For more than a century, the Virginia Peninsula Chamber has served as a hub for economic growth, regional collaboration and leadership development, bringing together leaders, entrepreneurs and community members to shape the future. Bob McKenna, president and CEO, has worked diligently over the last seven and a half years, overseeing strategy, operations and advocating for nearly 1,000 members across the Peninsula. Through partnership with Christopher Newport University (CNU) and taking the helm of two of its most prominent programs is Jaime Parrish, director of both LEAD Peninsula and LEAD Higher at the Chamber.
Beginning at the Chamber through a social media internship managing databases, analytics and media creation, Parrish found her place, and the position became fulltime. Recalling her climb, Parrish says, “I moved to Hampton Roads in 2004. My parents were in the Air Force, so we came here for the military. My husband is from North Carolina, but his family moved to the area for ministry work, and I ended up working for my husband’s father, which is how we met.”
And her opportunity to join the Chamber? Parrish says, “One of my CNU classmates was working as an intern for the Chamber. He knew he would be leaving at the end of the school year for full-time employment and thought I’d be a great fit with the Chamber. I applied, and was hired! I started just two days after graduation.”
As a cornerstone of the region’s business community, the Chamber creates opportunities for businesses to grow, build partnerships and navigate challenges. “We are a business development chamber, so our main goal is to help and support businesses on the Peninsula,” Parrish says. “We want to provide resources and connect them with other leaders in order for them to grow and thrive in their industry.”
While championing local businesses is its core mission, the Chamber also invests in cultivating the region’s next generation of leaders. Parrish says its leadership programs give participants an inside look at the systems shaping life on the Peninsula, from business and government to public safety and the environment. At the heart of this effort is the Chamber’s long-standing LEAD Peninsula program.
Now celebrating its 42nd year, LEAD Peninsula was created as a civic immersion program, hosted by the Chamber to help participants engage in exclusive insider access to executive operations, educational sessions and candid conversations with leaders across topics including business, government, infrastructure, public safety, environment and more. “My goal for the program is to continuously make improvements moving forward, always doing better than the previous year, whether that’s small changes to the programming or a complete restructure to one of those programs,” Parrish says.
From classroom to community, working in collaboration with CNU and celebrating its very first year of LEAD Higher, Parrish is proud of this 12-month advanced leadership program, featuring a vast curriculum of studies focused on leadership principles. The program combines academic teaching by CNU staff with interactive dialogue and case study discussions led by regional leaders from Virginia’s business community. “I am very proud to be leading both programs, and the biggest reward is seeing the connections as a result of our programming,” says Parrish. “One of our goals is to connect students with high-level executives in every business across each of our topics, and through these connections, students are able to challenge themselves in ways they never thought possible beyond the classroom.”
Participants in LEAD Higher graduate with a micro-certification, further preparing them to serve as Peninsula’s next executive leaders. “This inaugural class will graduate in December, and the feedback has been phenomenal. We are fortunate to have outstanding CNU professors teaching the content, while corporate leaders from the business community bring in the real-world perspective. It’s been an incredible blend of academic excellence and practical insight,” says Parrish.
But it’s not all work for Parrish. In her spare time, she enjoys being with her husband and three children. And baking is one of her favorite activities. “I love to bake cookie cakes,” she says with a smile. “It’s always the first request whenever one of my nieces or nephews’ birthday rolls around.”
The Virginia Peninsula Chamber continues to stand as a driving force for growth, leadership and collaboration across the region, shaping both the present and future of its business community. At the helm of LEAD Peninsula and LEAD Higher, Parrish is leading the next generation of CNU students toward becoming the Peninsula’s next executive leaders.
TO THE POINT:
Jaime Parrish, director of LEAD Peninsula & LEAD Higher, Virginia Peninsula Chamber
Address: 11850 Merchants Walk, Newport News, VA 23606
Phone: 757-262-2000
Website: virginiapeninsulachamber.com
