The Unalaska Convention and Visitor's Bureau has a new executive director. Randy Shinn II started in the job this week. On Monday evening he held a meet and greet at Burma Road Chapel to introduce himself to the community.
But many will remember Shinn from past jobs and time spent living on the island.
Shinn was born in Louisiana and raised in Arizona. He earned an undergraduate degree at the University of Washington in Seattle, and it was during a hiatus in those college years Shinn first came to Unalaska.
"Between my junior and senior year of undergrad, I came up here and started working at the Grand Aleutian. And loved it, fell in love with the community, with the nature, the lack of cell phone and internet to kind of disconnect, to get out of the city life and stayed longer than I planned," Shinn said. "So I was first here 2003/2004, came back 2007, and again 2008 and 2009, and been gone for six years."
Since the last time he lived here, Shinn earned a master's in creative writing from Goddard College and began working as a guide all over Alaska and the Yukon. He described what kind of tours he created.
"Leading people by train, plane and motor coach all through the interior. I do 21 tour routes, but the one thing they all have in common is two to three nights in Denali. Otherwise, it's based on what people book - if they want to learn about gold rush history in the Yukon territory, learn about the native histories, about the wildlife, the plants, the mountains...I am kind of like a travelling concierge," Shinn explained. "So I not only narrate each day but book all their hotel rooms, their lodges, plan their meals, help with their luggage, medications and then just hang out with them as well. Groups of anywhere from 20 to 50 people."
Often during his tours around mainland Alaska, he would incorporate Unalaska and Dutch Harbor history and industry into his tour narration. And he was always on the lookout for a reason to return here.
Just before his meet and greet last night, Shinn explained how he got the job as CVB executive director.
I just wanted to come back. I looked different ways of coming back and using some of the degrees and coming back in a different setting. And when I was here before, I had worked some of the community events, but I wasn't as involved as I wanted to be," Shinn said, adding that an Unalaskan friend of Shinn's saw a posting that the CVB was searching for an executive director and sent it to him.
"It just feels perfect, just what I wanted," Shinn said.
He said he is excited to jump right into work and pave the way for a busy tourism season next summer.
