11 Aug 2014 Smith named president/CEO for the Morrilton chamber

The Morrilton Area Chamber of Commerce announced Tuesday that Jerry L. Smith has been selected as the new president and CEO for the chamber and Conway County Economic Development Corporation.

On Aug. 11, the Chamber and CCEDC’s joint board of directors voted to approve Smith for the position after a search committee conducted an extensive search. Smith will begin work in his new position on Monday, Aug. 18.

“I’ve said that my dream job would be to serve as the president and CEO of the Morrilton Area Chamber and CCEDC,” said Smith. “The assets and the people are superb, and I have gotten very excited over the last few years just thinking about the possibilities.”

A native of Morrilton, Smith returns to the area with extensive community and economic development experience, having most recently worked as a project director for the Arkansas State University Delta Center for Economic Development. Smith’s programs at the Delta Center were funded by the U.S. Economic Development Administration, and Smith’s most recent efforts involved development of a regional innovation ecosystem that matches entrepreneurs and startup companies in the region with sources of seed capital and technical support.

Smith has worked as a community and economic developer for more than 20 years and said he is excited for the opportunity to bring that experience back home after so many years.

Chamber board chair Miles Lacy said, "We had many strong candidates from throughout the state. Jerry Smith is the best fit for our organization. He brings more than 20 years of relevant experience to the chamber and has relationships with economic development professionals across the state that will hopefully lead to some new and exciting opportunities.” Lacy added, “We are pleased to welcome Jerry and his wife back to the Morrilton area and feel that his leadership will complement the Chamber’s staff keeping the organization on a path of success.”