Deborah Bowie has been chosen as the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce’s new vice president of chamber development. She is scheduled to start the position on April 8.
The vice president of chamber development serves two major roles: to help develop the Chamber’s community involvement and relationships, as well as help to develop the diverse business industries found in Gainesville and Alachua County.
Bowie is leaving her position as the senior director of public policy and communications for the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce to come to Gainesville. Albany, Ga., is known as the healthcare and retail hub of southwest Georgia.
Also included in Bowie’s past experience is serving as chief of staff for the Office of the Mayor for the city of Birmingham, Ala., and the vice president of community development for the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce.
“The incredible strides Gainesville has made in building a strong innovation economy is the stuff chamber executives and economic developers dream of when choosing to be advocates for great communities,” Bowie said.
Bowie has a bachelor’s degree in communications from Xavier University of Louisiana, and she is working towards completing the highest level of certification for chambers of commerce: the Certified Chamber Executive (CCE). She has also participated in the “Creating Collaborative Solutions” program at Harvard University and was awarded a fellowship in regional sustainability from the American Chamber of Commerce Executives.
