Amber Batchelor, a seasoned CEO, strategic alignment expert, and Saint Augustine’s University HBCU graduate from Raleigh, North Carolina, has been named President and CEO of the historic Sumter County Chamber of Commerce in Georgia. Sumter County, located just two hours from Atlanta, is best known as the birthplace of the 39th President of the United States, Jimmy Carter.
She took on the position full-time after a lengthy nationwide search. “Amber brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from the business world, previous Chambers of Commerce, and non-profit organizational and board roles.” “We look forward to her leadership, ideas, and energy to continue the Sumter County Chamber of Commerce’s successful 100-year legacy,” said Brandi Lunneborg, Board Chair and then CEO of Phoebe Sumter Medical Center.
With over 17 years of experience in the chamber industry, Batchelor has worked in Silicon Valley, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Florida, assisting businesses, municipalities, and non-profits. She graduated from Saint Augustine’s University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a minor in International Studies. She went on to study at the George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management while working as a Legislative Assistant with the United States Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.
Batchelor is the Founder, CEO, and Managing Partner of Batchelor & Bradley Insights Group, a boutique consulting firm specializing in performance management and strategic planning for government agencies, businesses, and nonprofits. She will continue to serve Sumter County in this capacity. Her upcoming project, The Serenity Summer Series: A Women’s Wellness Weekend, in collaboration with the Miraval Resort & Spa brand, is a uniquely curated experience to rejuvenate women on their journey seeking high-level strategic progress and vital energy for transformation, revitalization, and recovery.
She invites all culture shapers, change-makers, and chief disruptors to join her on this journey and share their story. As women, we are only as strong as the group of women with whom we share our stories; safe space storytelling is certain to ignite the experience you have been waiting for.
Batchelor & Bradley Insights Group is named, ironically, after her grandparents whose ancestors were slaves and then ultimately sharecroppers near Sumter County, Georgia. Batchelor never knew this background until she shared with her family that she was relocating to south Georgia. “I am the hope and dream of my great-grandmother, grandmother, grandfather, and mother. My connection to supporting entrepreneurs and small business owners starts with them. Their drive, determination, and skillset to own their own business was a life imperative to take care of their family. It was the only way. I am motivated daily by their contributions,” said Batchelor.
Batchelor comes to the Chamber of Commerce from the weVENTURE Women’s Business Center at Florida Tech’s Bisk College of Business, where she was the Women’s Business Center Director, a position that serves as Principal Investigator and Chief Operating Officer for the most historically underserved and excluded population of entrepreneurs – minorities and women. She worked on the economic front lines of the pandemic, assisting hundreds of diverse small business owners in rural areas and opportunity zones to survive, and even thrive, during the pandemic.
She worked directly with the US Small Business Administration (SBA) to manage and administer grants to diverse small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs to provide business assistance and leadership development. When the pandemic struck, Batchelor and her former chamber team were impacted due to COVID-19’s economic constraints, as her previous employer made the difficult decision to restructure the organization. On the same day, Batchelor was immediately hired by Florida Tech to help businesses with her financial management and consulting skills.