Leadership

Vision Statement

Drive Business, Build Community

Board of Directors

2024 Officers

President: Dr. Jennifer Garrison - Vandalia CUSD #203
Vice President: Chelsey Jolliff - McKellar, Robertson, McCarty & Click Insurance
Secretary: Wendy Blythe -Kaskaskia College- Vandalia Campus
Treasurer: Doug Knebel - Midland States Bank
Past President: Ty Bates - McKellar, Robertson, McCarty & Click Insurance

Directors

Sandy Michel - REMAX/Alliance
Wendy Blythe - Kaskaskia College
Andrew Kistler - Lanracorp, Inc.
​Mike McCall - Driftstone Pubelo
Amy Gaffney - Blind Society/The Copper Penny
Rick Radliff - Witness Distillery

Todd Stapleton - Cromwell Media - Vandalia

Sarah Phelps - The FNB Community Bank

Matt Murfee - Murfee & Weishaar Insurance

An Organization Rich In History

The Vandalia Chamber of Commerce was organized on April 3, 1914. The first elected officers were Charles Evans, president; Herbert Sonneman, vice president; and N.C. Gochenour, secretary-treasurer.
Charter members included the 13 people present at the first meeting: Mayor C.A. Janett, Judge George T. Turner, J.V. Waddell, Joseph C. Burtschi, Ira D. Lakin, P.T. Denny, J.S. Ritter, Nathan Levin, H.H. Sonnemann, J.S. Carp, George A. Kurtz, N.C. Gochenour and C.A. Evans.

Since its founding, the Vandalia Chamber of Commerce has been led by more than 75 different individuals – with some serving more than one year. R.O. Hasler was president for seven one-year terms in the late 1950s and early 1960s!

The first woman president was Marie Bristow, serving in 1978. Other women presidents include Jean Stombaugh, Bunny Brosman, Sandra Michel, Michelle Sarver, Kendra Craig, Pam Apke and 2009 president Joanna Helm.

In the early years, the chamber’s role included classic functions such as the recruitment of business and industry to Vandalia, but it also was heavily involved in the town’s civic and social functions. The method for electing officers was changed to the succession system in 1965.

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