UTT We are excited to announce the four new board of directors to the Columbus Chamber of Commerce. Board members serve three-year terms on a rotating sequence. The new chamber directors are:
Donald Clark— Originally from New York, Don was born into an Italian family with a background in law enforcement.
Retired from law enforcement himself he describes his skill set to include a “great deal of training in security, self-defense, weapons, firearm instruction, emergency medicine, home security, camera, alarm systems, etc.”
Don currently serves as Colorado County’s Justice of the Peace for Precinct. 3.
His comments on what he will bring to the Chamber Board and members are “high levels of enthusiasm, a can-do attitude, and the promise that I will learn the role quickly so I can start contributing to the board.” His skill set also includes mediation and negotiation.
Don compliments Columbus as “a great area when it comes to education producing great students and teachers.” Part of his vision includes a “family-friendly downtown” with “things to do for the children.”
Lindsay McNutt— Lindsay is a Senior Grants and Contracts Specialist with The University of Texas at Austin and a third-generation Columbus resident. Born in San Antonio she says she split her “childhood growing up between [San Antonio] and here in Columbus.”
Her “life’s passion is animal behavior; specifically: dogs and their relationships with their humans.” Her goal is to turn that passion into a canine training business; until then she “would love to meet you and your dogs around town!” Specific talents that will "ben - efit the members of the Chamber as well as Columbus, itself are the “ability to listen to, understand, appreciate, advocate for, and connect with people.” Lindsay’s “hope is to help Columbus continue its fine dance along that line of honoring and celebrating history and tradition with growth and progress: an eye towards the future.” She “like[s] to dig in and figure things out;" stating that, “when I do, I’m bound to get excited about it – and my excitement is contagious.”
Melissa (Missy) Parker— Missy is recently retired from a Fortune 500 company as an executive in sales and marketing with extensive training in finance and management. Mom to 32-year-old twins and raised in rural Texas, Missy says that she “had an entrepreneurial spirit at a young age.”
Prior to retiring she purchased and began finishing the resto ration of one of the grand old homes of Columbus. Once retired and her home restoration complete, she took a deep dive into another restoration project: the Stafford Opera House, serving as executive director.
Missy brings “a very strong commitment and passion for the vision of the board in creating and making Columbus a thriving community now and for generations to come…and a community other communities aspire to be.”
Nancy Stiles— Nancy spent “forty-nine years in education” retiring as a “principal from Katy, Texas Independent School District.” She comes to the Board with past chamber “experience in leadership with the Chamber [and serving as] board President two terms.” Nancy’s vision includes “use of the river, more retail businesses, support for schools, activity for Saturdays to promote visitors.”
She was a founding board member of the Columbus Boys & Girls Club, has a “background in speech/debate” ran a small business in Abilene, Texas, and currently (with her husband Bob) a B&B in Columbus. An avid writer she writes an article for the Colorado Citizen, has “written three plays for the Opera House centered on Columbus, volunteered for Senior Connections, working on a project of restoring SOH (Stafford Opera House) [and] created Taste of Columbus event.”
Outgoing Board of Director members are Carrie Foster with Lone Star Bank, Ryan Fedako with Ryan’s Device Repair, Michelle Gorman with B.O.S.S.
Services, Amber Becerra of Schneider Hall & The Carriage Step, and Charles Potter with Potter’s Western Store, although Charles will not be leaving us.
Amber Becerra is stepping down after serving for seven years with the last eight months as Board President. The current Board ap- pointed Charles to fill Amber's remaining year.
The new Board will be sworn in at the September 27 regular Board of Directors meeting. Immediately following the swearing- in, the Board will vote for the new executive committee.
With the Chamber's fiscal year running October 1 through Sep- tember 30; new officers will offi cially begin their service October 1, 2023.
The Board of Directors and Chamber staff look forward to continuing to serve our members and communities as we lead the Columbus Chamber of Commerce into another productive, effective, and value producing year.
