New President and CEO of OMCC Announced
For Immediate
Release (Feb. 27, 2014) Contact: Hank Masler, (510) 874-4808
hmasler@oaklandchamber.com
Barbara Leslie named President/CEO
of
Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce
Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce
Long-time Oaklander; Former
AT&T, City
and Oakland Chamber Executive returns to take the helm
and Oakland Chamber Executive returns to take the helm
Oakland, CA – Today, the Oakland
Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce announced that it has selected Oakland
resident and community leader Barbara Leslie as its next President/CEO after a
national search. Leslie was most
recently Director of Government Affairs at AT&T. Leslie replaces interim CEO Dan Quigley and
will begin in April 2014.
Oakland
Chamber Board Chair Shannon Pedder said, “Barbara Leslie is a proven leader and
a long-time Oaklander. We welcome her as
someone ready to lead, grow, and engage the business community to improve lives
and the business climate.”
“This
is my dream job,” said Barbara Leslie.
“I’ve dedicated my professional career to growing the Oakland
economy. Now I get to make it a
reality.”
Leslie
added, “I am honored to be able to lead the Chamber at a time when Oakland is
realizing the potential that we have all known is here. Oakland’s unique
strength is its combination of innovation, diversity, and commitment to
community. I look forward to helping the
Chamber be the engine of Oakland’s expansion.”
Barbara
Leslie has 20 years of experience in local, state and federal advocacy on
behalf of business in Oakland. In her
most recent role, she was a key player in government affairs for AT&T in
Alameda County.
Previously,
she was the head of the Oakland Realtors Association, an executive in the City
Manager’s office, and a long-time advocate to elected leaders on the business
climate. She has an extensive network of
personal relationships across the business, government and civic
community.
She
has already held leadership positions at the Oakland Chamber including serving
as Executive Director the Leadership Oakland program, serving as a founder of
OakPAC, and as a volunteer chair of the Public Policy committee. She has also been a Board Member of Chambers
as diverse as Hayward, Berkeley, the Oakland African-American Chamber and
Walnut Creek. She also served a member
and Chair of Oakland’s Workforce Investment Board.
She holds Bachelors of Science, Business
Administration & Economics from St. Mary’s College and a Masters Public
Administration, MPA from San Francisco State University. She lives in Oakland with her husband and two
children.
Pedder
added, “Our members wanted someone who could implement the Chamber’s vision for
Oakland. Someone who could build on the
positive momentum in Oakland – whether it be the major infrastructure
improvements, the growing presence of technology companies, building consensus
on public safety issues and supporting the rising restaurant scene. We looked far and wide across the state and
the country and found our ideal leader right here in Oakland.”
#
# #
About the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber
of Commerce
The
Oakland Chamber of Commerce is 109 years old and represents over 1,000 members
and 2,000 affiliates in Oakland and across Alameda County. Among its signature accomplishments, the
Oakland Chamber has led an annual MegaRegion Summit to focus on economic
growth, has conducted an annual survey of Oakland voters to inform
policymakers, identified a series of businesses annually to honor as local
innovators, and continues to conduct extensive member programming.
Labels: Barbara Leslie, Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, President/CEO
posted by Oakland Chamber of Commerce @ 2:05 PM
0 Comments
