Wicomico County has a new director of Recreation, Parks and Tourism – Steve Miller, who was formerly the county's tourism manager.

Miller is the first non-acting appointee to the position since the retirement of longtime director Gary Mackes more than  a year ago.

On Tuesday, the County Council unanimously agreed to the promotion, and to two more. Kristen Goller, director of marketing and public relations, was named tourism manager and Nicole Wheatley, Goller’s assistant, assumed the position of director of marketing and public relations.

Miller became tourism manager in 2013, after being promoted from assistant tourism manager. Under his direction, the tourism division’s annual revenue jumped from $38.5 million to $52 million and the number of events per year rose from 40 to 51.

Those increases meant 1,300 additional hotel room nights in the county each year for the past four years, according to a news release from County Executive Bob Culver’s office.

Miller was hired by the county in 2009 as the Henry S. Parker Athletic Complex manager.

Though he's been with the county six year, Miller has been a low-profile figure in county leadership. At Tuesday's council meeting, Council President John Cannon asked Miller, who was in the audience, if he’d like to comment and invited him to the podium “so everyone can see your face.”

“It’s not much to look at,” Miller joked, who in turn thanked Culver, Cannon and the council “for the opportunity to serve.”

During time with the county, Miller said he hasn’t had one day of boredom, or of trying to find something to do.

“I love this county and I appreciate everything the county does. I thank you for the privilege and I’m looking forward to getting started,” he said.

Since 2004, Miller has worked in recreation programming, facility management, tournament administration and sports marketing and tourism.

He has been in the sports and recreation field since 1999, when he graduated from Eastern Nazarene College in Quincy, Mass.

From 1999 to 2004, he taught and coached high school basketball in Massachusetts, before earning his master’s degree in sport and athletic administration at West Chester University in Pennsylvania.

Cannon thanked Pam Olland, the department's finance chief, who had served as interim director. Wayne Strausburg, the county's administrative boss, also thanked Olland, whom he said has “done a fantastic job in stepping in and it is very much appreciated.”