SCV Chamber Of Commerce Announces Most Diverse Board Of Directors

Posted by: KHTS News Release in Business, Santa Clarita Latest News December 15, 2020 - 1:02 pm 0 562 Views

The Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce (SCV Chamber) announced their 2021 leadership team Monday, which will further continue the Chamber’s work of building a united business community.

As the largest business membership organization in the Santa Clarita Valley, the Chamber’s leadership will work to bring businesses together to provide greater member benefits that reduce business expenses and providing value-driven programming.

The following business leaders will serve as 2021 Directors:

Chair of the Board

John Vance – President, Vance Wealth

Executive Committee

Nancy Starczyk – Realty Executive \| Immediate Past Chair	Hunt Braly, Poole, Shaffery & Koegle
Marisol Espinoza – SoCal Gas Company \| Secretary	Troy Hooper – Kiwi Hospitality Partners
Kevin Homes – Martini, Akpovi Partners \| Chief Financial Officer	Dr. Chris Raigosa – Kaiser Permanente
	Chris Schrage – LBW Insurance

Board of Directors

Karen Bryden – SCV Locations	Dan Revetto – AT&T
Andrea Carpenter – Logix Federal Credit Union	Becki Robb – Princess Cruises
Steve Cole – SCV Water Agency	Henry Rodriguez – State Farm Insurance
Jason Crawford – City of Santa Clarita	Sandy Sanchez – FivePoint
Andrea De La Cerda – Scorpion	Lindsay Schlick – SchlickArt Photography & Video
Matt Dierckman – CBRE	Liz Seelman – Southern California Edison
Jeffrey Forrest – College of the Canyons	Jesse Smith – California Institute of the Arts
Aleen Manchester – California Resources Corporation	Dr. Dianne Van Hook – College of the Canyons
Maral Matossian – Westfield	Dennis Verner – Burrtec
Patrick Moody – Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital	Karina Winkler – Holiday Inn Express
Dr. Izu Okpara – Omni Wound Physicians

Business Councils

Government Affairs Council – Co-Chairs, Hunt Braly & Jesse Smith

Latino Business Alliance – Chair, Liz Seelman
Small Business Council – Chair, Brian Schlick
Non-Profit Council – Chair, Holly Schroeder

NextSCV Young Professionals Council – Chair, Lindsay Schlick

“I’m proud of the strong leadership team we’ve had for the SCV Chamber this year,” said Nancy Starczyk, outgoing chair of the board for the SCV Chamber. “It’s more important than ever that the Chamber has had a clear vision of bringing the entire business community together to work together as we move forward in providing high-quality, value-driven programming and pro-business advocacy for our members.”

The SCV Chamber has established a broad-based leadership team representing small, medium and large businesses from a broad spectrum of industries to guide the Chamber into the new year in an effort to best work together as a united community.

“It’s a unique moment when we’re able to appoint such a large new group of local business leaders to serve on the Chamber Board of Directors,” said John Vance, incoming chair of the SCV Chamber. “With all the positive changes happening with the SCV Chamber, we’re excited to add well-respected, diverse leaders to the Board and continue with the returning board members who were invaluable this year.”

The chamber has continuously worked, especially through the global pandemic, to provide the highest-quality member services and to be The Voice of Business for the SCV business community. It continues to build a well-respected and regionally recognized business advocacy organization in the third-largest city in the County of Los Angeles.

“If there is one thing we have worked towards this year, it’s to bring unity and support for our entire business community, to work together, and to help one another survive and endure during the global pandemic,” stated Ivan Volschenk, managing partner at Evolve Business Strategies, which manages the SCV Chamber.

The 2021 Board of Directors is the most diverse in the 98-year history of the Chamber with women making up 45% of the board membership; 41% of board membership are people of color; and 10% of the board represent the LGBTQ+ community. In addition, two board members are foreign-born entrepreneurs.

“Since 2017, the Chamber has strategically focused on ensuring our leadership represents the growing diversity of our community to ensure equity and inclusion is part of our focus as an organization,” said Volschenk. “It’s proof we can all work together for pro-business advocacy and support businesses.”

The new board members will begin their term on Jan. 1, 2021. Incoming Board Chair John Vance, alongside the full board, will be ceremonially installed on Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021 virtually at the Chamber’s 98th Annual Awards & Installation. For more information on the event or to register/sponsor, visit www.scvchamber.com under the Events tab.