The board of directors of the Clayton County Chamber of Commerce has voted unanimously to select Valencia Williamson, a seasoned chamber of commerce executive, as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the business organization.  Her first day at the chamber will be Monday, July 6.

Williamson currently serves as Executive Vice President of the Area Development Partnership in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.  The partnership is a regional chamber of commerce and economic development organization serving three counties and a diverse population of 150,000 residents in South Mississippi.  She has been with the organization since 2010.

“Valencia has proven herself in the chamber profession,” says Ben Casey, 2020 Chair of the Clayton Chamber and President and CEO of LTI, Inc. in Jonesboro.  “Her knowledge of how to work on teams with business, community and government leaders to improve the economic vitality has shined through in her current position.  The search committee was focused on finding the right trailblazer to move our business organization to a new level of service to our members and the community as a whole. Valencia is the perfect professional to serve in this role.” 

Prior to her position in Hattiesburg, Williamson served in various roles with the Walton Area Chamber in Santa Rose Beach, Florida and spent 2002 – 2004 working in the Atlanta region for The Kroger Company. 

Williamson earned an MBA from The University of Southern Mississippi; an Economic Development Certificate from The University of Southern Mississippi; and a BS in Agricultural Business from Florida A&M University.  She is a graduate of the US Chamber of Commerce Institute for Organization Management (IOM) which is recognized as a significant designation in the chamber world. 

“The opportunity to lead a chamber in a metro region is very exciting to me,” according to Williamson.  “I am grateful to the Board of Directors for allowing me to share my experiences and skills as we all work to rebuild the economy throughout the country.  I look forward to strategically structuring the chamber in a way that is sustainable and viable for every business in Clayton County.”  

The search committee was led by Charles Reed, Jr., 2019 Chair of the chamber and legal counsel for the Clayton County Board of Commissioners.  Others serving on the committee included Charisse Braxton, Kaiser Permanente; David Crow, Heritage Bank; Jack Hancock, Freeman Mathis & Gary, LLP; Dr. Tim Hynes, Clayton State University; Audrey King, Georgia Power Company; and Mark Wilson, Chime Solutions. 

Page Estes, IOM, has served as Interim President and CEO for the chamber over the past five months.  She is working with Williamson on a transition plan. 

The board partnered with The Chason Group to lead the executive search process.  The firm, based in Cartersville, Georgia, specializes in executive searches for chambers of commerce, economic development organizations, foundations and other non-profit organizations.