What a long, strange trip it’s been…
In a nod to The Grateful Dead, the journey to my current role as your Chamber President & CEO has been both long and admittedly, a little strange. Over the last 42 years, I’ve been deep beneath the northern Atlantic Ocean on a nuclear submarine, neck deep in a hole in the ground looking at a water main break, spending a sleepless night at 101 North Court Street (City Hall) because drifting snow closed the roads between Brunswick and Frederick, fielding citizen concerns at Winchester Hall, walking the corridors of our historic State House in Annapolis and helping to develop our next generation of community leaders.
This life has granted me untold blessings and experiences, all them leading me to my role as the President/CEO of the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce. I don’t pretend to know everything, but based on my last 30+ years, I think I know enough to help our members grow and expand their businesses and organizations. I’ve actually been at the Frederick Chamber longer than most folks’ realize. I’m going on my seventh year, and before I became an employee, I had the privilege of serving as a Board member. Serving the interests of our private, public and nonprofit Chamber members has been an important part of my life for the last nine years!
So together we embark on an exciting journey, as a staff, as volunteers and as a part of the region’s most exciting business culture. Our services, programs and events will be aligned with the needs of our members. Our team is committed to providing our membership with a world-class experience. The pace of change in our County is at light-speed, and you deserve a Chamber that understands and quickly reacts to the needs of our members.
We’re looking to build upon a culture that fosters technological innovation, creates economic opportunity and values the social, cultural and creative pursuits that make us whole. Working together, we can do almost anything. We value collaboration above most other activities, and will work to build on successful partner models like the Entrepreneur Council, Generation Connect, CREST, our Ambassador program and the Frederick Nonprofit Alliance.
We feel strongly that we have a role in educating our members about politics, but we will do so without allowing partisanship to cloud our judgment.
We’re optimistic, energized and focused on helping you achieve your goals. I couldn’t be more proud of the team we have assembled at the Chamber, from our Board to our staff to our great volunteers!
Frederick Chamber Insights is a news outlet of the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce. For more information about membership, programs and initiatives, please visit our website.