Austin, Texas (December 11, 2017) The Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce today announced its outstanding business volunteers of the year for 2017. The 12 honorees will be recognized during the Chamber's 140th Annual Meeting scheduled for February 6, 2018.

As volunteers, these individuals support the Chamber both with their time and talents by significantly engaging to take on the biggest challenges facing businesses and our local communities throughout the Austin region. This includes addressing key areas such as affordability, education, transportation and member experience.

“We are grateful to all of our volunteers who have committed their time, energy, and resources to help strengthen the voice of business in Central Texas,” said Ellen Wood, 2017 Chair of the Greater Austin Chamber and CEO of vcfo. “We're proud that these talented individuals chose to engage and serve our community in this way. Central Texas is a better place to live and work because of their efforts.”

Below are areas where volunteers contributed in selected fields. The category is followed by the Volunteer of the Year and then their place of business.

2017 Volunteers of the Year:

Ambassadors: Jamie Bazan, Merchant Advocate
Economic Development: Mitchell Jacobson, Austin Technology Incubator at the University of Texas
Education: Kerry Parker, A+ Federal Credit Union
Federal Advocacy: Fred Heldenfelds, Heldenfelds Enterprises
State Advocacy: Catherine Morse, Samsung
Local Advocacy: Mason Ayer, Kerbey Lane Café
Membership Relations: Stacy Amijo, Pierpont Communications
Talent Acquisition: Shannon Moorman, GSD&M
Innovation: Shaku Selvakumar, Cognitive Scale
Austin Gives: Joel Coffman, RecognizeGood
Transportation and Mobility: Lynda Rife, Rifeline
Programs & Partnerships: Jeremiah Bentley, Texas Mutual

During the Annual Meeting, the Chamber will celebrate the successes of the past year, look ahead to the future, as well as honor Bobby Jenkins, recently named as Austinite of the Year. In addition, the Chamber plans to also recognize its 2018 Board of Directors.

The Austin Chamber’s 140th Annual Meeting is open to the public and registration details can be found here.

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About the Austin Chamber

The Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce focuses on how the Austin Region works. We serve as the voice of business for 2,800 organizations representing a combined workforce of about 330,000 employees throughout Central Texas. Our mission is to provide leadership that facilitates the creation of a prosperous economy and effective advocacy for members. For more information, please visit AustinChamber.com.

Media Inquiries

Luke Sheffield, Public Relations Manager
512.322.5637
lsheffield@austinchamber.com