Vinton County Commissioners Hire Aidan Reagh as Department of Tourism Executive Director

The Vinton County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday morning, Feb. 17, 2026, to hire Aidan Reagh as the new executive director of the Vinton County Department of Tourism. The hire followed a recommendation from the Vinton County Department of Tourism Advisory Board, which sought applications and interviewed candidates during the county’s search.

Reagh was chosen from a field of 18 applicants, county reporting shows. The county’s tourism office is referenced in reporting and social media both as the Vinton County Department of Tourism and by the branded name “Discover Vinton County,” which appears in the office’s social posts introducing Reagh.

A video interview featuring Aidan Reagh and several advisory board members was posted to Facebook prior to the commission vote; the clip is credited to Red Thompson and the post excerpt shows engagement listed as 40 reactions, 9 comments and 14,000 views. An Instagram message welcoming Reagh used the line “Please help us give a warm Vinton County welcome to Aidan Reagh, the new Executive Director for Discover Vinton County! Aidan is the current” but the post text is truncated in available excerpts. The Facebook post timestamp in the excerpts reads Feb. 10 at 7:27 PM, which precedes the Feb. 17 commission vote; the provided material does not explain that timing.

Reporting excerpts include a fragment that begins “Reagh will replace (” but that sentence is truncated in the available copy and the name of an outgoing director is not present in the material supplied. The sources also do not provide Reagh’s biography, prior employers, contract terms, salary, or an official start date in the department.

Local coverage of the hire is credited in news excerpts to staff reporting published on Feb. 17, 2026, and the social media materials and video footage provide additional visibility for the appointment. The Advisory Board’s role in soliciting applications and conducting interviews is described in reporting as the basis for its recommendation to the commissioners.

With the unanimous vote, Aidan Reagh is now the county’s designated tourism executive, and the county’s next steps, including a formal announcement of who Reagh replaces and the effective employment date, are expected to appear in official meeting minutes and follow-up materials that are not included in the current excerpts.