Staff Reports
The Marion County Chamber of Commerce recently announced three new members to their Board of Directors.
Board members are elected by the Chamber membership.
Zack Baldwin joins the Board this month. According to his profile, Baldwin is a proud Eagle Scout, native of Jefferson, and graduate of Jefferson High School and is currently pursuing a Business Political Science degree. He works part-time for the Jefferson Tourism Department in promoting Jefferson, as well as at the Haywood House..
Baldwin is the “Grassroots Coordinator” for American’s for Prosperity where he works to engage the grassroots to bring bottom-up solutions for the toughest issues facing both our State and our Nation. He partners with change makers in local communities to remove barriers that prohibit the American Dream.
Jim Carroll and his wife Patsy, are local Jefferson residents, along with their dog Mocha. He is retired from teaching in banking services. Carroll grew up in Diana. His hobbies include golfing and gardening. He and his wife attend Heritage Baptist Church.
He holds a Ph.D. from Texas A&M University in Curriculum and instruction in Biology. He has served as the Biology department chair at Kilgore College.
David Hanson graduated from East Texas Baptist University with a Bachelor of Arts in Business. He’s a former U.S. Marine where he served for five years.
Hanson and his wife of 31 years, Traci, moved to Jefferson last year to assist their son Jarod and his wife Janna in operating Port Jefferson Coffee Roasters. He has served on the Chamber in Cheyenne Wells, Colo. He has worked in Colorado Helium Power plant, Duke Energy in IK and as a plant manager for Snider Industries for 17 years.
Other Board members include Mike Chandler, president, Seth Buckner, vice president, Jim Kale, treasurer, Mary Spearmon, secretary. Members at large are Doug Thompson, Colt Johnson, Baldwin, Carroll and Hanson.
The Chamber also announced the hiring of Ellen Smith as the Business Manager.
Smith comes to the Chamber with over 20 years’ experience in the mortgage industry and prior to that, a career managing law firms and working as a paralegal.
She says she looks forward to a new challenge. Other interests and activities have included Volunteer of the Year for the Greater Houston Partnership; board member for Ravens Hope Cambodia; AirBnB host for The View From The Hill; and tutoring English for students of other languages.