By Megan Sayles
AFRO Business Writer
msayles@afro.com
The Baltimore City Chamber of Commerce recently announced that Chelsea Brown will lead the agency as president. Brown brings more than seven years of experience in philanthropy, fundraising, grant-making and community-building to the new role.
Brown said she took the position because she fell in love with the mission of the Baltimore City Chamber of Commerce, which is to serve as an engine for business and economic development that promotes its members’ and Baltimore’s core value propositions.
“My goal is to give everyone in Baltimore the opportunity to see themselves as part of this Baltimore City Chamber of Commerce community. I want everyone to feel a sense of equity when they join the chamber, and I want them to feel heard,” said Brown. “I want to provide the resources they need to grow and provide impact here in Baltimore City.”
The South Carolina native has lived in Baltimore for eight years, and is the founder of The Black Mill, a consulting firm that supplies nonprofits and businesses with community engagement plans, fundraising strategies, partnership building and philanthropic advising.
The AFRO recently sat down with Brown to learn more about her vision for her new role. The responses below have been edited for length and clarity.
Q: As president of the Baltimore City Chamber of Commerce, what are some of your responsibilities?
A: It involves a lot of strategy and operations, from day-to-day management of our contractors and team members to ensuring that we’re bringing in new members. I also uplift the work of the Baltimore City Chamber of Commerce and ensure that we put on events and programming that allow folks to learn more about our work and how it can benefit their businesses.
In addition to that, I work closely with the Chamber Foundation, our new entity that creates entry-level programming for entrepreneurs throughout the city. Our principles are focused on collaboration and inclusivity. We focus on that through fostering innovation, supporting a thriving entrepreneurial landscape and propelling the growth of our member organizations. We do this with panel discussions, workshops and initiatives that support the ecosystem of Baltimore City entrepreneurs.
Q: What are some of your most-pressing goals in this new role?
A: My biggest goal is to increase our membership. I believe that we have a good amount of members. But, I’m thinking about how we can strategically design ways to find new businesses in Baltimore City to support and become part of our network.
Increasing our community engagement is another goal. We’re always looking for opportunities to collaborate with our member organizations, as well as nonprofits throughout the city. We want to support an entrepreneurial landscape from the small business owner to the large corporation, and we want to do it in a way that’s inclusive as far as age group, race, ethnicity, gender and level of business acumen.
Q: How is the Baltimore City Chamber of Commerce supporting Baltimore’s Black entrepreneurs?
A: Through the chamber and through the chamber foundation, we are generating specific programming for Black-owned businesses. We’re also working to capture data on the current landscape of Black-owned businesses that are a part of membership so that we can provide them with the resources they need.
Our chamber foundation focuses on inclusivity at a more aggressive level, and we are creating programming for folks who run businesses but may not have an official LLC. We want to get them licensed so they’re able to make legit money and find ways to thrive in this community.
Q: What sort of benefits do members of the Baltimore City Chamber of Commerce receive, and how can interested businesses become members?
A: Members have the opportunity to get discounted or free access to all of our networking events. They also have discounted access to our signature events, like our golf tournament and holiday gala. They can also use our online membership directory, so they can connect and collaborate with others. Through our partnerships with other organizations, like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, our members are granted discounted or free access to their networking opportunities and events as well.
If folks are interested in becoming members, they can go to www.baltimorecitychamber.org and click on “join the chamber.” Or, they can email us at info@baltimorecitychamber.org, and we’d be happy to direct them.
Q: Are there any upcoming events for entrepreneurs to learn more?
A: We had our new year networking happy hour take place on Jan. 17 at the True Chesapeake Oyster Co. Folks networked and learned more about the chamber while enjoying oysters and drinks. They also met and our board members. You can also follow us on social media for updates on future events.
Megan Sayles is a Report For America corps member.
The post Catching up with Chelsea Brown, the new president of the Baltimore City Chamber of Commerce appeared first on AFRO American Newspapers.
