MANCHESTER, NH – Mike Skelton, President & CEO of the Greater Manchester Chamber (GMC) since 2014, will be departing from the organization to lead the Business and Industry Association (BIA) of New Hampshire as its President & CEO.
“Serving as President & CEO of the Greater Manchester Chamber has been the honor of a lifetime and I could not be prouder of the progress and success we’ve achieved as an organization,” said Skelton. “I am so appreciative and humbled by the support, dedication, and trust of the incredible staff and Board of Directors of the Chamber. They made this the most fun and rewarding experience of my career.”
“The Chamber Board is extremely grateful to Mike Skelton for his outstanding leadership and dedication to the organization for the past seven years,” said Nathan Saller, Chair of the GMC Board of Directors and CEO of Bellwether Community Credit Union. “Mike is leaving the organization in an incredibly strong position that will allow the Board, staff, and next leader of the Chamber to explore exciting new opportunities and continue to meaningfully advance our mission.”
In August BIA named David Juvet to serve as interim president, after the departure of Jim Roche, while they launched a search for a new president.
Skelton’s tenure leading the Chamber featured numerous key accomplishments, among them: expanding the Chamber’s economic development partnerships with the City of Manchester and State of NH allowing the organization to play a leading role in business expansion, attraction, and retention efforts; growing the Chamber’s programming, engagement, membership, and overall revenue to help the organization achieve its strongest level of financial health in decades; guiding the merging of the Manchester Young Professionals Network, the state’s largest young professionals network, into the Chamber as a permanent workforce development program of the organization; completion of both the first full rebranding process of the Chamber in more than two decades and a substantial renovation of the Chamber’s offices into a new, modern collaborative meeting and workspace for members and community leaders.
“Chamber Board leadership is putting in place a transition plan to guide the organization while the search process for the next President & CEO gets underway. The Greater Manchester Chamber is one of the leading regional Chambers in the Northeast and we are confident that the position will attract a pool of strong candidates,” said Saller.
The Chamber plans to release more information within the next month regarding the leadership transition and search process. Skelton will continue to lead the organization through the end of January.
In addition to leading the Greater Manchester Chamber for seven years, Skelton also served on the Chamber’s staff as vice president of economic development and advocacy from 2006 to 2011. “In total having spent more than 12 years of my professional career at the Chamber, I can say without hesitation that the people are what make it special. The members, Board, and staff are all generous and engaged community leaders that are committed to making our community and region a better place. The future is very bright for the Chamber and I’m excited to see the organization build on the progress we’ve all achieved together.”
About the Greater Manchester Chamber
Incorporated in 1911, the Greater Manchester Chamber (GMC) is the largest business organization in New Hampshire, focusing its efforts primarily on Manchester and the surrounding communities of Auburn, Bedford, Candia, Derry, Goffstown, Hooksett, Litchfield, Londonderry, and Merrimack. The Chamber’s mission is to be the voice of business, shaping economic success to enhance the quality of life in Greater Manchester. For more information visit www.manchester-chamber.org.
