Dee Baird named interim Cedar Rapids Chamber president

CEDAR RAPIDS - Dee Baird has been named interim president of the Cedar Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce.

Baird will remain president of Priority One, the economic development division of the chamber, and the decision has been approved by the Priority One executive committee. She fills the position vacated when Shannon Meyer announced her resignation in December after two years as top executive of the organization.

Baird was named president of Priority One in September. She previously was executive vice president of continuing education and training services at Kirkwood Community College.

During her tenure at Kirkwood, Baird built a nationally recognized lifelong learning program that serves more than 350 business clients and enrolls more than 65,000 students each year. She also facilitated and authored three regional skills assessment studies and a national publication on business partnerships.

Chuck Peters, chairman of the Cedar Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce, noted that Baird has been instrumental in the creation and growth of the Corridor Business Alliance and a champion for regional collaboration.

“Dee is a proven and highly capable leader and CEO,” Peters said. “Dee's managed multiple employees, served customers and managed external relations in her previous roles and we are confident she will be able to handle this assignment.”