Wilson to be interim boss at Chamber
By Ty Johnson
Published in News on May 23, 2012 1:46 PM
The Wayne County Chamber of Commerce will have a familiar face at its helm as it searches for a new president now that it has been announced that Ed Wilson will serve as interim director.
John Richards, the chairman of the Chamber's board of directors, announced the decision Monday in an email to members. Richards also spelled out a rudimentary schedule for the Chamber's search process as outgoing president Marian Mason prepares for her final day June 8.
Richards said the Chamber will accept applications until July 1, evaluate applications and perform interviews during July and plans to make an offer by Aug. 1.
Wilson, 67, said the organization was doing all it could to fast-track the hire and limit the transition phase as much as possible.
"We could have hired an interim president, but they wouldn't know the community," he said. "The idea was that between myself and the executive committee that we could handle it for several months."
That would prevent members from having to deal with two new presidents in quick succession.
"Rather than having two experiences like that we decided to have just one," Wilson explained. "We're hopeful we'll get some good applicants and we'll get someone relatively soon."
Wilson is certainly familiar with the Chamber. He has served on the board and was named the recipient the organization's most prestigious distinction, the Cornerstone Award, in 2007. Wilson served 15 years as president of Wayne Community College.
"I was honored and pleased to be of service," he said of the decision to allow him to lead the Chamber this summer. "We've got a good staff working really hard, so it's not going to be difficult to keep the ship steady," he said.
Wilson stressed he will be working along with the executive board to keep the Chamber's momentum from Mrs. Mason's tenure, adding that he won't be making any large changes to the Chamber during his time as president.
"I'll be working on a part-time basis, not a full-time basis -- just to make sure things are going the way our long- range plan is set up to go. We've got a good long-range plan," he said.