By Lyonel Doherty
Despite the resignations of three executive members, the South Okanagan Chamber of Commerce is trudging onward.
President Brian Highley confirmed today that Doug Lamb, Sara Amos and Jamie Cox recently resigned.
He said Lamb resigned due to health reasons, and Amos and Cox resigned due to time commitments.
Last week Executive Director Denise Blashko resigned for unexplained reasons. The chamber has said it will not be replacing her because that position will be “dismantled.”
Amos said she resigned because she doesn’t have the time to be of any value to the board.
“I enjoyed being a part of it for two years, but with my business only getting busier I felt someone else would be a better option.”
Cox could not be reached for comment.
Highley said this is the first year that the board increased its membership to 11 (from nine). But due to these recent resignations, the board currently has eight members. They include himself, Eileen McGinn, Mike Campol, Alberto Veintimilla, Veronica Vinge, Chad Dambrowitz, Peter McKenna, and Deanie Folley-Gillespie.
“Doug just stepped down the other day, so we’ll be looking to replace him as soon as we can,” Highley said.
The president said the resignations don’t affect the chamber’s mandate, “but we like having more voices, opinions and experience at our meetings so it affects us in that way.”
Highley said he doesn’t have any concerns about the board’s future because the chamber has a great set of people with different skills and knowledge to carry it forward.
