Sandy Barton is no longer the president of the Greater Magnolia Parkway Chamber of Commerce as of Dec. 11, according to an announcement shared by the organization.
Barton first joined the GMPCC in 2017 after more than 11 years spent with the Houston Northwest Chamber of Commerce, Community Impact previously reported. She stepped in as president shortly after the two former chambers of commerce in Magnolia—the Greater Magnolia and Magnolia Parkway chambers—unified in January 2017.
Interim President Terre Albert, who is also the 2024 board chair, said the board wanted a change in leadership.
“The chamber and the board just decided to make a change in leadership,” Albert said. “And we’re going to be looking for a new president effective immediately. We have a committee that is putting out the position, and we’ll start taking applicants as soon as that’s posted.”
Barton declined to comment to Community Impact.
A closer look
Albert said the new president position should be posted by the end of the week.
“We have a job description that was built over the years as to all the different duties, including the events leadership, master of ceremonies for all chamber events and just being the outgoing face of the chamber as we continue to grow in southwest Montgomery County,” Albert said. “We’re looking for somebody that can do those jobs.”
Albert said they’re also looking for applicants who have certifications with the different certifying bodies of chambers.
“We’d love to find somebody that lives in and around the area, that is familiar with the area,” Albert said. “The Greater Magnolia Parkway Chamber of Commerce is not just the city limits of Magnolia, although Magnolia is in our name. But it is servicing all of southwest Montgomery County, all the way down to [FM] 1488 heading towards Tomball and towards Conroe. So there’s a very vast, large area that we service, and so we’re looking for somebody that will help us build in those directions.”
Albert said the time frame for hiring a new president depends on the applications that come in.
“If we find somebody that meets all those criteria, then we’ll definitely be making a decision fairly soon,” Albert said.
Albert also said the transition in chamber leadership should not affect the organization’s operations.
What else?
Albert, who is currently serving as interim president, said he has been on the chamber’s board since 2010. He previously served as the general manager and CEO of the Texas Renaissance Festival, and now owns Ace Handyman Services.
“I have been the chairman twice before this, so this is my third time being the chairman,” Albert said.
Learn more
Learn more about the GMPCC by visiting https://greatermagnoliaparkwaycc.org.
