The Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce named its new executive director Tuesday.

Whitney Waara - a Traverse City resident the Chamber says has an "extensive background in operational management, business consulting, and public broadcasting" - was introduced to the organization's board of directors Tuesday morning. She will join the staff full-time in early September.

“This is a dream opportunity for me to be able to work in my own backyard and help our region thrive,” Waara says. “Our region has so many incredible assets and great supporters, and I’m looking forward to collaborating with our business community to help make this place even better for all of us.”

Waara's appointment was made by outgoing CEO Doug Luciani of TraverseCONNECT, the parent organization of the Chamber. She was one of two finalists who was interviewed and made it through a search process that began in June. Waara earned an MBA in marketing from the Kent State University School of Management, and holds an undergraduate degree from Kalamazoo College, where she studied business and economics. She launched her professional career in Washington, D.C., where she worked as a consultant for Arthur Anderson, LLP, Sprint and the US Postal Service. She also owned and operated a USDA-certified organic produce farm.

From 2004-14, Waara worked for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in various management roles. After relocating to northern Michigan in 2014, she spent more than a year as Executive Director of the Land Information Access Association (LIAA). Most recently, she was the senior director of operations for Ask Big Questions based in Evanston, Ill.

“Whitney brings a wealth of relevant experience to the Chamber executive director position and a passion for the community that will help her hit the ground running and be successful," Luciani says. “Her extensive background in communications, planning and organizational development will be a tremendous asset both to the Chamber and its diverse and dynamic members.”

Locally, Waara has served on the Grand Traverse County Parks and Recreation Commission and as a volunteer at Interlochen Public Radio and the Glenn Loomis Montessori school. She and husband Sam Augusta have three young sons.