Annette Medlin, president and CEO of the United Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce
United Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Annette Medlin has resigned her position, effective April 28. She stated in her letter of resignation that she is leaving to take a position in Fisherville, Virginia, with the Greater Augusta Regional Chamber of Commerce.
“It has been an honor to serve this community over the last 14 months,” she said in her letter. “Together, we have worked very hard to position the chamber for a successful and impactful future.”
Medlin was hired in January 2016, replacing Foster Edwards, who was retiring after more than six years at the helm. Edwards now heads the San Patricio Economic Development Corp.
The chamber was undergoing a major change as it was also merging with the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, a vote that was approved by members of both organizations in December 2015. A nationwide search led to Medlin, a professional chamber executive from North Carolina. She came to the job with more than 20 years’ experience in nonprofit management and 12 years working with chambers.
She began her job with a top-to-bottom assessment of both chambers, methodically and successfully restructuring the organizations to become the United Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce by September 2016. A gifted public speaker, facilitator, coach and writer, she also launched a new initiative, the Total Resource Campaign, which wraps up just as Medlin leaves.
“The Total Resource Campaign is a model that has been used in chambers around the country for the last 40 years,” Medlin said when the program was announced in February. “It allows the chamber to roll out its entire book of business for a 12-month period during a short, 10-week timeframe, once a year. It lets us make one ask and then not come back again for a whole year.”
From 80 to 100 volunteers were trained to canvass city businesses sharing sponsorship, marketing and advertising opportunities available through chamber resources. The all-volunteer program is led by former mayor and current mayoral candidate Nelda Martinez.
That initiative and the merger will most likely be a lasting legacy of Medlin’s time in Corpus Christi.
I am very proud of what we have accomplished during my time here,” she said in her letter, “and I am looking forward to watching the chamber grow and flourish in the years to come.”
Medlin assured the board she had not been looking for a new job, but when she saw this one, she knew she had to apply. Virginia is much closer to her family, she said, and in an area she had already pinpointed as the ideal place to retire.
The board was expected to meet soon and discuss next steps
