Hood River, The Dalles and Newport Name New Execs

OSCC welcomes the following chamber professionals to new positions in our state:

·     Mary Closson has been named executive director of the Hood River Chamber of Commerce. Mary has previously served as executive director of the West Linn Chamber of Commerce. Closson’s last day in West Linn was Jan. 31. She began work in Hood River on Feb. 11.

·     The Greater Newport Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors has named Lorna Davis as the chamber's new executive director. Ms. Davis has been serving as the chamber's tourism development director for more than two and a half years. Prior to joining the chamber staff, she was the sales manager for the Embarcadero Resort.

·     The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce has a new Executive Director — again. Previous director Erin Stone, who was named to the office Oct. 2, offered her resignation to the board before Christmas, citing personal reasons. The chamber has named Dana Schmidling, who currently serves as vice president of special events for the Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce, as its new executive director. Schmidling was one of two final candidates for the job in the fall search.

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OSCC Chair Serves on Advisory Committee on Transportation

Oregon’s economy is transportation dependent but our transportation system is not meeting our evolving business needs. To help develop his 2009 Transportation Package, Governor Kulongoski has formed an Advisory Committee on Transportation made up of three sub-committees titled: Vision, Governance and Public Awareness. OSCC Chair Deanna Palm, president of Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce will serve as a member of the Vision Subcommittee.

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Northwest Chamber Leaders Conference Set for March 8-10

The 2008 Northwest Chamber Leaders Conference is set for March 8-10 in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. This year’s conference theme is “Creating a High Octane Chamber" and features speakers Kordell Norton, Kerry Tymchuck and Duane Knapp in addition to a host of break sessions and events. The NWCLC is the only International Chamber conference offering professional development to chamber board members, key volunteers, executives and staff members of any size organization.