WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30
1:00-5:00pm: Board Development Training Session - *Pre-registration required. Board members MUST register separately using this link.
Stronger Boards, Stronger Chambers: Build, Engage, Govern, Lead
Chambers of Commerce thrive when two essential forms of leadership work in sync: the CEO and the volunteer Board of Directors. Each plays a critical role in shaping the Chamber's impact on its members, businesses, and the broader community. This workshop will provide practical tools and strategies to help Chamber CEOs and board leaders build stronger, more engaged boards, empowering them to create real change.
- Board Governance - What does it mean?
- Fiduciary Responsibility - Let's Dive In.
- Board Roles and Responsibilities and the Relationship with CEO/ED
Speaker: Dr. Cheryl Viola, CEO - Pendleton Chamber
Sponsored by: Collette
5:00 - 7:00pm: WELCOME RECEPTION
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1
7:30-8:30am: Breakfast served in main conference room
New Executive Breakfast - *Pre-registration required
Designed for chamber executives who have been in their role for 3 years or less, this is an opportunity to connect with OSCC Board members and learn more about the organization.
8:45am: Conference begins
9:00am: Keynote
The 6 Tools Great Leaders Bring to an Organization
Great leadership isn't defined by a title, a personality type, or a motivational slogan—it's built on practical behaviors that inspire people and drive results. In this engaging keynote, you'll discover the six essential tools that effective leaders use to create clarity, build trust, strengthen accountability, energize their teams, and improve organizational performance. Whether you're leading a chamber, managing a team, or shaping your organization's future, you'll leave with actionable strategies you can immediately apply to become a more effective leader and create a stronger, more resilient organization.
Speaker: Mike Stack - Dale Carnegie of Oregon
10:45am-11:45am Breakout Sessions:
- Rethinking Chamber Revenue: Practical Strategies for Growth
Membership dues alone are no longer enough to sustain and grow today’s chambers. In this panel discussion, chamber leaders will share how they have successfully diversified revenue streams through creative and mission-aligned strategies that strengthen both financial sustainability and member value.
Panelists will discuss real-world examples of successful chamber travel programs, innovative sponsorship models, partnership opportunities, and mission-driven funding approaches that generate revenue while supporting organizational goals. Attendees will gain insight into what has worked, what challenges chambers have faced, and how to identify opportunities that fit their community and capacity. Whether your chamber is looking to expand existing programs or explore entirely new revenue ideas, this session will provide practical inspiration, proven strategies, and candid conversation from chambers finding success beyond dues.
Speakers: Justin Aufdermauer, CEO - Tillamook Area Chamber
Jackie Roche, Membership Director - Salem Area Chamber
Paige Walters, Senior Director, Advocacy & Economic Development - Springfield Area Chamber
- From Chaos to Clarity: Taking Back Control of Your Time in Chamber Work
Chamber work is fast moving, people driven, and rarely predictable. In this interactive breakout session, Kira Zavala, IOM, ACE, author of The Chamber Clarity Agenda: Mindset, Relationships, and Execution for Chamber Professionals, will teach practical time management strategies developed specifically for the realities of chamber work. Informed by extensive research and interviews with chamber professionals, this session will help participants take back control of their time, protect their capacity, delegate with intention, avoid burnout, and move beyond a traditional to do list. Attendees will learn how to create a weekly rhythm that supports focus, relationship building, follow up, productivity, team clarity, and sustainable leadership. Chambers across the western United States are already using these tools with meaningful results, and each attendee will receive a free digital copy of The Chamber Clarity Agenda.
Speaker: Kira Zavala, President & CEO - Roseburg Area Chamber
- Managerial Courage: Having Difficult Conversations
Difficult conversations are an unavoidable part of leadership, but they don't have to be intimidating. This interactive session will provide practical tools for confidently addressing employee performance issues, changing attitudes and behaviors, and navigating disagreement in a productive, respectful way. Participants will learn nine principles for influencing behavior, six rules for disagreeing agreeably, and how to use evidence to support their perspective as a manager. You'll leave with actionable techniques you can immediately apply to lead challenging conversations with greater confidence and effectiveness.
Speaker: Kevin McWhirter - Dale Carnegie of Oregon
12:00pm: Networking Lunch
1:00-2:00pm Afternoon Keynote:
From Voice to Value: Building an Advocacy Program That Matters
Organizations of all sizes can build impactful programs that strengthen their voice, increase member engagement, and demonstrate value to the business community. In this panel discussion, leaders from small, medium, and large chambers will share how they developed their advocacy efforts, the challenges they faced, and the strategies that helped them grow influence and member support.
Panelists will discuss how they established priorities, engaged members in policy conversations, communicated advocacy wins, and built programs that fit their community needs. Attendees will gain insight into different approaches to advocacy and hear firsthand how these efforts have helped chambers increase relevance, credibility, and membership value.
Speakers: David Reid, Executive Director - Astoria-Warrenton Area Chamber
Alicia Bermes, President & CEO - Beaverton Area Chamber
Eli Matthews, President & CEO - The Chamber of Medford & Jackson County
2:15-3:15pm Breakout Sessions:
- A Practical Transition to Tiered Dues
Most chambers know tiered dues can generate more revenue, but many struggle with complicated benefits, confusing sales conversations, and member pushback. Join Justin Aufdermauer for a practical discussion on transitioning from traditional dues structures to a tiered system that makes joining easy, sets clear expectations, and increases revenue.
Speakers: Justin Aufdermauer, CEO - Tillamook Area Chamber
- Storytelling in Marketing: Helping Chambers Cut Through the Noise
Chambers are constantly sharing important updates, events, member news, advocacy work, and community stories, but in a crowded communication landscape, simply getting more information out is not enough. This session will show chamber leaders how to use storytelling as a practical marketing tool to make their messages clearer, more memorable, and more meaningful. Attendees will learn how to identify the stories already happening inside their chamber, turn everyday updates into stronger content, better prioritize what their audience actually cares about, and create communication that feels less like noise and more like value.
Speaker: Nicholas De Salvo, CEO - Edge One Media
- Beyond Orientation: Building Board Leadership All Year Long
Strong Chamber boards do not happen by accident. This practical session will help Chamber leaders build a simple, realistic board development system that starts with onboarding and continues through every board meeting. Participants will learn how to clarify board roles, strengthen the CEO-board partnership, support new members, improve meeting agendas, and create a culture of governance, accountability, and strategic leadership without overwhelming volunteers or requiring a large budget.
Speaker: Dr. Cheryl Viola, CEO - Pendleton Chamber
3:30-4:30pm Afternoon Keynote
Borrow Boldly: Chamber Ideas Worth Sharing
Designed to spark ideas and encourage conversation, this session gives chamber professionals the opportunity to share successful programs, creative solutions, innovative events, marketing wins, operational improvements, and lessons learned with peers from across the industry. Attendees will walk away with practical takeaways, fresh inspiration, and new ideas they can adapt and implement in their own organizations.
6:00-8:30pm: OSCC Reception & Celebration Dinner
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2
7:30-8:30am: Breakfast served in main conference room
8:30am: Conference begins
8:30am: OSCC Membership Meeting
9:00am: Keynote
Inside OSCC Advocacy: Building a Stronger Voice for Oregon Business
This session will provide an overview of OSCC’s recent advocacy efforts, key policy priorities, and lessons learned from engaging lawmakers on issues that impact businesses and communities across the state. Representatives from leading partner organizations, including the Oregon Business & Industry and Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association will share how strategic partnerships strengthen the business community’s collective voice and improve outcomes at the Capitol.
Looking ahead to the 2027 Legislative Session, attendees will gain insight into emerging policy challenges, opportunities for collaboration, and the role local chambers can play in advancing a unified pro-business agenda. Whether you're new to advocacy or a seasoned advocate, this session will equip you with a broader understanding of how chambers and statewide organizations can work together to influence policy and support Oregon’s economic success.
Speakers: JL Wilson, Legislative Counsel - OSCC
Kelsey Wilson, Government Affairs - Oregon Business & Industry
Greg Astley, Director of Government Affairs - Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association
10:45-11:45pm Breakout Sessions:
- Rural Oregon is Competing - Are You?
Rural communities are finding innovative ways to attract businesses, support workforce development, grow tourism, and strengthen their local economies — often by thinking differently and moving quickly. In this panel discussion, leaders from rural chambers and communities will share how they are positioning themselves to compete in an increasingly challenging economic landscape.
Panelists will discuss successful strategies for economic development, community branding, business recruitment, partnerships, housing and workforce challenges, and creating opportunities with limited resources. Attendees will hear real-world examples of how rural communities are leveraging their unique strengths to drive growth and remain competitive.
Speakers: K'Lynn Lane, Field Coordinator - The Ford Family Foundation
Brad Attig, Director - Foundry Collective
Torrie Griggs, CEO - Boardman Chamber
AI is rapidly changing how organizations communicate, market, and operate — but what does that actually look like for chambers of commerce today? This session explores practical, real-world AI innovations that chambers can use to increase efficiency, strengthen member engagement, improve communications, and support advocacy efforts. This breakout session will focus on tactical capabilities, emerging tools, and strategic applications that chamber professionals can realistically implement in their organizations.
Attendees will see how chambers may use AI for content creation, marketing, member outreach, data analysis, customer service, workflow automation, and more — while also discussing how to adopt AI without losing the human connection that makes chambers valuable. Participants will leave with actionable ideas, examples, and a clearer understanding of how AI can support chamber operations today and where the technology is headed next.
Speaker: Gary Smith - Small Business Development Center
- Lessons in Partnership: A Conversation on Building Bridges Between Chambers and City Leadership
Strong relationships between chambers of commerce and local government can create powerful opportunities for economic growth, community problem-solving, and business advocacy. In this interview-style breakout session, attendees will hear from Tom Hoffert and the City Manager of Salem as they discuss the value of building collaborative partnerships between chambers and cities.
The conversation will explore how strong communication, shared goals, and strategic collaboration can help communities navigate challenges, support local businesses, and move important initiatives forward. Speakers will share lessons learned, examples of successful partnership efforts, and practical insight into building trust and alignment between the public and private sectors. Attendees will leave with ideas for strengthening relationships within their own communities and a better understanding of how chambers and cities can work together to create lasting impact.
Speaker: Tom Hoffert, CEO - Salem Area Chamber
12:00pm: Networking Lunch
1:00-2:00pm: Keynote
The Evolving Leader: Leading People Through Change, Complexity, and Connection
The challenges facing today's leaders aren't just operational—they're deeply human.
Throughout this conference, we've explored advocacy, innovation, AI, board development, communication, revenue strategies, partnerships, and organizational growth. But every one of those initiatives succeeds or fails based on one thing: leadership.
In this engaging and highly interactive session, Dr. Kristine Medyanik brings together the themes of the conference through the lens of human behavior, leadership psychology, and organizational effectiveness. Drawing from concepts featured throughout The Evolving Leader Fellowship, participants will discover why people resist change, how motivation influences performance, what creates psychological safety, and why emotional intelligence, communication, and decision-making are essential leadership skills in today's rapidly changing workplace.
Rather than offering another leadership theory, this session provides practical frameworks leaders can immediately apply to build trust, navigate conflict, strengthen teams, make better decisions, and create cultures where people—and organizations—can thrive.
Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of themselves, their teams, and the leadership practices that create lasting influence long after the conference ends.
Participants will:
- Recognize how motivation, mindset, and psychological safety influence team performance.
- Understand why conflict, resistance, and disengagement are often signals—not problems.
- Learn practical tools for communicating through change and uncertainty.
- Explore leadership habits that build trust, accountability, and resilience.
- Connect emotional intelligence, decision-making, and courageous leadership into one practical framework.
- Develop strategies for leading people—not just managing projects—in an increasingly complex world.
Speaker: Dr. Kristine Medyanik - The Evolving Leader Fellowship
2:00pm: Conference adjourns
*Agenda subject to change
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