Linda Woods

"We decided because South Montgomery County was growing at a very rapid rate in that time period, that we needed a chamber of commerce to support commerce," she said. "There are many success stories which have come out of the chamber, and it certainly has played its part in the development of South Montgomery County."

Woods possesses a passion for tourism and organizing events, which led her to work for former Precinct 3 Commissioner Ed Chance at The Big Event, a company that organized major events around the The Woodlands, including The Bottom of the Lake Festival at Lake Woodlands in 1984 and the dedications of banks, post offices and overpasses.

She returned to Shenandoah in 1999 to serve as the city's CVB director. During her 14 years as CVB director, the community has grown from only three hotels to seven, with another five in the planning stages. Hotel room stays grew 60 percent from about 89,000 hotel rooms sold in 2003 to almost 150,000 in 2012, city officials said.

Woods said she considers herself the "squeaky wheel" who literally helped get the city of Shenandoah on the Texas state map. She said she also guided the city's economic development through tourism and the recruitment of sports events through the city's two Conroe ISD facilities: the natatorium and Woodforest Bank Stadium.

"We have now changed our focus to strictly sports-oriented [events]," she said.

An advertisement placed in Texas Monthly by Woods even helped get the NCAA's attention. The city just hosted its first NCAA event—the 2013 NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships—in May. Shenandoah Mayor Wes Stephens praised Woods' service to the community, including her work to attract the NCAA event.

"Linda has been instrumental in our growth over the years," Stephens said. "We're just so honored to have worked with her and have had her ideas be part of the growth of Shenandoah."