Learn About Committees at the Galveston Regional Chamber of Commerce

Galveston's various groups Our Committees

The Galveston Regional Chamber of Commerce has an active group of committees that meet regularly to vet new ideas, assist with the facilitation of Chamber programs and events, and materialize our mission into action.

Committees are chaired by a member selected by the board of directors. Any member of the Galveston Chamber is eligible for committee participation. If you have an interest in joining a committee, please contact the chamber team member assigned to the committee.

Committees

Advocacy & Legislative Affairs

Chair: C. B. “Bix” Rathburn, Ph D

If you’re interested in participating in the committee, please contact Robert Evans at the Chamber.

Advocacy & Legslative Affairs Committee: The Galveston Regional Chamber of Commerce takes a stand on tough issues such as taxes, new regulations, assessments, insurance, and federal wage laws affecting its members. The advocacy committee meets to discuss and act on important public policy issues directly affecting the business community.

Advocacy. The Business Advocacy Committee shall be charged with the primary responsibility to promote a positive and pro-active business environment in the Galveston area through the following activities:

Developing and supporting local governmental action which promotes a strong business climate and job growth opportunities.
Opposing local governmental action which inhibits a strong business climate and diminishes job growth opportunities.
Establishing productive relationships between business interests and public officials.
Providing forums to inform public officials and candidates for public office on issues impacting the business community.
Providing forums to educate the membership on issues impacting the business community.
Communicating official Chamber positions to the appropriate public officials prior to their action on the issue.
Identifying and supporting individuals to serve on public Commissions and Boards.
Endeavoring to hold public officials accountable for their actions and the resulting impact on the business community. This may be accomplished by the circulation of public official voting records to the Chamber membership on any issue on which the Chamber has communicated an official position.

Legislative Affairs. The mission for Legislative Affairs is to advocate through the Legislature for member businesses, providing a voice at the local level, but at State and National levels as well.

Meeting Times & Location: This committee meets the 2^nd Tuesday of every month, 8:00 am, in a location to be determined.

Contact Robert Evans for locations.

Committees

C-Crewe

C-Crewe Chair: Brian Schwenk

If you’re interested in joining C-Crewe, please contact Lindsay Touchy at the Chamber.

Chamber Crewe. We created the C-Crewe, short for Chamber Crewe, to engage young professionals in the Galveston business community. This program provides opportunities for our young people to make business connections, learn from the businessmen and women who came before them and see the value and purpose of the Galveston Regional Chamber of Commerce. We accomplish these tasks through a variety of events, engagements and projects including monthly luncheons, quarterly mixers, and special events.

The mission of the C-Crewe is to engage professionals under forty in the Galveston area business community and the Chamber of Commerce and develop strong future leaders for the region.

Meeting Times & Location: Varies during the year.

Contact Lindsay Touchy for details.

Committees

Clay Shoot

Shoot for the Chamber Clay Shoot Chair: Keith Gray

If you’re interested in joining the committee, please contact Lindsay Touchy at the Chamber.

Clay Shoot Committee: The annual Shoot for the Chamber Clay Shoot is a major business engagement activity and fund-raising event for the chamber. The clay shoot committee plans, hosts and operates this important event.

Meeting Times & Location: This committee meets as required to produce the event.

Contact Lindsay Touchy for details.

Golf Tournament

Committees

Education

Chair: Dr. Matthew Neighbors, Superintendent, Galveston Independent School District

If you’re interested in joining the committee, please contact Robert Evans at the Chamber.

Education Committee: The Galveston Regional Chamber of Commerce has a long history of leadership, engagement, and support for education in the regional community through communication, collaboration, and direct programming. We accomplish this work through the education committee. The agenda focuses on enhancing success for students of all ages and enhancing the success of local business through the provision of a quality workforce.

Our mission is to enhance the quality, accessibility, choice, and usefulness of education for all students, and to support the economic, social, and political viability the Galveston region.

Meeting Times & Location: Education Committee meets the 2^nd Friday of every month, 8:00 am, in a location to be determined.

Contact Robert Evans for locations.

Committees

Executive

Executive Committee: This committee is comprised of the executive leadership of the Chamber Boards and meets the 3^rd Tuesday of every month, 8:00 am, in a location to be determined.

Contact Robert Evans for locations.

Committees

Galveston Women’s Conference

Galveston Women’s Conference Chair: Rebecca Lilley

If you’re interested in joining the committee, please contact Lindsay Touchy at the Chamber.

Galveston Women’s Conference. Our largest event in terms of attendance, the annual Galveston women’s conference highlights issues of importance for professional women across all fields. The conference features a keynote address by a major national speaker and celebrates the leadership and service of women across our region.

The mission of this committee is to give women in the region an opportunity to come together, share, and learn from each other.

Meeting Times & Location: Women’s Conference Committee meets the 1^stThursday of every month, 3:00 pm in a location to be determined.

Contact Lindsay Touchy for locations.

Women’s Conference

Committees

Golf

Golf Tournament Chair: Keith Zahar, The Big Store

If you’re interested in joining the committee, please contact Lindsay Touchy at the Chamber.

Golf Tournament Committee: The annual golf tournament is a major business engagement activity and fund-raising event for the chamber. The golf tournament committee plans, hosts and operates this important event.

Meeting Times & Location: This committee meets as required to produce the event.

Contact Lindsay Touchy for details.

Golf Tournament

Committees

Healthcare

Healthcare Committee Chair: Jennifer Anderson

If you’re interested in joining the committee, please contact Robert Evans at the Chamber.

Healthcare Committee: This committee is under development and open to those in the healthcare industry. This committee is also responsible for coordinating and producing the State of Healthcare Luncheon.

Meeting Times & Location: This committee meets the 1^st Tuesday, monthly in Edna’s Room.

Contact Robert Evans for locations.

Committees

Lemonade Day Galveston County

Lemonade Day Chair: Cassidy Schippel

If you’re interested in sponsoring or being part of the planning committee, please contact Gina Spagnola at the Chamber.

Lemonade Day is a fun, experiential program that teaches youth how to start, own, and operate their very own business – a lemonade stand. Each year, we partner with schools, organizations, and communities across Galveston County to provide our region’s youth the opportunity to learn and experience entrepreneurship by setting up their own business during their area’s community-wide Lemonade Day. We coordinate activities through the Lemonade Day subcommittee of the education committee. We encourage youth of all ages, from pre-K through high school, from across Galveston County to participate.

Our mission is to empowers today’s youth to become tomorrow’s entrepreneurs.

Meeting Times & Location: Contact Robert Evans or Gina Spagnola.

Lemonade Day Galveston County

Committees

Maritime Careers Pathway

Maritime Careers Pathway Chair: Jennifer Edenfield

If you’re interested in joining the committee, please contact Robert Evans at the Chamber.

Maritime Careers Pathway. As a sub-committee of the Galveston Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Education Committee, the Maritime Career Pathways Program is a coalition of educators, organizations, and businesses that promote local workforce development for the maritime industry.

Meeting Times & Location: This committee meets the 1^st Wednesday of the month, 8:00am at a location to be determined.

Contact Robert Evans for locations.

Committees

Membership and Navigators

If you’re interested in the Membership Committee, please contact Tina Collins. And, if you’re interested in becoming a Navigator, please contact Wendy Hoggatt.

Membership Development. This committee is tasked with growing and retaining the membership base, through continual review of membership levels and benefits, and listening to the members, their requests, and requirements. This committee meets quarterly, at a date and time to be determined.

Navigators. The Navigators are goodwill representative members whose mission is to promote the Galveston Regional Chamber of Commerce and maintain membership strength. Any person who is a representative for an active chamber member may join the navigators.

Navigators welcome new and expanding businesses to the chamber at ribbon cuttings, mixers, luncheons, personal visits, and special events. Navigators actively recruit members and continue to represent the chamber while conducting business for themselves in the community.

Meeting Times & Location: Navigators meets monthly, the first Thursday at 9:30 am immediately following Good Morning Galveston.

Navigators

Committees

Past Chairs, Nominations & Elections

Past Chairs/Nominations & Elections Chair: Keith Bassett

This committee meets as determined.

Committees

Pelican Island & Galveston Channel Advocacy

Pelican Island & Galveston Channel Advocacy Chair: Capt. Ryan Malcolm, Galveston Texas City Pilots

If you’re interested in joining the committee, please contact Robert Evans at the Chamber.

Pelican Island & Galveston Channel Advocacy Committee: The Pelican Island and Galveston Channel Advocacy Committee supports the needs of the maritime community and provides a forum for discussion of mutual issues of concern for the businesses operating along the Galveston waterfront. The committee advocates for critical issues to the segment of the local economy including channel dredging, transportation needs, the Pelican Island bridge, development plans for Pelican Island, and the harborside region and the Galveston Port. The mission of the committee is to promote and advocate for existing and future landowners and businesses on Pelican Island, the Galveston waterfront, and the Port of Galveston and its tenants.

Meeting Times & Location: This committee meets the 2^nd Monday of every month, 11:30 am, at The Galveston Texas City Pilots, 1301 Pennzoil Road, Pelican Island.

Committees

Workforce Development

Workforce Development Chair: Dr. Myles Shelton, Galveston College

If you’re interested in joining the committee, please contact Robert Evans at the Chamber.

Workforce Development: The mission of the Workforce Development Committee is to identify skill sets that match employment opportunities in the Galveston Region, produce Oceans of Opportunity, and compose and execute skill set requirements surveys as needed.

Meeting Times & Location: This committee meets the 4^th Wednesday, monthly, 9:30 am, at a location to be determined.

Contact Robert Evans for locations.