Traverse Connect announced on Wednesday that it had hired Dakota Baker as the new director for the Northern Michigan Chamber Alliance. Baker comes from a political and public policy background, including work on congressional campaigns and for state and federal legislators. In his new role, he “will be a vocal advocate for rural businesses and communities served by Traverse Connect and the Northern Michigan Chamber Alliance,” according to Traverse Connect President and CEO Warren Call.

The Northern Michigan Chamber Alliance is a coalition of most of the chambers of commerce and economic development organizations in northern Michigan, including not just Traverse Connect, but also the Elk Rapids Chamber of Commerce, the Leelanau Peninsula Chamber of Commerce, and the Benzie County Chamber of Commerce, as well as similar organizations in Alpena, Cadillac, Charlevoix, Gaylord, Petoskey, Manistee, Boyne, Harbor Springs, Houghton Lake, East Jordan, Cheboygan, and even into the Upper Peninsula.

Most recently, Baker served as deputy chief of staff for State Senator John Damoose. Prior to that job, he was district liaison for Congressman Jack Bergman. He also worked on Bergman’s congressional campaign in 2020. Baker holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Lake Superior State University and has been living in Traverse City since 2020, according to a press release from Traverse Connect.

“The Northern Chamber Alliance just got a tremendous boost by hiring Dakota Baker to be its new director,” Damoose said in the release. “I’m not sure how we can even fill his shoes in our office, and he will be sorely missed. But, under his leadership, the alliance will definitely reach new heights in its influence and impact.”