January 13, 2014 at 2:08 p.m.
Chamber hires temporary office manager to bridge gap between directors
Board hopes to have new director in place by March
Chamber hires temporary office manager to bridge gap between directors
Friday marked Reed's final day as executive director. She announced last month she would be leaving the chamber Jan. 10 to take a marketing account manager position with Ministry Medical Group.
To ensure the chamber office runs efficiently while the board of directors searches for a new director, Sandy Edington, a former board member and treasurer for the chamber, has been hired as a temporary office manager.
"It will help the office continue to run smoothly. We have two very dedicated employees there already and this will help them keep focused on their tasks and allow the temporary office manager to help assist them and help assist the chamber to keep moving forward with all of the events we have planned and everything we already do," explained Brett Aylesworth, president of the chamber's board of directors.
Edington said she is willing and able to step in and help out.
"I'll be doing everything Lara did," she said. "I've been temporarily retired and I was feeling a little bit of cabin fever and missing the chamber and the activities and thought I could help out."
Edington will stay on at the chamber at least until a new director is hired and perhaps longer than that.
"She may stay on a week or two after (the new director is hired) just to help with the transition," Aylesworth said. "Hence the word temporary, she's just there for a few months until we get someone in there as the new executive director."
The search for a new director is well under way. Aylesworth said the board is currently accepting applications.
"We are currently collecting resumes and applications. Those are due to us by Jan. 27. After that, we have a committee of both chamber board members and other community and tourism people, and a few other people that have offered to volunteer on the committee, to help select our new director," Aylesworth said. "We'll be going through the resumes, conducting interviews and go from there."
Edington is not a candidate for the executive director position, she said.
"I'm just stepping in to help out. I have not thrown my name in the hat (for the executive director position)," she said.
Aylesworth said the group is hoping to make a selection as soon as possible, but there is no deadline for making a decision.
"We don't have a set date (for making a hire). It does depend on the candidates coming in and the interview process can be somewhat lengthy sometimes," Aylesworth said. "I would (expect) to see a new executive director sometime in March, but it all depends how it all goes."
Aylesworth will be officially named board president during the chamber's annual dinner on Jan. 23. He will be joined by fellow officers Kristin Van Lankvelt (treasurer), Eileen Persike (first vice president), Dan Brekke (second vice president) and Erin Skinner (past president). The secretary position is currently vacant.
The chamber also recently welcomed five new board members. They are David Russ, Cindy Wright, Linda Krebsbach, Brandi Gray and Ed Orlikowski.
Marcus Nesemann may be reached at [email protected].
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