The Okotoks & District Chamber of Commerce has announced who will be taking over as their new executive director.

Dawn LeMaistre, a longstanding director and former business manager of the Okotoks Oilers will be filling the role, and she's sure to be kept busy as the province's Open for Summer plan unfolds.

LeMaistre is well known for her work with the Oilers, and if you've attended a game at the Pason, you're likely to have met her at least once.

Her departure from her role with the team was a big move.

"Fourteen years is a long history," she said.

"I've been working 18 years in the Alberta Junior Hockey League, I worked with a couple of teams up north prior to us moving to Okotoks and calling Okotoks home, so it's not just turning a page in a book, its finishing the chapter, finishing the book, and closing the cover, which is kind of scary and exciting all at the same time."

LeMaistre represented the Oilers at the chamber for several years and will be carrying her experience with the team forward with her.

"I'm fortunate because I'm able to continue on with the relationships I've spent the last 14 years building and then just expanding on them with the chamber so it's not like I'm starting from ground zero. I'm just moving forward and wearing a different hat or changing the position of my hat, so to speak."

Having worked with the chamber for eight years as a director, and as chair and co-chair planning their annual Business Excellence Awards, it's not too daunting a task for LeMaistre.

"It's a different hat to be wearing, being in the role as opposed to the director role, so I'm excited to be a little more hands-on and help with the execution of all that, to get the chamber through, generate awareness, create a stronger membership, and be there for our existing members as well."

One of the bigger focuses for the chamber moving forward will be the province's Open for Summer Plan, with restrictions set to decrease as each step of the plan is implemented and we begin to shed restrictions.

LeMaistre believes networking will remain an important part of moving through each step, as will transitioning back to in-person interactions once health restrictions allow.

"It'll be reaching out to everybody, seeing how they're doing if they're able to navigate through Stage 1 and Stage 2, once we get to have an idea what Stage 3 looks like, how can we help there? Really, for me, a big part of it is moving away from this virtual platform and getting our membership back to in-person meetings, monthly networking opportunities, and all that stuff that we've missed over the last 15 months."

Having accepted the role before the province announced the plan to the public, LeMaistre's schedule got pretty busy pretty quickly, but she says it's made her all the more eager to get started.

 

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