After a four-month search, Durango Chamber of Commerce announced Monday it has hired a new CEO.
Former Fort Lewis College Dean of Student Engagement Jeff Dupont will take the helm after Jack Llewellyn stepped down in April to take a job with Hutton Broadcasting. Llewellyn led the chamber for 17 years.
The chamber cited Dupont’s commitment to community development and economic stability as reasons for the hire. Dupont has spent the last 3 years as FLC’s Dean of Student Engagement overseeing student services for mental health, housing and campus lifestyle. He also spent 16 years as an administrator supporting student well-being at FLC.
Dupont will officially resign from his position at FLC on Sept. 27.
FLC Vice President for Diversity Affairs Heather Shotton will step in as the acting Dean of Student Engagement, with Kendra Gallegos Reichle and Doug Ewing overseeing Student Wellness and Auxiliary Services, the college announced Monday.
“While his departure saddens us, we’re excited for Jeff as he embarks on this new opportunity, and we look forward to exploring increased collaboration with the Durango Chamber of Commerce in the future,” FLC interim President Steve Schwartz said in an email to students and faculty.
Dupont has been a member with the chamber through his wife’s business Studio B, as a volunteer with Leadership La Plata and as a board member for the Boys & Girls Club of La Plata County.
He said his goal is to listen to small business owners during his first few months on the job. He wants to understand the issues member businesses face.
“Small businesses are a unique challenge, because people that own small businesses usually don't have the time to come and be represented in spaces when we (the chamber) ask for voices,” Dupont said.
The new CEO also thinks the chamber can improve its Young Professionals of Durango program. Mainly, Dupont said it could be better publicized.
“It's not a well-known resource right now,” he said. “I think being the CEO of the chamber, I can give them a little more time and attention and bring the spotlight to the work they're doing.”
Young Professionals of Durango is a chamber program that provides professionals ages 21 through 39 with educational, philanthropic and social activities to help build their careers.
Several businesses and organizations have been trying to improve the workforce for young professionals in Durango. Durango School District 9-R has developed 14 career pathways through its career in technical education program in order to build a workforce pipeline. Fort Lewis College has been trying to emphasize building a pipeline in local health care professions with its new collaborative nursing program with University of Colorado Anschutz.
“It's funny, because I think I was probably one of the top referral sources for YPOD, because every time we hired a new employee here (at Fort Lewis College), I would send them the link or let them know when the next meeting was,” Dupont said.
Leadership La Plata was another organization he said could use some re-envisioning. Leadership La Plata is a skills-training and broad-based community education sector of the Durango Chamber of Commerce.
“Jeff brings with him a wealth of experience in strategic planning, financial management and team leadership, making him the ideal choice to lead the Durango Chamber into its next phase of growth and development,” said Karen Cheser, president of the Durango Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.
Dupont will begin full-time with the Chamber on Oct. 14. He will also participate in some chamber activities between now and mid-October during the transition.
tbrown@durangoherald.com
