By Ashley Legassic

Longtime executive director of Kamloops Chamber of Commerce resigns

Nov 15, 2018 | 1:20 PM

KAMLOOPS — The longtime executive director of the Kamloops Chamber of Commerce has announced her resignation.

Deb McClelland will be resigning from her role effective Dec. 31 of this year.

“While the board will feel the loss to the Kamloops Chamber, they are confident that, with the team that Deb has assembled, the chamber will continue to serve the needs of our members through this time of transition,” the chamber says in a news release. “Thanks to Deb’s guidance and leadership, the Kamloops Chamber of Commerce is in a strong position to move forward in the search for a new Executive Director.”

McClelland is planning on pursuing her own business ventures in the future, which will still have her involved with the chamber community.

“This has actually been in the works for about five years, understanding that we needed to pick the right moment, but we’ve really been building the chamber to a certain level and I wanted to make sure that we were really strong so that when I did step down things would be in place to keep things ticking along,” McClelland tells CFJC Today. “I’m also planning to go into business for myself, I’ve been doing that for about five years just building that, developing it to the point where now I feel I can go out on my own onto that.”

Boogie The Bridge

Boogie The Bridge Event Information

Apr 19, 2024

SOUND OFF

SOUND OFF: Police confirm diversion of government-supplied drugs

18h ago

ARMCHAIR MAYOR

ROTHENBURGER: A fond farewell to the airwaves from the Armchair Mayor

23h ago

“I train boards of directors across the country, I also train chamber managers on their role and how to develop their role, their boards, their teams, and elevate their chamber and their community, so between that and training boards of directors with their governance model — it’s keeping me very busy.”

McClelland adds that the aspect she will miss most about her role with the chamber is the relationships she’s built since becoming a part of it in 1999, and being named executive director in 2003.

“Always tough to say goodbye, the relationships that I’ve had the chance to be a part of are just so strong and such joy in my life. That’s going to be tough. But being involved in chamber world still in helping boards, I’m hoping I still have that connection.”

President of the board of directors for the Kamloops Chamber of Commerce, Joshua Knaak, says McClelland has had a big impact on the community.

“Whenever Kamloops Chamber of Commerce board directors attend events outside of Kamloops, we are quickly reminded of the impact that Deb has made to the chamber network and business community across the country,” he says in the release. “The work that she has done in developing a strong and steady chamber in Kamloops has been duplicated in so many communities through the work she has done as a provincial and national leader, mentor and guide.”