The Sechelt and District Chamber of Commerce is on the hunt for a new executive director after longtime staffer Colleen Clark announced her resignation from the position earlier this month. Clark’s last day is June 2.
In a statement released April 16, Clark said she was stepping down “with great pride, albeit mixed emotions.”
Clark said she had accepted an opportunity elsewhere and that there are “big, positive changes on the horizon” for her, adding she was not yet at liberty to go into detail.
Clark started with the Chamber in 1994, left in 2000 to stay home with her young daughter, and came back in 2005 after the Chamber board convinced her to return.
“One of the things I am most proud of accomplishing over the past 11 years is that we have regrown the membership to over 200-plus,” Clark said. “We have solid representation on the board from a variety of business backgrounds, and are fiscally moving in the right direction.”
President Kim Darwin credited Clark for the Sechelt Chamber’s momentum and sustainability, in part due to Clark’s vast knowledge and passion for the Chamber network.
“Losing Colleen as our executive director will not only be a loss for the Sechelt Chamber, but it will be a loss for the community as a whole,” Darwin said. “We are truly going to miss her dedication to the betterment of the community.”
Meanwhile, the Sechelt Downtown Business Association (SDBA) has announced the departure of administrator/ambassador Kerry Jenkins effective May 1. Jenkins leaves the position after one year to take on a full-time opportunity with a local company, SDBA president Katharine Trueman said.
“We at the board level will miss Kerry’s sunny disposition and dedication to downtown Sechelt,” Trueman said. “We wish her well in her new endeavour.”
Trueman said the SDBA will likely start looking for a permanent replacement after Canada Day.