By Mary Jo Coulehan
Pagosa Springs Area Chamber of Commerce
It is that time of year, when many nonprofit organizations have a changing of the guard for their board of directors. The Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors is no exception.
Changing out board members and term limits is healthy for an organization. It allows the organization to have experience while welcoming new ideas and personalities onto the board.
The Chamber of Commerce every year elects three new board members while three members rotate off the board after a three-year term.
The Chamber strives to have on its board a diverse group of business representatives since the organization has such a wide range of business types. In order to self-nominate to run for the board of directors, the nominee must qualify for the following criteria.
First, the business must be a Chamber member business for a minimum of one year. The person running for the board must be in a decision-making position at their business such as the owner or manager. If a manager, the business owner must give approval for that manager to run for the board and represent the business. If elected to the board, the term for the directors is three years. Attendance at monthly meetings is required and occasionally special subcommittee meetings. Volunteering at Chamber events and Business After Hours is also required.
A slate of six candidates is compiled and put before the Chamber membership. Of the six candidates, three are elected to serve for a three-year term.
As many issues face our businesses and community, we are looking for business representatives to help us work on these issues and continue to assist our businesses with advocacy, education and support.
Since the member survey in early 2020, the Chamber has been collaborating with other community and governmental organizations to tackle issues such as housing and workforce development. There is still much work to do and the Chamber is committed to helping move projects forward and making a positive impact.
If you are interested in running for the board of directors, you can view the nomination form on the Chamber’s website at www.pagosachamber.com, under Community and Chamber News. Fill out the form and return it to Mary Jo Coulehan at the Chamber by Nov. 10. Should you like to learn more about being on the board, you can contact Coulehan at the Chamber at (970) 264-2360 or any of the current board members.
A list of those members can also be found on the Chamber’s website at: www.pagosachamber.com/board-of-directors-and-staff/. We look forward to reviewing a few self-nomination forms and we thank those in advance for their interest and dedication to commit your time and energy.
