MANCHESTER, NH – The Greater Manchester Chamber Board of Directors has named current Vice President of Membership and Community Partnerships Heather McGrail its Interim President and CEO. She will assume this role on January 31 upon current President and CEO Mike Skelton’s departure. The Board also announced that its previous chair Nathan Saller – who is the CEO of Bellwether Community Credit Union – will lead the search effort for the Chamber’s next president and CEO.
“Heather’s expertise in Chamber operations, her strong relationships with members and engagement with the community made her a natural choice to assume this leadership role. She is very well-respected by the current staff and members of the greater Manchester community. The Chamber Board is very pleased that she has agreed to step into this role to help us continue to serve our membership and business community at the highest level,” said Genella McDonald, chair of the Chamber’s Board of Directors.
McGrail has been with the Greater Manchester Chamber for nearly five years, successfully leading efforts to build and maintain a strong membership and high level of community engagement for New Hampshire’s largest chamber. She has nearly two decades of non-profit and corporate experience and a history of community activation. McGrail is a 2000 graduate of Brandeis University and her Manchester roots run deep, as she began her college studies at Saint Anselm College. She and her family live in Bedford.
“I am honored and excited to lead the Chamber through this key transitional period,” McGrail said. “Our team is downright extraordinary, from our staff and Board to our membership and collaborative partners. Together we form a tenacious and impactful community dedicated to the execution of our mission. I look forward to working with such talented and innovative individuals to further the Chamber’s strategic process during the interim phase.”
Nathan Saller has served on the Chamber’s Board since 2017 and completed his term as chair at the end of 2021. He has been actively involved in several national searches and will lead the process and chair the search committee. The Board’s Executive Committee is currently building the search committee with a commitment to ensuring that it is diverse and representative of its membership and the larger community that it serves. The search process is expected to commence in February. More information on the search will be made available on the website.
Mike Skelton has been President & CEO of the Chamber since 2014 and is departing from the organization to lead the Business and Industry Association (BIA) of New Hampshire as its President & CEO.
The Chamber is in a very strong position to continue to build upon many initiatives that have been put in place over the past several years. These include 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; and growing the Manchester Young Professionals Network, the workforce development program of the organization and the state’s largest young professionals network.
