CHAMBER NAMES NEW EXECUTIVE.Byline: Lisa Mascaro Daily News Staff Writer The Chamber of Commerce has named the head of the Palmdale organization as its new chief executive officer following a nearly yearlong year·long adj. Lasting one year. Adj. 1. yearlong - lasting through a year; "attending yearlong courses" long - primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or search. Leigh Engdahl was chosen from a dozen candidates to lead the 700-member Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. chamber, which hopes to increase economic development and member services during the coming year. ``She's a perfect match,'' said Simi Valley Chamber of Commerce President Jeff Sampson. ``Her strength, from what we've seen, are in the area of chamber services to members, growth and business development. That's right in line with what we want to accomplish.'' Engdahl will start April 1, succeeding Nancy Bender, who retired after 16 years in the position. Programs administrator Dolores Dolores (or Delores) was a common given name (until the 1960s in the USA); it is cognate with the English word "dolorous" (meaning sorrowful) and equivalent in meaning. Krier had been acting as interim CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. , but did not apply for the job. ``I think the valley is extremely beautiful, and I'm going to be proud to live there and make it my home,'' Engdahl said Friday from Palmdale. ``When this came up, it was a dream come true.'' Engdahl comes from the Palmdale Chamber of Commerce, where she has worked since 1997. She brings a 16-year background in chamber operations, having previously worked in Irvine, Temecula and Santa Clarita Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, . In Palmdale, Engdahl successfully led the chamber through its first accreditation accreditation, n a process of formal recognition of a school or institution attesting to the required ability and performance in an area of education, training, or practice. process, an experience that impressed im·press 1 tr.v. im·pressed, im·press·ing, im·press·es 1. To affect strongly, often favorably: Simi Valley officials, who said the local chamber will be going through reaccreditation re·ac·cred·i·ta·tion n. 1. The process of reviewing the accreditation of an institution. 2. Renewal of accreditation status. this year. But the Palmdale chamber was recently hit with internal controversy that resulted in a lawsuit last June when 10 former members sued the chamber saying they had been wrongly ousted and then libeled by the chamber leaders. The suit came after one of the plaintiffs and another member said they were asked to resign from the board of directors in 1997 after a prank in which they pulled down their pants and mooned other chamber volunteers in the parking lot outside a chamber-sponsored circus performance. Engdahl would not comment on the situation, but said it had not influenced her decision to take the new job. She said she and her husband were interested in relocating to Simi Valley, and she was interested in working for the chamber. ``It looks awfully great,'' she said. The position pays between $50,000 and $80,000 annually, Sampson said, including standard health and retirement benefits. |
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