St. Charles Chamber of Commerce director Deborah Gurley retires

St. Charles Chamber of Commerce executive director Deborah Gurley retired this month after more than two years of leadership.

The Chamber’s board chairman Joshua Feagans said Gurley did a remarkable job getting the Chamber back on track and revitalizing the St. Charles business community.

Feagans has been on the board since 2020 but has known Gurley for more than a decade through her work as a Realtor. He got to work closely with her during his time on the board.

“She did some remarkable work,” Feagans said. “You don’t lose someone as experienced as Debbie and not feel it.”

Feagans said Gurley became director shortly after the pandemic, which was a difficult time for chambers and businesses nationally. He said she really took control of the St. Charles Chamber and did a great job revitalizing it, making sure regular events still were being held while adding a lot of new ones.

He said Gurley was able to consistently grow the Chamber’s membership and excelled in not only the fun parts such as interfacing with the public and hosting and attending events but also the behind-the-scenes aspects of the job.

Feagans said the Chamber is in the process of interviewing candidates for an interim director role. He said before they start the search for a permanent director, they plan to reevaluate what they’re looking for in the role and the Chamber’s direction going forward.

Feagans said the role of the executive director is to chart the course of the Chamber, monitor financials, make sure businesses are coming in and that membership is stable and members’ needs are met. He said the director’s biggest responsibility is making sure events are successful, from signature community events to small monthly meetings.

“I can’t express in words how grateful I am for how she stepped in and led the Chamber in the last several years,” Feagans said. “I think our members and our board have benefited from that. I think she’s taught me a lot about leadership in that time period, so there’s a lot of gratitude.”

Leadership, vision, confidence and the ability to delegate and rely on others are qualities that Feagans said a chamber director should have. He said the Chamber is not just there for networking opportunities, but to provide professional development, outreach, tools and resources and to advocate for members.

“We’re just going to miss Debbie, first and foremost,” Feagans said. “We just wish her the best and we’re very optimistic that when we come out of this and we enter 2025, we’re going to be in very strong footing with a very strong director and on a very exciting course.”

Gurley is a Realtor with Miscella Real Estate based in Geneva and will continue her career part time after retiring as executive director.

Gurley has been a member of the Chamber for 17 years. She said when she joined, she found the St. Charles Chamber, compared with other local chambers she was a member of, was the most business focused and the most helpful for her real estate business.

Gurley became executive director of the Chamber after the position opened while she was chairman of the chamber’s board of directors. While she didn’t apply for the role, she said they needed someone to step up so she took over as interim director and eventually was talked into becomikng executive director in 2022.

Gurley describes herself as a master of networking and said she has been a connection maker her whole life, always trying to pair friends and colleagues together both in business and their personal lives.

“Having a strong business background allows you to bring your skill set to any kind of job,” Gurley said.

Gurley said she never intended to be the director long-term.

“I really knew in my heart I wanted to go in, fix some things, make some things better and put them in a good position going forward and I feel very proud that I did all of that,” Gurley said. “Now it’s time for someone who can come in for the long term.”

During her two years as director, she introduced a new signature event, Chamber of Commerce Week in September, to celebrate chambers both locally and on a national level. She started a nonprofit committee, a business to business leadership group, the young professionals council, the Espresso Yourself monthly coffee meeting, “Up Close and Memorable,” the chamber’s podcast, and the Business of the Month recognition.

Under Gurley’s leadership, 180 new members joined the Chamber and she played a major role in writing the Chamber’s first grant application, which secured $50,000 in grant funding from the state.

Gurley said the aspect of the job she will miss most is the people. Her favorite parts of the job were highlighting people and businesses in the community that people don’t normally get to see and fostering connections between community members and businesses.

“There’s nothing more rewarding than that,” Gurley said. “That is truly a blessing to be able to do that. ... I just love being that conduit.”

Since announcing her retirement, Gurley said she has received hundreds of text messages and kind words from the community.

“I feel very blessed and overwhelmed at how much response there’s been and how kind of words people have left and how much they’ve appreciated what I’ve done,” Gurley said. “The fact they’ve noticed it has changed is really just fabulous.”

Gurley said while there still is a lot of work to be done, she is confident the Chamber is in a good place for whoever takes over to continue making it better.

“That’s what I want the new person to carry with them,” Gurley said. “I would like them to build on the foundation I put in place now and to be able to make it go even higher.”

Gurley’s plans for the future include making time for volunteering opportunities and continuing to serve on the board of Mutual Ground in Aurora.