Meet Renee Duxler, President and CEO of the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce

Renee Duxler never exactly dreamed of being where she is now. When she was a little girl, she didn’t say she wanted to lead nonprofits, or think much about words like “economic and workforce development.”

Of course, she wasn't all that interested in evaluating gross domestic product, or ready to inspire entrepreneurs.

But she always knew she wanted to help people. And that much has stayed the same.

The Salina Area Chamber of Commerce announced last week that Duxler would be its new president and chief executive officer. She will assume the role full-time after serving a few months as the interim CEO following Eric Brown's Departure earlier this year.

The announcement marks a historic moment for the Chamber and Salina community, too. Duxler is the first woman hired for the position in the organization's 112-year history.

“The Chamber has really taken the lead in community marketing and workforce efforts for Salina and the region over the last few years, and I’m honored to continue to lead these initiatives and conversations,” Duxler said.

The road to Salina

Duxler grew up in McPherson, Kansas, and graduated from Kansas State University with a Bachelor's in social work. She later got a master's degree in social work and began her career at an HIV/AIDS clinic in Wichita.

After starting a family, she worked in early childhood education and early intervention. While her early career focused on social work, she said those experiences have gone on to prepare her for her most recent roles in Salina.

“It brought me a great perspective… I think if people have the opportunity to do volunteer work or some sort of work in nonprofit like that, it just brings such a great perspective to.. what other people’s lives are like outside of our own little bubbles we live in,” Duxler said.

Eventually she took on roles in nonprofit administration, working for an Alzheimer's organization and an AIDS service organization. Before making the move to Salina, she was the executive director of the Douglas Design District in Wichita. She also served on the Wichita/Sedgwick County Metropolitan Planning Commission and owned a designer resale clothing store for several years.

Duxler said she didn't really expect to leave Wichita when she did. Her family got its start there, and she enjoyed everything the community had to offer. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, an opportunity came up at the Chamber. And Salina's community was just as vibrant.

"I never thought we'd leave Wichita, to be honest, but I came up and saw the community and got really excited about the things that were happening and the opportunities here," Duxler said.

A heart for the community

Duxler has been with the Chamber since 2020 as the nonprofit organization's director of economic and workforce development.

Among other duties, she worked with local schools and employers to facilitate and promote local opportunities. She took time to understand and provide access to opportunities for people who don't take traditional educational or career routes.

These opportunities all looked different, and included capital to start businesses, career and entrepreneurship assistance, and other means of promoting the Salina area workforce.

"(The Chamber) really looked at how do we make that connection so that we prop people up and provide for as many opportunities as possible," Duxler said. "It's about creating or providing access to opportunities that are beneficial to them and hopefully be life changing."

Duxler most recently has received an Inclusive Economic Growth Fellowship in 2021 from the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives and is currently participating in a Business Leads Fellowship from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.

Through these fellowships, she met with people across the nation to discuss diversity and inclusion, equal access to resources and support, and educational pipelines to the business world.

Beyond her occupation, Duxler makes the time to give back to Salina through service on community boards. Most recently, she has served on the Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland board and Humanities Kansas.

A desire to serve others

Mostly, Duxler said, her job has been to help provide equal access to business, economic and workforce opportunities in the Salina area. And mostly, that's what it will continue to be — just two offices north and with a historic, humbling title.

In a statement, Chamber board members said they believe Duxler’s extensive experience in leading teams, marketing campaigns, and fundraising efforts will help elevate the chamber’s relevancy and value in the Salina region.

“Renee's direct impact on the workforce development efforts in this short time, particularly at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, speaks for itself,” said Alysia Starkey, chair of the Chamber’s board of directors. “She is still new to this community and brings a fresh perspective… after a nationwide search, it was clear that we had our next president right here in Salina.”

Kendrick Calfee has been a reporter with the Salina Journal since 2022, primarily covering county government and education. You can reach him at kcalfee@gannett.com or on Twitter @calfee_kc.

This article originally appeared on Salina Journal: Salina Area Chamber names new President CEO