Chattanooga’s Chamber of Commerce is searching for a replacement for its “woke” CEO and has hired a consulting firm to assist it.
“The executive committee of the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce board of directors has selected the consulting firm Waverly Partners to help in the search for a new chamber chief executive to succeed Christy Gillenwater, who announced last month she is leaving the Chattanooga chamber after five years to head the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce,” the Times Free Press reported.
Gillenwater is notorious for her implementation of far-left diversity, equity and inclusion protocols while she was at the helm of the Chamber, as reported by The Tennessee Star.
“Businesses with diverse team members are better equipped to relate to more diverse customers, while fostering a culture that attracts in-demand talent that can afford to be choosy,” the Chattanooga Chamber’s website says.”The Chattanooga Chamber is the business community’s partner—equipping employers to foster more diverse and inclusive workplaces through education, strategic relationships, and initiatives.”
Gillenwater’s also implemented a “diversity pledge,” which says the following:
The societal cost of economic exclusion has come into sharp relief, in recent history. With a rapid racial and cultural transformation underway, America needs to wake up and value difference in a global community that is 71% of color. According to reports by the WK Kellogg Foundation, Morgan Stanley, and Citigroup, the economic cost of inequity to African Americans is reported to be about $2 trillion dollars per year. This directly impacts GDP, employment, lending, education, and health. A more inclusive and equitable economy makes the business case for the growth and the full participation of African Americans and other communities of color in Chattanooga and Hamilton County.
The Chamber’s CEO Pledge for Racial Equity is a commitment by CEOs to intentionally enhance their efforts to achieve equity of opportunity within organizations and the broader Chattanooga community. The pledge complements the Chattanooga Climbs goal to create an economically inclusive ecosystem, which acknowledges and eliminates racial and cultural bias. This is accomplished by dismantling policies that restrict access to capital, prevent wealth creation, promote incarceration, and limit training and education. We seek to create a diverse and inclusive Chattanooga that drives business development, influences regional competitiveness, and stimulates innovation.
Members of the Chamber celebrated the news of the CEO search.
“I’m pleased to announce our Chattanooga chamber president and CEO search committee and our decision to work with Waverly Partners, a highly respected national search firm,” Janelle Reilly, president of CHI Memorial Hospital and chairwoman of the Chattanooga Chamber reportedly said. “It’s important that we share with members the broad strokes of the search process, which aligns with our continued commitment to our mission to champion member businesses and promote regional economic growth.”
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Christy Gillenwater” by Chattanooga Chamber.
