NEWBERRY COUNTY — Michelle Long has been named the new executive director of the Newberry County Chamber of Commerce.
Long will officially take over the position after Ted Smith retires Dec. 31.
“You do not have to spend much time with Michelle to tell she is a very intelligent person, so I am leaving the Chamber in great hands,” Smith said.
Long has been an administrator for the Chamber since April 2012.
“When I started, I knew Ted eventually wanted to retire. That summer I attended the Institute of Organization Management Professional Development Course, which is a course for Chambers and non-profits. It is a four year course, and I graduated this past summer,” she said.
When Smith announced he would retire by the end of the year, the Newberry County Chamber of Commerce board of directors developed a search committee to find a new director. The vacancy went out to chamber and non-profit professionals all over the country.
When it was time to apply, Long put in her application.
“The search committee gathered the applications, they held one interview, then there was a second interview with the Board of Directors and then there was a meet and greet with the three finalists,” Long said. “Then they met on Dec. 4 and I found out last Friday that I was chosen.”
As the new director, Long said she has definite plans of things the Chamber is going to do. She said some things they will continue to do, some they will begin to do and others they will stop doing.
One program she plans on implementing is a formal ambassador program which will allow new members to understand what the Chamber can do for them.
“My plan is to make an organized ambassador program. Volunteers would apply to become an ambassador and they would have orientation of what to say and what not to say,” Long said. “This will help us with various programs and allow ambassadors to be mentors for new Chamber members. With a small staff, we really rely on volunteers to reach our goals. They are integral part of what we do.”
Long, 40, said she is most excited for the opportunity to work and grow the membership base.
Long has been a life long resident of Newberry County. She was born at the Old Newberry County hospital to Joe and Peggy Boozer.
“I grew up in the Stoney Hill Community in Prosperity and I went to Newberry Academy and graduated in 1993,” she said. “After high school I went to Clemson University and initially went into the engineering program, but then I changed my major to psychology.”
Long graduated in December 1996. Along with her psychology major, Long also minored in English. During her time at Clemson, she was also a member of the Kappa Delta sorority, a member of the Psychology Club and attended sporting events, especially baseball and football.
“I also volunteered with Sister Care and Boys and Girls Club in Anderson,” she added. “My last summer in college I could not get everything to graduate then, so I went back home and volunteered in the Children’s Unit of Richland Memorial.”
After graduating from Clemson, Long moved back to Newberry and worked as a substitute teacher. Then in April 1997 she started at Newberry County Disabilities and Special Needs.
“I was a service coordinator, but the majority of the time I was a residential coordinator, for 12 of the 15 years I worked there,” Long said. “I then came to the Chamber. I decided on the change so I could spend more time with my family.”
Her family includes husband Dennis, whom she married Feb. 24, 2007. A year later they had their daughter, Braylen. Long also has two “bonus” daughters, Lacey Craven and Lori Beth Charlton. She is also a proud minoni (grandmother) to 11-month-old Liza Craven.
During her time as an administrator for the Chamber, Long said there are a number of accomplishments of which she is proud. One of those is the Young Professional Program.
“The program is growing. I really commend the Board of Directors, of the program, for that. They are an organized set of people who have taken ownership of this program,” she said. “They meet and plan activities. They are the set we are targeting, and they know what we want to do and things that will target them.”
She is also proud of her involvement with the Coalition on Substance Abuse. Long said the Coalition works to educate young people on responsibility and good ethics which goes full circle and allows them to be good adults.
“I am also proud of the Workforce Development Council, which creates an atmosphere for businesses and schools to work tougher. Schools need to know what businesses need so they can incorporate those needs,” she said. “That way we can retain people in Newberry.”
With the new title of executive director ahead of her, Long said one of the first duties will be to hire a new administrator. She said that person will be an integral part of how the Chamber moves forward. She will then be meeting with the board to communicate her plans for 2016 and the direction the Chamber will take.