FAIRHOPE, Ala. — Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Darrelyn Bender who has been with the Chamber for 18 years, will be stepping down from her position to start a new chapter in her life.
Bender has accepted the position of Financial Specialist with Strategic Wealth Specialists, who have just opened an office on the Eastern Shore.
Bender has been President/CEO of the Eastern Shore Chamber of since 1996. During her tenure the Eastern Shore Chamber has become one of twenty-two chambers of commerce in the nation to receive a three-star accreditation by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. There are only 280 accredited chambers of commerce out of the 7,000 chambers in the United States. The Chamber has been accredited since 1999. She is a graduate of the Institute for Organization Management for Chambers of Commerce and of Leadership Baldwin County. She has also completed the Auburn Intensive Economic Development Course.
"I have truly been blessed to work with the many boards of directors, community leaders, volunteers, members and staff over the last eighteen years. It has been an honor to take the goals of the Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce and help turn them into reality," Bender said. "With this transition I will able to help keep the Chamber strong until the Board chooses the next President/CEO. I will be staying active in the community and I will be working to keep businesses strong with my new position. "
She is the former Chairman of the Board for the Chamber of Commerce Association of Alabama. Back in 2005, Bender was CCAA's Outgoing Chairman when the formation of a formal partnership between Business Council of Alabama and the Chamber of Commerce Association of Alabama took place. This partnership offers a grassroots response to legislative issues pertaining to businesses in Alabama. The two business groups formally inked an historic agreement that linked the BCA and it's 5,000 member companies with the more than 120 local chamber executives who comprise CCAA and the nearly 60,000 member companies they represent. But in that short time, the partnership has taken on a life of its own, strengthening grassroots understanding and support for key issues vital to Alabama's business climate and economic growth, and providing an efficient mechanism for mobilizing business people throughout the state.
Under her watch, the Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce formed the Eastern Shore Chamber Foundation and helped set the framework of the first Blueprint for a Better Tomorrow, a capital campaign that supports the main programs of the Eastern Shore Chamber. The Chamber is also one of the first in the nation to organize an Environmental Committee back in1998. The Eastern Shore Chamber has planted 14 oak trees along the Eastern Shore in honor of local businesses that go above and beyond with environmental practices. In her tenure, the Chamber has seen the creation of the first website, which has been through many changes, and the birth of social media accounts as well as the Eastern Shore, AL app.
She has sat on the State Board of Alabama Tourism Department for over 12 years representing the Eastern Shore area and the Economic Development Alliance of Alabama. She also serves on the Alabama Tourism Council, a private public state partnership. She serves on the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program Board and the Historic Blakeley Board. In 2010, she worked with business organizations from across the Gulf Coast, forming the Gulf Coast Alliance for Economic and Environmental Resilience during the oil spill. This group was committed to keeping communication open between businesses across the region and keeping businesses strong from Louisiana to Florida.
"We wish Darrelyn success with her new business venture. She plans on staying an active member of the Chamber. With her support and input the Board will choose the right person to lead this Chamber into the future." Deanna Auner, Chairman of the Board of the Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce said. "The Chamber has benefited from her leadership."