READ BARBARA ANN’S RESIGNATION
Carolina Bound,
Heegan Leaving
Successful Legacy
By JIM KEVLIN • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com
ONEONTA – Barbara Ann Heegan, Otsego County Chamber of Commerce president since 2012, has resigned to accept a similar position at the Greenwood (S.C.) Chamber of Commerce.
“I am proud of what we have accomplished as a team on behalf of our members,” she said in her resignation letter. Her last day will be Monday, Dec. 28.
Al Rubin, who is serving his second term as Otsego Chamber board chairman, has accepted the position of interim president until a successor to Heegan can be found. He is the proprietor of A&D Transport Services, Oneonta.
Joan Fox, broker, KW Upstate NY Properties and vice chairman of the Chamber board, will move into the chairman’s role.
Succeeding Rob Robinson, who had served as Chamber executive director for almost a quarter-century, Heegan doubled membership from 300 to 600 in one year. Her early success caused the Business Council of New York to designate the organization Chamber of the Year in 2013.
The Chamber also won Non-Profit of the Year from SCORE in 2016 and the Excellence in Leadership Award in 2017 from the Learning and Childcare Council. In 2018, Heegan was selected by the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives as one of only 10 executives nationwide to participate in a Healthy Community Cohort for one year.
Heegan volunteered for her local soup kitchen, Otsego County Economic Development Energy Task Force, Empire State Poverty Reduction Task Force, The Education Trust of NY, Otsego County Opioid Task Force and served as a September 11 Recovery Family Support Specialist for the American Red Cross.
“We had many strong candidates from throughout the country,” Jeff Smith, Greenwood Chamber search committee chairman, said in a release. “We had a tough decision, but Barbara Ann was the ideal choice for our community. She brings a wealth of experience in management and chamber operations to the Chamber.”
She joined the Chamber from the Plains at Parish Homestead, where she was on the inaugural sales team, and before that was Bassett Hospital director of volunteers.
The mother of three and an Oneonta resident, Heegan has a bachelor’s in child and family services from SUNY Oneonta and an MBA from the University of Phoenix.
Barbara Ann will be missed. Her passion, hard work, honesty, and sincerity brought fresh air into our community. She cared about businesses large and small and helped countless residents by way of her efforts.