Brenda Payne Named New Chamber President and CEO

Hendersonville, Tennessee - May 21, 2008- The Hendersonville Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and Staff is proud to welcome Brenda Payne as the new President and CEO. Mrs. Payne will be succeeding John Pennington who has announced his retirement and will be effective June 1st. Brenda brings with her to the Chamber her knowledge of the community and the membership. Brenda served as the Board Chair for the Hendersonville Chamber in 1998-1999, but has stayed an active member throughout the years since. She most recently served as the Business Development Officer at Sumner Bank and Trust in Hendersonville.

“It is my great honor to accept the position of President of the Hendersonville Area Chamber of Commerce. I am so grateful to assume the reins from my friend, John Pennington, who has so ably led the chamber the past 15 years. Our city is on the cusp of phenomenal growth in business, industry, retail, education, and a diverse residential constituency that will influence our quality of life for decades to come. The Chamber of Commerce is poised to harness the energy of these diverse forces to leverage partnerships among business, education, civic and social entities. My dream is to capitalize on our assets such as our strong business leadership, our schools, our history, our lake, parks and incredible civic pride to build the future while honoring past achievements. This is a team effort and will require the commitment and hard work of many but the outcome will be worth it all. I have been overwhelmed with the outpouring of support thus far and pledge my total commitment to those leaders on our board, our staff, and our city, “ states Brenda Payne.

Payne spent a significant amount of her professional career working in the insurance industry. She was employed by National Life and Accident, which later became American General Life and Accident, from 1968-1989. She achieved significant corporate responsibility during her 21 years with the company, starting as a mail clerk and rising to the position of AVP of Group Claims before leaving the company to join CNA. Payne spent four years with CNA as a Group Claims Manager.

In addition to her professional role in the community, Payne has been actively involved in numerous leadership, civic and service organizations. She served as the Board Chair for the Sumner County United Way in 1989 and again in 1996 as well as Campaign Co-Chair in 1986. Payne was Board Chair for Leadership Sumner in 1999. Also in 1999, Payne completed her two-year term as Regional Chair for the United Way Middle Tennessee Partner Counties. She is a 2000 graduate from Leadership Middle Tennessee and served as President of the Hendersonville Rotary Club 2005-06 an organization of which she has been a member for thirteen years. She currently serves as Treasurer of Cumberland Region Tomorrow; Treasurer of Greenways of Sumner County, Chair of the Gallatin Shalom Zone Board and a member of the board of Rock Castle.

Some of her personal accomplishments include being name the Volunteer of Year by United Way of Sumner County, a Distinguished Alumni by Leadership Sumner and Business Woman of the Year by the Hendersonville Business and Professional Women’s Organization.

Payne resides in Gallatin with her husband Jim. She has one daughter, Gayle, and two grandchildren, Andy and Savannah.

Founded in 1970, the Hendersonville Area Chamber of Commerce is the community’s premier advocate and champion for business. Its primary objective is to create a climate of growth and success in the Hendersonville Area by being the premier organization for the connection, advocacy, promotion, and support of local business. By leveraging the support, talent and resources of its diverse businesses and members, the Hendersonville Area Chamber is one of the leading organizations helping to improve the economic vitality and quality of life for everyone. Current membership stands at approximately 760.