St. Albert and District Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Lynda Moffat announced her retirement on Wednesday during a monthly luncheon.
Moffat told the Gazette it was just time. “I just finally set a date and moved forward with it,” she said. “It’s certainly not because I want to leave this position. This is the most amazing job on earth and I have a great passion for what I do here and have loved every moment of the years that I’ve been able to lead this organization.”
Moffat will be stepping down from her position at the end of December 2016. She assured members that it was business as usual until then.
In the next nine months, Moffat will continue advocating on behalf of St. Albertans on issues such as keeping the downtown post office open, more parking in the downtown Perron District, expanding Ray Gibbon Drive, extending the LRT to north of St. Albert and the city’s Project 9 “so we can get those non-residential tax dollars flowing from developers that are anxious to get started.”
Moffat has held the top executive position at the chamber for the past decade.
Next year’s board chair, and publisher of the Gazette, Brian Bachynski said he was surprised to hear of Moffat’s plans.
“Lynda is very dynamic and I know she loves her job. I imagined her there for another 10 years,” he said, adding he was looking forward to working with someone so knowledgeable about the community.
With two new governments at the head of the country and the province and an economic glut driven by low oil prices, it’s certainly an interesting time for the chamber to be losing someone so experienced.
“We’ll be looking for someone who will bring a skill set and perspective to the job that will serve us well at the provincial and national levels,” said Bachynski.
Past board chair Barry Bailey will be heading the search for Moffat’s replacement. He jokingly dubbed the selection committee “Mission Impossible.”
Guest speaker and St. Albert-Edmonton MP Michael Cooper pointed out in his speech that whoever is hired will have some “big shoes to fill.”
“For so many years she has been not only a pillar of the chamber, but genuinely a pillar of our community,” said Cooper.
Moffat intends to stay involved in the community, contributing in a similar fashion, but through a voluntary commitment.
“I can guarantee I won’t be sitting around doing nothing when I’m retired,” she said. “I love what I do. I have a great passion for it. A lot of that has to do with building community.”
The chamber has not begun the formal hiring process, but is asking anyone interested to come forward by contacting Bailey.
“I think it’s a great idea that the selection committee is putting it out to the community,” said Moffat. “We have a lot of capable people that live in St. Albert and would be amazing at this position.”
