The woman credited with cultivating downtown Gainesville as a destination venue through concerts, events and activities is taking on a new tourism role for the city.

In her new job as manager of the Gainesville Convention and Visitors Bureau, Regina Mansfield Dyer will be tasked with showcasing Gainesville’s attractions and promoting events that help put heads in beds to bolster local tourism.

“Gainesville’s attractions and hoteliers have created a welcoming environment for the business and leisure traveler,” Dyer said in a statement Tuesday after the city announced her promotion. “We are perfectly situated on Lake Lanier and the Northeast Georgia Mountains region is the second most visited region in the state of Georgia.”

City Manager Bryan Lackey said the hiring of Dyer was “the obvious choice” to replace Amy McGuire, who was CVB manager for less than three months.

McGuire resigned to pursue other interests, according to Catiel Felts, the city’s communications and tourism director. Prior to McGuire, Lee McMichael was the CVB manager.

Lackey praised Dyer’s performance as manager of the Main Street Gainesville program.

“Regina has done a tremendous job with downtown and the square,” Lackey said. “During her tenure, private investment has topped $5 million, more than 400 jobs have been created and an estimated 500,000 people have attended more than 300 events on the square.”

Felts said Dyer will work with the CVB board to advance the program, and will report to her.

“Regina has worked for me as the Main Street manager for more than five years,” Felts said.

Dyer graduated from the University of Kentucky with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and marketing. Before joining the city of Gainesville, Dyer worked in Byron, Ga., as the Main Street and CVB manager.

Gainesville pulled out of the Lake Lanier CVB (formerly Gainesville-Hall CVB) in 2009. At the time, the City Council believed Gainesville was not being promoted as well as it could be, according to Felts. It was during that time that Felts was promoted from the city’s public information officer to her present position.

Gainesville is advertising to fill the position of Main Street manager.