Chamber President Graduates from Vigorous Professional Development Program

The Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce (GGCC) would like to congratulate Marilyn Balcombe, President & CEO for completion of the Institute for Organization Management. Balcombe attended the Northeast Institute at Villanova University for the past 4 summers.

A professional development program of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, the Institute for Organization Management was designed to enhance individual performance, elevate professional standards, and recognize association, chamber of commerce, and other nonprofit professionals who demonstrate the knowledge essential to the practice of nonprofit management. Graduates of the four-year Institute for Organization Management program receive the IOM Graduate Recognition, signifying 96 hours of course instruction in nonprofit management.

The curriculum, comprised of four week-long sessions, is taught by university professors, industry experts, and leading practitioners in the chamber and association industries. While on-site, attendees participate in course instruction and engage in lively discussions on a multitude of matters affecting the association and chamber industries. With courses on topics such as advocacy, media training, membership, finance, legal issues, human resources, and much more, Institute ultimately educates participants on all facets of running a nonprofit organization.

“Being at Institute was a great opportunity. It has made our chamber stronger and more relevant in our community. As a life-long learner, I really valued the high-quality instruction I received,” said Balcombe.

The GGCC is active in providing business-to-business networking opportunities throughout the year: a collective voice in local, regional, and state legislative affairs, professional development opportunities and other services that enhance the business environment. 

The GGCC is located at 910 Clopper Road, Suite 205N, Gaithersburg, MD. To learn more about the GGCC visit us at www.ggchamber.org.

About Laura Rowles

Laura authors the blog Your Success is Our Business on MyMCMedia. Laura is the Director of Events & Marketing for the Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce - a member-based organization of businesses that have joined together for the purpose of promoting the civic, commercial and industrial progress in our communities. The area's economic well-being is a result of the caliber of work that is done by the Chamber. The Chamber has a major impact on business, income and future growth of the area. My position at the Chamber - Director of Events & Marketing - affords me the opportunity to plan quality events for our Members and market the Chamber is a variety of avenues. At the GGCC, we typically have around 30 events each year including: breakfasts, lunches, after-five's, ribbon cuttings and special events. The consensus is we have high quality events with good energy. In 2012, we had over 2,040 people visit our events. Most our events are free to Members so securing sponsorships for all events. Additionally, I am responsible for planning networking, overseeing the budget and marketing of all events in order to make them successful. Lastly, I coordinate all marketing and communication efforts of the GGCC including weekly email blasts, its quarterly newsletter, all social media platforms, media relations and community outreach.

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