Essential Estrogen

Lee Clancey, current president and chief executive officer of the Cedar Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce, has announced that she will retire from that position effective Sept. 1. Clancey was also the first woman elected as mayor in Cedar Rapids, a position she held for six years.

"I believe that women have the potential to be the kind of leaders who will shift paradigms, encourage and mentor others and celebrate diversity," Clancey said during the 2007 Women's Equality Day celebration in Cedar Rapids. "It's long past time for equal representation with women at the political table, in corporate American board rooms and in leadership positions at all levels. Not only are women wanted to run the nation, they are desperately needed to run it in order to bring important issues to the forefront."

The Chamber's Board of Directors is currently in the process of establishing a search committee that will be led by Brad Hart, secretary for the board and an attorney with Bradley & Riley PC. Officials are not ruling out the possibility of utilizing the services of an executive recruitment firm to assist in "a comprehensive, national search." Clancey will assist in the search effort, according to Allen Witt, chairman-elect of the board. He added that the group anticipates hiring a successor by late summer.

“During Lee’s service, the Chamber has helped our community in several important initiatives, including the transition to a new form of city government, passage of the penny tax for Linn County schools and the development of the downtown master plan,” said Ralph Russell, chairman of the board. “We sincerely thank Lee for her leadership these past three years and suspect she will continue to be a leader in our community in the future.”

During her tenure, Clancey has overseen the implementation of numerous programs for Chamber members including the Chamber Academy, pharmacy discount card, and the Community Gift Certificate. She serves as a board member with Diversity Focus, the Entrepreneurial Development Center, the Technology Corridor Business Alliance and the Iowa Chamber Alliance. She was the first executive director of the Renaissance Group (now the Downtown District).

“It has been an exciting time for me with the Chamber,” Clancey said in a prepared statement. “We have accomplished a great deal in a few short years. However, it is with a sense of excitement that I leave to move on to life’s next adventure. It is also time for the next generation to take the reins.”