CLEVELAND, Tenn. (Jan. 26, 2009)—Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce President Gary Farlow recently announced the promotion of Bernadette Douglas to executive vice president.

Douglas assumed the new title following the December 2008 meeting of the Chamber’s Board of Directors.

The newly named executive vice president has worked for the Chamber for more than 27 years. She came to the organization in November 1981 as program director at a time when the staff consisted of “four employees and no computers.”

She later became Chamber manager and then moved to the role of senior vice president, a position she has held since 1990. Her responsibilities have included coordination of the Chamber’s Program of Work, organizational structure and procedures; preparation of the annual budget and oversight of finances; supervision of the staff and membership programs and services; and maintenance of facilities.

“While Bernadette’s role as ‘second in command’ has always been understood, we felt this an appropriate time to make her executive responsibilities official,” Farlow said in making the announcement. “Her knowledge of the Chamber and her function as a manager are invaluable to the day-to-day operations of this organization. Her years of service and commitment to this community warrant this recognition.”

Douglas noted that she has worked for seven presidents during her tenure with the Chamber of Commerce and that she has seen many changes through the years.

“When I started working at the 2145 Keith Street office, we had four employees and no computers,” she said. “The advance of technology now enables us to communicate in different ways and allows us to embrace the advantages of the Internet to promote our members and the community.”

She continued, “Of course, our move five years ago to a 10,000-square-foot facility has allowed us to vastly expand our programs for members.”

With reports indicating that baby boomers hold an average of 10.8 jobs in their lifetime, Douglas’s 27 years with the Chamber of Commerce defies current labor force trends.

“Our work is constantly changing depending on the priorities of the community,” she said about her commitment to the Chamber and the local community. “The opportunity to work with the leaders in the area with the vision to see what our organization can accomplish when we have a common goal is gratifying.”

Douglas is a member of the Cleveland/Bradley Business Development Center (Incubator) Board of Directors, Southeast Tennessee Human Resources Association, Tennessee Chamber of Commerce Executives (TCCE) and American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE). She has served on numerous fund distribution panels for United Way of Bradley County.

She is a graduate of Radford University. She is also a graduate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Organizational Management and Leadership Cleveland.

Douglas and her husband, Rob, have two children: Shawn, who lives with her husband, Adam, in Chester, Va., and Scott, a senior at Cleveland High School. They are active members of Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church.

-30-