Chamber of Commerce Executive Director resigns

HOUGHTON — There is going to a change at the helm of the Chamber of Commerce for Houghton and Keweenaw Counties.

The Executive Director of the Keweenaw Chamber of Commerce is moving on. Former Wisconsin resident Cheryl Fahrner is heading back to Stevens Point at the end of
the month for family reasons.

She announced her resignation in the October issue of the Chamber’s newsletter. An Ironwood native, Fahrner has been the director since July 2014.

Keweenaw Peninsula Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Cheryl Fahrner said, “I’ve been to a meeting this morning, it was the Downtown Hancock Business Association, and they were sorry to see me leave and I’m sorry to actually have to leave, but I have a home in Stevens Point and looking forward to going back. Really the opportunity (at the Chamber) was great and I have been so fortunate to be in this role.”

Among the many accomplishments of the Chamber over the last two years, the Leadership Keweenaw program, started this year, may have the longest impact.

Fahrner said, “We’ll have great future leaders stepping forward into chairperson roles, running for boards, running for councils. It’s going to be a great opportunity for the area, so we hope the business community really embraces this in sending their future leaders through the program.”

The Chamber Board of Directors plans to evaluate staffing needs before beginning a search for a new Executive Director.