Annette Medlin, president and CEO of the United Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce
Professional chamber executive Annette Medlin of North Carolina, becomes the new president of the newly merged Corpus Christi and Hispanic chambers of commerce on Jan. 19. She has more than 20 years experience in non-profit management and 12 years working with chambers. She has already started gathering information, talking to leaders and learning about her new home and job — something board chairman Gabe Guerra says proves the board made the right choice.
“She’s energetic, experienced and eager,” Guerra said. “She has a unique skill set working with chambers across the country. She understands what’s needed to bring a chamber into the future.”
The future begins immediately in the Coastal Bend as both the Corpus Christi and Hispanic chambers begin the processing of merging into one entity representing 1,400 members, most small business owners. Medlin says she plans to begin with a “real honest to goodness strategic planning phase” of about three months.
“I will need to make a top-to-bottom assessment of both organizations equally,” Medlin said. “All the while, I will be getting to know people in the community, getting to know how it moves and who makes those moves happen.”
Medlin comes to the table with a hefty resume, including extensive experience with the U.S. Chamber Institute for Organization Management, where she was a student, class adviser, member of the board of Regents and is now on the faculty. She has eight years experience as a chamber executive, serving as president and CEO of the Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce in South Carolina.
As a private consultant, her list of clients includes chambers of commerce and chamber related organizations from Pennsylvania to Canada to Pakistan and Afghanistan. She is a gifted public speaker, facilitator, coach and writer. She has held retreats, given presentations and held workshops to help clients asses their goals and develop more efficient organization management.
A desire to focus on one community, one she could be part of and belong to, lead her to seek the position in Corpus Christi.
“I had decided to go back into management when this opportunity opened up,” Medlin told Corpus Christi Business News. “I was looking for a certain size chamber ready to move to the next level, one with good standing in the community and ready for a strong chamber professional to come in and take them to the next step.”
As the merger votes were counted, final interviews for the job were being conducted by the board. The outcome of that election made the job even more appealing to Medlin.
“This is a unique place to be,” she said. “This is going to position us to be an example in the industry. We have an opportunity here to show the industry how two entities can come together and present a united voice, can become even stronger.”
Medlin calls her career choice the “accidental occupation.” Her first career was as a classically trained singer. A fine arts major, she also worked in non-profit management, at one time serving as vice president for public operations for an outdoor sculpture garden. She started a new studio and was teaching when she decided to apply for a chamber job recruiting new members.
“What better way to find my next direction than with chamber businesses representing all kinds of people from all walks of life,” Medlin said. “That led me to where I am today. I do work I love in an industry I love.”
While the job opportunity drew her to Corpus Christi, Medlin says much of her excitement stems from the chance to live in the area.
“The thing that appeals to me most about Corpus Christi is the palpable energy it has — you can just feel it everywhere,” she said. “It’s an incredible economy and community and I’m really excited about being part of it at this point and moving forward.”
Combined with the merger opportunity, Guerra said hiring Medlin signified a new direction for the community.
“There’s a tremendous amount of opportunity for growth,” Guerra said. “Corpus Christi is positioning itself to think big and to move forward in a new way that brings our community together — significantly our business community. We have new companies coming in creating new jobs. We have 100 years of Corpus Christi Chamber history now working together with 78 years of Hispanic Chamber history. That says a lot about coming together in a big way.”
