“I have watched the Valdosta and Lowndes County region grow in terms of business, infrastructure, and influence over the past ten years. I am honored to have been selected for the president’s role and to carry on the Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber’s legacy of more than a century of serving local businesses and the community.” –Christie Moore
Christie Moore
Christie Moore has been selected as president of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce, effective January 4, 2021.
Moore comes to the Valdosta-Lowndes County community from Dawsonville, Georgia, where she served as president and chief executive of the Dawson County Chamber of Commerce, which she has held since 2012. Moore was responsible for business advocacy, tourism marketing, and economic development.
One of Moore’s most notable successes has been implementing research-driven workforce best practices to champion local work-based learning initiatives through collaboration with the local school system, higher education institutions, and local industry leaders.
Under Moore’s guidance, the chamber also successfully advocated for the passage of ESPLOST to fund a college and career academy to improve outcomes for the most vulnerable students in Dawson County. A tireless advocate on behalf of small businesses, Moore led the campaign to reduce impact fees on the commercial sector to make it easier for existing businesses to expand and encourage increased entrepreneurial investment in the community.
“I have watched the Valdosta and Lowndes County region grow in terms of business, infrastructure, and influence over the past ten years,” Moore says. “I am honored to have been selected for the president’s role and to carry on the Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber’s legacy of more than a century of serving local businesses and the community.”
Looking to start her tenure as chamber president, Moore says she plans to spend time listening to area business and community leaders. “I want to meet with members and non-members of the chamber, community advocates, regional leaders, and the internal chamber team to learn what the strengths of the chamber are and what opportunities exist for the chamber to help enable businesses, nonprofits, and citizens to thrive.”
Prior to Dawson County, Moore served as president of the Blakely-Early County Chamber of Commerce. She earned a Master of Arts in Strategic Communication from American University, Washington, D.C., and undergraduate degrees in history and political science at the University of Georgia.
In December of 2017, current Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce President Myrna Ballard announced her plans to retire in December 2020. She has been a part of the Valdosta and Lowndes County community since 1995, when she was chosen as the vice president of economic development for the chamber, then moved to the president position in 1997.
Ballard says her successor will be an asset to the chamber team and community. “Christie is a terrific fit for our chamber. She brings a great deal of chamber experience to the job. The chamber staff and I feel that she is an excellent choice, and we all look forward to welcoming her to Valdosta and to the chamber.”
Moore is a graduate of the U.S. Chamber’s Institute of Organization Management and a Georgia Certified Chamber Executive. She is also a graduate of Leadership Georgia, Zell Miller Leadership Institute, Leadership Dawson, and the Georgia Academy of Economic Development.
The Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber has continuously received five-star accreditation by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The accreditation program defines excellence standards in chamber planning and performance and shows how they can reach and maintain these standards. It also helps chambers measure achievement while recognizing and encouraging chamber members and staff who meet high standards of operation and who contribute effectively to the good of their chambers and communities.