The Fayette County Chamber of Commerce has cast a nationwide net to find its new president and CEO.
“For the past 30 days, the board of directors and members of the search committee have been listening to community and statewide stakeholders regarding the character traits desired of the new professional chosen to lead the chamber,” said Rob Parker, chair of the search committee and president of Pinewood Forest. “We have also been focusing on building the right culture internally with our professional team which will provide a solid, successful foundation for the new executive.
The Fayette County Chamber needs to be a chamber of the future, added board Chairman Stephen Childs.
The nationwide search for a new president and CEO comes in three phases.
The first phase has been the listening segment. More than 50 community, nonprofit, government and business representatives were interviewed to garner feedback on how the committee should shape the position description for the president as well as the skill sets that are most important, chamber representatives said.
The second phase is the “casting of the net” and identifying candidates that fit the traits identified in phase one. A position announcement has been posted on the chamber’s website and distributed to the organization’s membership. The posting will also be placed with the American Chamber of Commerce Executive’s Association, Georgia Association of Chamber Executives, Georgia Economic Developers Association and various other social media sites that correlate with chambers of commerce and economic development.
The third phase of the executive search has been designed to allow the search committee members to interview the most qualified candidates and the candidates gather information from the committee. A detailed application has been developed for the process and will be provided to the candidates who meet a pre-determined set of criteria.
The Chason Group, an executive search firm specializing in chambers of commerce, economic development organizations and nonprofits is assisting the chamber and will serve as the contact for candidates. For more information about the search, visit www.thechasongroup.com.
