LINCOLN – John Ricks, the state tourism director who deployed the edgy and controversial marketing pitch “Nebraska. His resignation was accepted Thursday by the State Tourism Commission, which has since appointed Deputy Director Heather Hogue as interim executive director, as was reported first by the Nebraska Rural Radio Network. Pete Ricketts, Ricks had worked as an associate director in Colorado’s state tourism office before taking the Nebraska job. According to the State Tourism Commission, it also raised Nebraska’s tourism profile from last to 45th. The Nebraska Travel Association, in a press release this week, urged the State Tourism Commission to “act swiftly” to replace Ricks.