Chamber Selects Christie Moore as New President

Christie Moore, an experienced and proven non-profit professional, has been selected to serve as the new president and chief executive officer of the Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce. The organization’s board of directors voted unanimously on Tuesday to name the Georgia native to the position effective January 2021.
 
In December of 2017, current president and chief executive officer Myrna Ballard announced her plans to retire in December 2020. She has been a part of the Valdosta and Lowndes County community since 1995 when she was chosen as the vice president of economic development for the chamber. She assumed the top leadership role in 1997. 
 
“Christie brings the passion and experience the board identified as key traits required to build upon our solid foundation already in place,” according to Lee McArthur, chair of the board and partner with CCB Tech Group. “She is a leader in the chamber profession with proven results to back up her successes. I describe Christie as an innovator, team builder and most importantly a listener.”
 
Ballard also feels that her successor will be an asset to the Chamber team and community.
 
"Christie is a terrific fit for our Chamber," said Ballard. "She brings a great deal of chamber experience to the job. The Chamber staff and I feel that she is an excellent choice and we all look forward to welcoming her to Valdosta and to the Chamber."
 
Moore currently serves as president and chief executive officer of the Dawson County Chamber of Commerce in Dawsonville, Georgia, a position she has held since 2012. The Dawson County Chamber, under Moore’s leadership, is responsible for business advocacy, tourism marketing and economic development. One of Moore’s most notable successes has been the implementation of research-driven workforce best practices to champion local work-based learning initiatives though collaboration with the local school system, higher education institutions, and local industry leaders. Under Moore’s guidance, the chamber also successfully advocated for the passage of ESPLOST to fund a college and career academy to improve outcomes for the most vulnerable students in Dawson County. A tireless advocate on behalf of small businesses, Moore led the campaign to reduce impact fees on the commercial sector to make it easier for already existing businesses to expand, as well as, to encourage increased entrepreneurial investment in the community. 
 
Prior to Dawson County, Moore served as the leader of the Blakely-Early County Chamber of Commerce in southwest Georgia. She earned a Master of Arts in Strategic Communication from American University, Washington, DC and undergraduate degrees at The University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Bachelor of Arts in History. 
 
“I have watched the Valdosta and Lowndes County region grow in terms of business, infrastructure and influence over the past ten years,” Moore said. “I am honored to have been selected for the president’s role and to carry on the Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber’s legacy of more than a century of serving local businesses and the community. My first order of business in January will be to listen.  I want to meet with members and non-members of the chamber, community advocates, regional leaders and the internal chamber team to learn what the strengths of the chamber are and what opportunities exist for the chamber to help enable businesses, nonprofits, and citizens to thrive.”
 
Moore is a graduate of the US Chamber’s Institute of Organization Management and a Georgia Certified Chamber Executive. She is also a graduate of Leadership Georgia, Zell Miller Leadership Institute, Leadership Dawson, and the Georgia Academy of Economic Development.
 
The Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber has continuously received the five-star accreditation by the US Chamber of Commerce. The accreditation program defines standards of excellence in chamber planning and performance and shows chambers how they can reach and maintain these standards. It also helps chambers measure achievement while recognizing and encouraging chamber members and staff who meet high standards of operation and who contribute effectively to the good of their chambers and communities.
 
Moore and her husband Michael will be moving to Valdosta in December. Her first day at the chamber will be Monday, January 4.
 
The Chamber board engaged The Chason Group to lead the executive search process. The firm, which is Georgia based, specializes in executive searches for chambers of commerce, economic development organizations, foundations and other non-profits.