Lasher leaving Guilderland Chamber

— Archive photo from Cheryl Lasher 
Cheryl Lasher 

GUILDERLAND — “I really have no comment,” said Cheryl Lasher about her departure April 28 as president of the Guilderland Chamber of Commerce after just a year at the helm. “I have a few different irons in the fire, and I’m just going on from here,” she said.

The chamber announced this month that a search is on for a new president.

The president reports to the board of directors and works closely with the board chairperson. The current chairman of the chamber’s board of directors is Lowell Knapp, who started Our Towne Marketing in 2005.

Messages left for Knapp were not returned.

The chamber serves about 315 active members from its office in Star Plaza, according to membership associate Carol VanValkenburgh, who is the only employee other than the president.

Key responsibilities of the chamber president include retaining and expanding membership; attracting new businesses to the town; and promoting a robust climate for business in Guilderland, according to a release from the chamber.

Town Supervisor Peter Barber told The Enterprise he thanks Lasher for her services to the business community and town residents.

“Cheryl and I had regular monthly meetings where we discussed upcoming events and other efforts to benefit local businesses. Cheryl was a member of the new Land Use Review Committee, which reviews proposed applications to rezone properties and extend the benefits of the new zoning code,” Barber continued. “She is a professional who worked hard for chamber members and their families.”

Lasher brought a professional background in both business development and work with not-for-profit organizations. She had co-owned an interior design firm called Capital Design Works, was business manager for years of the real-estate company Cresa, and has served as director of development for the Capital Regional Theological Center in Albany and as a senior manager of the Relay for Life of the American Cancer Society.

The chamber president before Lasher was Erika Gauthier, who served for two years and worked with membership for four years before that. Gauthier earned a master of business administration while with the chamber and left to take a job as a claims investigator with Progressive Insurance.

A complete job description is available at guilderlandchamber.com/president.

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