LAKE WALES AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE | LAKE WALES AREA FOUNDATION

President and Chief Executive Officer

Job Description | Updated November 2, 2026

Position summary

The President & CEO leads the strategy, operations, financial stewardship, revenue development, staff, and public representation of the Lake Wales Area Chamber of Commerce and the Lake Wales Area Foundation.

The executive focuses on local business support and advocacy, workforce development, and local education partnerships, advancing each priority through the appropriate organization.

This is a full-time executive position based in Lake Wales, Florida, requiring regular in-person leadership, community engagement, and direct participation in membership development, fundraising, and program delivery.

Reporting and authority

• Accountable to the Chamber Board of Directors for Chamber responsibilities and to the Foundation Board of Directors for Foundation responsibilities, working through each board’s chair or authorized presiding officer.
• Exercises day-to-day management authority within approved budgets, policies, governing documents, employment terms, and written delegations. Supervises employees, contractors, and assigned volunteers.
• Reserves policy, governing-document changes, executive compensation, and other board-reserved decisions to the appropriate board. Board membership, officer status, and voting rights follow each entity’s governing documents and law; this description does not confer them.
• Maintains separate corporate accountability even when directors overlap. Coordinates priorities and executive workload through a written arrangement approved by both boards, including the employing entity and allocation of shared services and costs.

Strategic leadership and board support

• Develop and execute board-approved strategic plans and annual programs of work with realistic budgets, assigned responsibility, timelines, and measurable results.
• Provide timely agendas, decision materials, financial information, and progress reports; support accurate separate minutes, board orientation, committee effectiveness, and leadership succession.
• Identify changing member and community needs, recommend priorities, and advise the boards candidly about resources, risks, and tradeoffs. Maintain continuity through annual changes in volunteer leadership.

Chamber membership and business services

• Personally lead membership recruitment, retention, renewals, and engagement. Maintain a documented prospect pipeline, onboarding process, regular member outreach, and follow-up on concerns and cancellations.
• Deliver a clear member value proposition through business connections, referrals, visibility, useful information, advocacy, and practical services. Seek input from small businesses, major employers, and the broader membership.
• Oversee networking, business education, recognition programs, sponsorships, and signature events. Evaluate participation, member value, staff time, and net financial contribution; improve or discontinue activities as appropriate.
• Support structured business networking, including FORGE or successor programs, under approved eligibility, conduct, confidentiality, and sponsor policies.

Workforce development and business training

• Convene employers, schools, colleges, technical training providers, workforce agencies, and community partners to identify hiring needs, skill gaps, and barriers to employment.
• Strengthen local education and workforce pathways through partnerships with schools, colleges, training providers, and employers. Support career awareness, credentials, apprenticeships, internships, and employment connections; observe youth employment and participant-safety requirements.
• Coordinate accessible training in leadership, supervision, communication, customer service, and other employer-identified needs. Use qualified partners and track participation, completion, and documented outcomes.
• Support education initiatives that improve readiness for learning, employment, and continued advancement. Set achievable commitments with education and community partners within approved resources; assign charitable and general business activities to the appropriate organization.

Business retention and community partnerships

• Maintain regular employer and small-business visits; identify expansion needs and operating obstacles, connect businesses to technical assistance and capital resources, and coordinate follow-up with responsible partners.
• Support entrepreneurship and downtown business vitality through education, connections, coordinated promotion, and collaboration with the City, Main Street, redevelopment partners, and regional economic development organizations.
• Refer major business recruitment, industrial development, site-readiness, and incentive matters to the City and its designated economic development partners. Concentrate Chamber resources on local business assistance, advocacy, workforce needs, and education partnerships; coordinate referrals without assuming project leadership.
• Maintain constructive relationships with the City of Lake Wales, Polk County, CareerSource Polk, educational institutions, and civic partners. The CEO does not possess municipal authority or independently commit public funds, incentives, permits, or project approvals.

Foundation leadership and charitable programs

• Lead the Foundation’s educational and charitable work within its Articles, bylaws, tax classification, approved budget, and board direction. Preserve charitable benefits and prevent improper private benefit or diversion of charitable assets.
• Oversee Leadership Lake Wales, Youth Leadership, and other authorized Foundation initiatives. Set program goals, budgets, eligibility standards, partner responsibilities, participant safeguards, and evaluation methods.
• Apply objective, documented criteria and conflict safeguards to any approved scholarships, educational assistance, or charitable awards. Obtain any approvals required by the Foundation’s actual tax classification.
• Protect donor restrictions and grant terms. Ensure Foundation resources are used for eligible charitable purposes; Chamber membership benefits alone do not establish a charitable purpose.

Revenue development and fundraising

• Develop diversified revenue plans for each entity. Grow Chamber dues, sponsorships, program revenue, and other mission-aligned income; cultivate Foundation gifts, grants, institutional support, and planned or endowment gifts when authorized.
• Personally cultivate prospects, solicit support, maintain donor and sponsor relationships, and engage board members in appropriate fundraising roles. Maintain accurate pipelines, agreements, acknowledgments, and fulfillment records.
• Assess grant eligibility, matching requirements, cash-flow needs, restrictions, and administrative capacity before seeking approval to apply or accept awards. Manage award implementation, reporting, reimbursement requests, and closeout.
• Monitor reliance on major funders and public agreements; recommend realistic replacement revenue and expense adjustments before commitments expire or change. Do not treat proposed awards, pledges, or appropriations as guaranteed cash.

Financial stewardship and organizational separation

• Prepare separate annual budgets, cash-flow forecasts, and financial reports for board approval and oversight. Monitor actual results against budget and promptly explain material variances and corrective actions.
• Maintain distinct bank accounts, accounting records, restricted-fund tracking, and corporate records. Document shared staff time and allocate compensation, facilities, and administrative costs fairly under approved written arrangements.
• Use appropriate purchasing, payment, reconciliation, payroll, and approval controls. Arrange independent review where limited staffing prevents full separation of duties; never approve the CEO’s own compensation or reimbursements.
• Coordinate with the treasurers and qualified accounting professionals on tax returns, required filings, audits or reviews when required or board-directed, reserves, insurance, and board-approved investment and spending policies.

Operations staff and risk management

• Recruit, hire, supervise, develop, evaluate, and retain staff within approved authority and resources. Establish clear duties, performance expectations, lawful employment practices, and a respectful, accountable workplace.
• Manage facilities, vendors, contracts, calendars, and administrative systems. Maintain accurate membership and donor databases, secure payment processes, controlled account access, backups, and documented retention practices.
• Maintain continuity and emergency plans, including staff cross-training, succession documentation, secure custody of passwords and records, authorized banking access, and timely transfer of responsibilities.
• Maintain a compliance calendar for applicable corporate, tax, payroll, charitable-solicitation, grant, and contractual obligations. Arrange required public disclosures and document retention; obtain legal or accounting advice when needed.
• Disclose conflicts, protect confidential information, follow recusal and related-party approval procedures, and report material financial, legal, safety, or reputational concerns promptly to the appropriate board leadership.

Advocacy communications and public representation

• Serve as a principal spokesperson for both organizations within approved authority. Communicate clearly through public speaking, member updates, websites, media, and digital channels; verify claims and protect each entity’s reputation.
• Monitor business-related public policy and recommend Chamber positions for board approval. Build constructive coalitions and communicate adopted positions accurately, distinguishing them from personal opinions.
• Keep Chamber advocacy and Foundation activity appropriately separated. Prevent Foundation participation or intervention in candidate campaigns and keep any Foundation lobbying within applicable limits. Track relevant activity and obtain required disclosures and advice.
• Honor applicable public-records, open-meetings, and reporting obligations arising from law or public agreements; do not promise confidentiality beyond what law permits.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, nonprofit management, public administration, communications, economic development, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of relevant education and substantial leadership experience.
• At least five years of progressively responsible leadership experience in a chamber, association, nonprofit, business, economic development organization, or comparable setting, including budget responsibility, staff supervision, and work with a board or similar governing body.
• Demonstrated success in revenue generation, relationship development, program execution, financial management, and public communication. Ability to distinguish charitable activities from membership services and manage competing priorities ethically.
• Preferred: chamber or foundation leadership; fundraising and grant administration; workforce partnerships; Florida community knowledge; and IOM, CCE, CAE, CFRE, CEcD, or comparable professional development. Advanced degrees and credentials are advantages, not substitutes for demonstrated performance.

Work expectations and employment terms

• The position requires regular presence in the Lake Wales area, local and regional travel, early-morning and evening meetings, and occasional weekend events. The CEO must be able to perform the essential functions, with or without reasonable accommodation. Reliable transportation and the ability to attend off-site obligations are required; driving credentials and insurance are required if driving on organizational business.
• Compensation and benefits are established through authorized board action and written employment terms. Any overtime exemption depends on applicable duties and compensation requirements. Employment decisions follow applicable equal opportunity and nondiscrimination law. This job description does not create an employment contract or amend either organization’s governing documents.

Performance accountability

• The board establishes annual goals for its organization and coordinates a written CEO evaluation at least annually. Targets reflect staffing, available funding, and baseline results; achievement is assessed through documented evidence and factors within the CEO’s reasonable influence.
• Membership: new members, net growth, member and dues retention, participation, and member feedback. Report retention denominators consistently and distinguish dollars from member counts.
• Financial health: budget results, operating cash, reserves, revenue diversification, sponsorship fulfillment, and timely, accurate reporting and filings.
• Foundation and workforce outcomes: funds raised and collected, grant compliance, employers engaged, people served or trained, completions, and verified placements or other intended outcomes where measurable.
• Execution and leadership: delivery of approved priorities, business concerns resolved or referred, partner effectiveness, staff performance, board support, and maintenance of sound controls. Distinguish organizational contributions from wider economic outcomes.

Interested applicants may respond with Resume, Cover Letter, and References to LakeWalesAreaChamberCEOSearch@gmail.com NLT COB November 14, 2026.