Meet our Board & Staff

Executive Board:

President – Penny Hall, St. James Bay Golf Resort
Vice President – Clark Klinkenberg, Jr.
Secretary – Vickie Dickert, Dickert Insurance
Treasurer – Clark Klinkenberg, Jr. That Florida Pub on 98

Board Members:

Lisa Keith-Lucas, Camp Gordon Johnston WWII Museum
Danyelle Robinson
Lulu Wilson, Coastal Realty Group

Franklin County Tourist Development Board Representative:

Clark Klinkenberg, Jr.

Director:

Lori Dougherty

Interested in Becoming a Board Member in the Future?

If there is a vacancy or upcoming vacancy, you may submit a letter of interest to the Board of Directors for their consideration and vote at the next Board Meeting.

Qualifications

The Board of Directors is the policy making body of the Carrabelle Chamber of Commerce. Its members represent a broad cross section of the business and professional leadership of the community. It has always been considered a high honor to serve on the Board, and proven genuine unselfish interest in the Chamber and its objectives is the first requirement for you as a Board member. You must be a member or employee of a member for a minimum of 6 months and your membership investment must be in good standing (dues paid up-to-date).

Other qualifications include:

A willingness to spend the time and effort necessary to fulfill the proper attention to Board duties.
Ability to work constructively and harmoniously with the staff, the committee members and Board members in accordance with policies established by the Board.
A business and work experience that enables exercise of sound judgment in considering the problems of the community as related to the overall program.
Courage and ability to have an objective opinion and willingness to face community problems even though the issue may be controversial.
Ability to command the respect of associates and give leadership to committee members.
Ability to inspire others to respond to worthwhile causes sponsored by the Chamber and to motivate others to help on solutions to community problems.
Demonstrated ability through committee service and other community service.

As Board members and officers, the proper performance of your responsibilities is vital to the sound and efficient operation of the Carrabelle Chamber of Commerce.

Commitment to Serve

To give a high priority to attendance at board and Committee meetings.
To read the agenda and supporting materials and be ready to discuss Board issues.
To represent the Chamber in a positive manner at all times and in all places.
To observe parliamentary procedures and display courteous conduct at meetings.
To be familiar and abide with the Corporate By-Laws approved and adopted August 17, 2016.
To refrain from intruding in administrative issues, except to monitor board policy.
To avoid conflicts of interest and inform the Board if a conflict of interest arises.
To support Board action, even when they are in a minority position on such action.
To serve on at least one Committee and support it actively. (Social, ie. Mixers; Events)
To support Chamber activities by attending a majority of the Chamber events.
To promote membership by seeking out and contacting prospective members.

Election & Vacancies

Method of Election to the Board of Directors can be found in the By-Laws Article IV, Section 3 and 4

Authority

Representing as it does the entire community, with membership reaching to every phase of community life, the Chamber is necessarily democratic in its organization principle. The first and last authority is the Membership. Obviously, however, the Membership as a whole cannot function constantly either in a legislative or an executive capacity. The authority of the group must be concentrated. The Members must speak and act through representatives to whom they delegate policy-making authority. This governing body, which derives its authority from the membership, is the Board of Directors. Every Board member represents the entire membership, the entire community, and not merely one type of business or industry, or one section of the community.

Functions of the Board

Members of the Board are selected because of their standing in the community, their experience and ability in civic affairs, and their interest in the organization. Not for self-gain or profit. The Board is the policy-forming branch of the Chamber. The Board members approve the budget, receive and pass on council, task force and committee recommendations, and direct the general activities of the organization. Ultimately, the Board must assume the responsibility for seeing that its policy determinations are carried out. For example, in approving the budget, it is clearly understood that effective machinery for assuring adequate financial support of the Chamber is necessary and members of the Board, therefore, should be willing to accept a personal role in maintaining membership strength and expanding financial resources.

Relation to Chamber Policy

It should be understood, of course, that you as an individual have no authority to commit the Chamber to any action or policy. Your status is that of an individual acting in a legislative capacity. You have a right to exert your influence with the Board for approval of such actions and policies as you favor; but your authority does not go beyond your vote, and you should be willing to abide by the decisions of the Board in accordance with the By-Laws governing such decisions.

Relation to the Public

You, as a Board member, are the representative of all the membership officially and unofficially, to the entire public. You should be ready at all times to defend the Chamber against criticism, or where you find the criticism justified, to take steps to remedy the condition causing the criticism by bringing it to the attention of the Board for action.

Relation to the Staff

While the Board is the legislative and frequently the judicial arm of the Chamber, the administration of the policy is delegated to the Chamber staff. The Board employs an Executive Director whom the Board holds responsible for carrying out the Chamber program as approved by the Board. The relation of the Board member to the Chamber Executive is advisory. The relation of the Board member is legislative as it affects the organization as a whole. Individual Board members should not assume executive responsibilities more properly performed by the staff members. At the same time, Chamber Executive should not in any way decide matters of policy that can rest only with the Board.

Relation of the Councils, Committees

Some Board members are chairpersons, while others are not. But either way, as a member of the Board, you have an overall responsibility to all councils, committees, to keep informed as their activities, to help keep each group in its proper relationship to the overall operations of the organizations, and to study and pass upon their recommendations. You should never consent to the delegation of final authority to a council, committee, unless they have been charged with the execution of a particular project previously approved by action of the Board. All councils, committees engaged in activities involving policies or expenditures must bring their program to the Board in the form of a report for final approval and instruction before definite action can be taken. As a Board member, you should feel a sense of responsibility for each council committee.

Relation to the Board

With respect to your relationship to other Board members, you are a copartner with them in the important work of seeking to improve the commercial, industrial, and civic life of the community through the activities of the Chamber. You should be scrupulous in your disassociation of all personal interests from the activities of the Chamber. You should regard your position as a public trust. You should calendar your time to assure your attendance at Board meetings and mixers, and you should scrupulously observe the rights of your fellows in the matter of time, and be prompt at all meetings.

Activities

Any activities recommended by committees or Directors should be of general community interest.

It has been generally accepted that the role of the modern Chamber is two- fold:

To promote with its maximum resources, the development of new activities.
To work for a continuous upgrading of the community we serve.

In all activities, preservation of the American system of volunteerism, of free enterprise, of freedom with individual responsibility as interpreted in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, is supported.

Relation to the Budget

The Chamber is supported by annual membership investments voluntarily made by business, industry, and individuals. It operates on a budget approved by the Board of Directors. Financial operations are conducted on a conservative basis, and there is very little flexibility in the budget of the average Chamber. It is the purpose of the Chamber to get a maximum of results from the available funds.

The annual budget is prepared by the Executive Director with the assistance of the Executive Committee and/or Budget Committee and approved by the Board of Directors. Customarily, no advances may be made from the Chamber’s general fund for a special fund, except upon authorization of the Board of Directors.

The Executive Committee

If the Chamber is to be truly effective in providing dynamic leadership to the Carrabelle area, it must be hard-hitting, flexible, and highly mobile in its ability to move promptly. To this end, an Executive Committee, comprised of the Chamber President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and Executive Director (The Executive Director receives no voting power), has the power to act on policy matters at interims between regular meetings of the Board.

Precedent has established regular meetings of the Board on the third Wednesday of each month. This permits the Chamber to act relatively soon on any policy matter.

Action of the Executive Committee on all but routine matters is reported for consideration at the next Board meeting.