Mariah Miltier has been promoted to executive director of the Montauk Chamber of Commerce.
Ms. Miltier, a Minnesota native, has been with the chamber since September 2022. She previously served as assistant executive director, and succeeds Jennifer Fowkes, who has returned to the I-Tri girl-empowerment program.
“I was absolutely thrilled” when the board offered her the position, Ms. Miltier said this week. “I love Montauk, I love what we’re doing out here at the chamber, and I’m excited to hopefully push in some new, exciting directions while also holding our traditions close to ourselves.”
The mission to promote tourism and business in Montauk in the summer and “shoulder” seasons will continue, she said, pointing to last weekend’s second annual Magic of Montauk holiday fair on the downtown green, which included vendors, food trucks, Santa, and live reindeer. The fair had the dual purposes of drawing customers to businesses open during the off-season and providing the community with an enjoyable event, she added.
“We had an amazing turnout,” Ms. Miltier said. “The community has been so supportive and such a treat to work with. Everyone is so excited around what is hopefully a new holiday tradition, and driving business out here.”
Jessica Dye is Ms. Miltier’s successor as assistant executive director, and Kaitlin Cavell is the chamber’s new visitor services and marketing coordinator. Ms. Cavell, the new director said, has experience in content creation, “another thing we want to push — upping our marketing efforts for Montauk as a destination. We’re looking to push more content out of this building.” The chamber’s office is on Main Street across from the green.
Ms. Miltier holds a degree in hospitality and tourism management from the University of Wisconsin-Stout. While in school she worked for a chamber of commerce and a destination marketing organization, and her professional experience includes work in fine dining and events for the Walt Disney Company in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., and Waldorf Astoria Hotels and Resorts in Key West, Fla.
Montauk saw “a lot of day-trippers” last summer, she said, noting that pent-up demand for travel to Europe and other farther-afield destinations with the May 11 ending of the federal Covid-19 public health emergency declaration may have influenced tourism in the hamlet. “But over all, we still had a nice season.”
This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Ms. Miltier's first name.
