Rita Irwin, the executive director of the Dolphin Research Center, has been re-elected to chair the Monroe County Tourist Development Council, the agency responsible for tourism marketing of the Florida Keys and Key West.</p><p>Irwin was re-elected by a unanimous vote during the TDC’s meeting Tuesday at the Key Largo Holiday Inn. </p><p>She has been involved in the TDC both as a District Advisory Committee member and a TDC board member for more than 12 years.</p><p>Irwin said she expects TDC and the Keys tourism industry will continue to face challenges in the upcoming year because of economic changes and shifts in tourism and travel trends. She points out the continued need for close collaboration between Keys tourism interests.</p><p>“We need to work with all the tools we have and be smart and vigilant,” Irwin said. “We’re positioned to succeed as a destination, because we’re all going to roll in the same direction.</p><p>“We have a great story to tell and a great team to tell it,” she said.</p><p>Other TDC members selected to lead the council in fiscal year 2009-10 are Vice Chairman Doug Wright, vice president of hotel operations for Spottswood Cos.; and co-treasurers Lou Hernandez, who serves on the Key West utility board, and George Fernandez, co-founder of the Key West Butterfly & Nature Conservatory.