The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce board of directors announced Oct. 28 chamber President Mel Pendland will retire at the end of 2013, and Executive Vice President Karen Sheldon will become president Jan. 1.
"Continuity of leadership has been an important goal of the chamber for some time, and the board has worked closely with Mel to develop and implement this plan over the last several years," board Chairman Kirk Kriegel said in a statement. "While we are sorry to see Mel leave, we are confident that Karen is well prepared to lead the chamber in the years ahead and that we will continue to be guided by the same strategic vision that has brought us so far in recent years as a chamber and a community."
Pendland became president of the chamber in November 1999. Since that time, he has been involved with several projects in Georgetown, including the creation of the Texas Life-sciences Collaboration Center. In 2010, he oversaw the expansion of the chamber's facilities.
According to a news statement from the chamber, Pendland plans to stay in Georgetown and continue as vice president and general manager of Capitol City Group LLC, a management-consulting firm he co-founded in 1996.
