NAPA -- Following a decade of service as leader of the Napa Chamber of Commerce, President and Chief Executive Officer Kate King is retiring and moving to Texas.
The Tuesday announcement said the search for a new chief executive is already under way, but it did not provide a specific timeline for Ms. King’s departure or replacement. She announced her intentions during a recent executive committee meeting and the board will ratify the retirement during its annual conference later this month.
In the past year, all three of the North Bay's major chambers in Santa Rosa, San Rafael and Napa have seen changes in their chief executives.
During Ms. King’s tenure, revenues have increased by 2,500 percent and the business coalition has risen to the fourth largest in the Bay Area. Most recently, she’s served on the Napa Downtown Specific Plan Committee and as an executive board member of the Workforce Investment Board and member of the Napa Valley College Small Business Development Advisory Board. In 2006, she was one of six appointed to the California Small Business Board by the governor, one of many accolades earned over the years.
"As a board we have all learned so much from Kate about the important role of a chamber and its advocacy work on behalf of the business community," said board chairman Mike Silvas.
Immediate past Chairman Jeff Gerlomes said, “after 10 years of excellent leadership, Kate will be missed, but part of her legacy will be the strong foundation she has built that will allow the Chamber a smoother transition,” said past chair Jeff Gerlomes.
The announcement said Ms. King plans to move to a 15-acre east Texas estate.
