VALDOSTA – The chamber of commerce will have a new president and chief executive officer for the first time in more than two decades.

Christie Moore has been selected to serve as the new president and chief executive officer of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce, chamber officials said in a statement. The chamber board of directors voted unanimously the past week to name the Georgia native to the position effective January 2021.

Chamber officials describe Moore as “an experienced and proven nonprofit professional.” 

She follows Myrna Ballard in the role of chamber president/CEO.

In December 2017, Ballard announced 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,” chamber officials said. “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,” said 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 said her successor will be an asset to the chamber team and community.

“Christie is a terrific fit for our chamber,” Ballard said. “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 serves as president and chief executive officer of the Dawson County Chamber of Commerce in Dawsonville, a position she has held since 2012, chamber officials said. 

The Dawson County chamber, under Moore’s leadership, is “responsible for business advocacy, tourism marketing and economic development,” Valdosta-Lowndes County chamber officials said. “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, D.C., 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 10 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 U.S. Chamber’s Institute of Organization Management and a Georgia certified chamber executive. She is a graduate of Leadership Georgia, Zell Miller Leadership Institute, Leadership Dawson and the Georgia Academy of Economic Development.

Moore and her husband, Michael, will be moving to Valdosta in December. Her first day at the chamber will be Monday, Jan. 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 nonprofits.