The Columbia County Chamber is pleased to announce that Russell Lahodny, IOM has been selected as the Chamber’s new President & CEO. On July 9, the Chamber’s Board of Directors voted to approve Lahodny for the position after a search committee made up of members of the chamber’s executive committee conducted an extensive nationwide search. The chamber retained Anissa Starnes with Swingbridge Partners, LLC, who specializes in chamber retained searches to provide oversight for the executive search. Lahodny will begin work officially on August 7, 2020.

Lahodny comes to the Columbia County Chamber from the California Chamber located in Sacramento, California, where he serves in a dual role as the Vice President, Local Chamber Relations and Vice President of the Western Association of Chamber Executives. In his current role he engages local chambers across the state on legislative issues and works with more than 800 chamber professionals sharing industry best practices, collecting and analyzing industry data, and promoting the association across all platforms including print, video, photography and podcasts to communicate the mission and goals of the organization. Prior to joining the California Chamber in 2014, Lahodny served as Senior Vice President for the Anaheim Chamber and Vice President, Communications for the Irvine Chamber, both in California.

Chair of the chamber’s Board, Reagan Williams, said, "We had many strong candidates from throughout the country. Russell Lahodny was the ideal choice. He brings more than 17 years of diverse experience including advising some of the nation’s top local chambers, engaging in political affairs, managing innovative marketing and communications practices and overall nonprofit management. With his exceptional background and experience he is uniquely positioned to represent every stakeholder in Columbia County; he is an experienced chamber leader, a creative professional, and a proven leader with political acumen.” Williams added, “We are pleased to welcome Russell and his family to Columbia County and feel that his leadership and proven track record will compliment the Chamber’s staff and keep the organization on a path of success and ever increasing achievements.”

As the chamber’s President & CEO, Lahodny will oversee a staff of 8 and will report to the Chair of the seven-member Executive Committee of the Chamber’s twenty-five Board of Directors. He will also report to the Foundation Board of Directors. The President / CEO is responsible for providing overall leadership and management to the membership, Board, staff, and volunteers in executing the respective missions of the Chamber organizations, along with financial management, marketing, membership development and fundraising, and overall office operations. The President/CEO implements the annual business plan to meet the objectives of the approved Strategic Plan.

“I am honored and extremely excited to join the Columbia County Chamber,” said Lahodny. “My wife, Kimberly, and I, had the opportunity to visit the area and immediately knew that it would be a great fit for us and would provide the quality of life we are looking for to raise our family. In my quest to take my career to the next level, I was looking for an organization that has been successful in the past, that possesses strong leadership that is looking to continue the success and has a great potential for the future and based on my research and meeting members of the executive committee, Columbia County fit the bill. The chamber’s work is vital to the region’s business community and I look forward to working with the chamber’s board, members, volunteers, and staff to grow the organization and to promote the interest and ensure the livelihood of local businesses in Columbia County and in the region.”

Lahodny is a graduate of California State University -Fullerton with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications. He also graduated from the U.S. Chamber Foundation’s Institute of Organization Management at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles with a certification in Nonprofit Organization Management and served multiple terms on the board of regents for the West Institute of Organization Management that oversees the curriculum, faculty, logistics and budget for the program.

Lahodny will succeed Tammy Shepherd, who announced her retirement in March of this year. Shepherd was with the chamber for twelve years and led the chamber to achieve the U.S. Chamber’s Five-Star Accreditation twice under her leadership. The accreditation defines excellence in chamber planning and recognizes chambers for outstanding contributions toward positive change in their communities. The purpose of the U.S. Chamber Accreditation Program is to facilitate continuing excellence in the chamber industry and to foster a pro-business environment across America. There are only 202 accredited chambers out of more than 7,000 in the country. The chamber is also a Georgia Certified Chamber through the Georgia Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives.