Sanders will lead Jay Co. chamber

With Vicki Tague set to retire at the end of the year, the chamber of commerce has selected its new leader.
The Jay County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors announced Tuesday the hiring of Dean Sanders as the organization’s next executive director. His first day on the job will be Dec. 16.
“It’s a great opportunity to work back in Jay County, my hometown, work with the businesses and help them be more successful,” said Sanders, 47, a Portland native and 1984 Jay County High School graduate.
Sanders will take over the reins at the chamber after spending the last three years running the Dayton chapter of Prevent Blindness Ohio, a not-for-profit organization that has the mission. He will work with Tague, who has been the chamber’s executive director for 22 years, for about two weeks before her retirement Dec. 31.
He was one of 11 applicants for the job, five of which advanced to the interview process.
“He has a good non-profit background,” said John Boggs, president of the chamber’s board. “He also has some economic development background …
“He’s a salesman. We just feel at this time we really need someone to go out and sell the community, sell the chamber.”
Part of that effort, Sanders said, will be to spend his first months on the job meeting with representatives from local businesses. He wants to learn what they feel the chamber is already doing well and what it can do better.
Among his goals are to facilitate strong relationships between businesses and local government and development officials, and to create more opportunities for the youth of the county to return to the area after college.
“Obviously I think the chamber is a vital part of that process,” Sanders said.
After graduating from JCHS, Sanders went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from Ball State University.
He has worked for Dayton Children’s Hospital, MCM Electronics and the Better Business Bureau of Dayton. He also served on city council in Brookville, Ohio, from 2002 to ’07 and was a member of the planning commission there for eight years.
After nearly three decades away from home, he’s ready for the chance to come back and live and work in Jay County with his wife June and children Brooke, 16, and Kyle, 9.
“I have always looked for the opportunity to return to Jay County and make a contribution to my hometown,” Sanders said. “I really enjoyed growing up in Jay County. … It’s a great community, great school system. I’m very excited to come back and experience my home town.”[[In-content Ad]]