Staff & Board

Welcome to Independence!

Let us be the first of many friendly faces to welcome you to our hometown. We’d love to help you start planning your visit and “find your Independence!”
  • Eric Urfer, Director Parks | Recreation | Tourism
  • Kristi Eckfeld, Tourism Manager 
  • Frank Buhro, Tourism Services Representative 
  • Kelsey Mortimer, Sales Manager 
  • Judy Zeikle, VEC and Group Services Supervisor
  • Gary Sheridan, VEC and Site Supervisor
  • Emily Crawford, Marketing and Communications
  • Carrie Battles, Tourism Specialist 
  • David Aamodt, National Frontier Trails Museum, Curator (artifacts and exhibits)
  • Leah Palmer, National Frontier Trails Museum Events & Education Manager  
  • Ana Delgado, National Frontier Trails Museum Visitor Services Coordinator

Tourism Advisory Board

The residents of Independence already know how wonderful the city is, but these hometown fans decided to spread the word to let everyone know that Independence is a great vacation destination.
  • Hap Graff
  • Amy Williams
  • Cindy McClain
  • Gary Meek
  • Jim Allen
  • Jean Kimball
  • Mary House
  • Melanie Johnson
  • Sam Rushay
  • Todd Mitchell
  • Tom Lesnak
  • Jodi Krantz