCSD Alumni Association’s first annual homecoming 5K run. But her favorite activity is watching her daughter Shannon (’14 play) Warrior basketball.
Thanks to Anne (Miller) Druck, Class of 1983 for making us Warrior Proud.