Sherry Shaffner, who has been the driving force in the growth of the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce for the past two and a half years, will step as executive director of the organization on Oct. 9.
Shaffner called her decision to accept a position with the Alleghany Partnership for Children in Sparta, NC, “the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make. I love this job, I love working with the public. Hillsville has been great and very supportive, and given me the opportunity to grow as a person with them. (Oct. 9) will be a sad day, but an exciting one.”
When Shaffner took the executive director position with the chamber in March of 2010, she admitted there wasn’t much of an organization. There are now 86 members.
“The membership was very low and there was no board of directors, so I handled all the operations on my own,” says Shaffner. “I feel I’ve accomplished a lot. I added some new, successful fund-raising events, such as the Miss Carroll County Chamber of Commerce Pageant, we participate in Safe Halloween, and I brought back the annual banquet, which is when our board of directors is elected.”
One reason behind Shaffner’s decision to resign is the fact that the executive director position is just part-time.
“Although we’ve had some success, the chamber needs to grow in order to afford a full-time executive director,” says Shaffner. “I hope whoever they hire will see the accomplishments that we’ve made, and strive to grow even more. There are great people in this chamber and in Hillsville. The local businessmen have some good ideas and opportunities, if they just work together.”
Shaffner will be in charge of the daily operations at Alleghany Partnership for Children, which also sponsors various fund-raising events.
“I guess my experience here with the chamber will come in handy,” adds Shaffner.
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