After three years with the Sequim-Dungeness Valley Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Information Center, chamber executive director Anji Scalf announced she would step down on Oct. 12.
She sent out an announcement on Oct. 5 saying her last full day of work was Tuesday.
“Thank you for the opportunity to serve the community of the Sequim-Dungeness Valley for the past 3 years,” she wrote in the statement.
Scalf started in early October 2018 following Shelli Robb-Kahler, who served as executive director of the chamber from 2011-2018.
“I am extraordinarily proud of the team and connections I have built in this position, as well as a number of organizational and operational upgrades to help the Chamber and community endure this period of economic disruption,” Scalf wrote.
Board president Charla Wright with Assured Hospice said in a phone interview Scalf gave her two weeks notice and did not elaborate on her next venture.
“We wish her well,” she said.
Jim Stoffer, Chamber past president, said in a phone interview he appreciates Scalf’s dedication to the community.
“I wish her all the best, not only as a colleague but as a friend,” he said. “She’s done a lot of good work over these last three years for our community including businesses and schools.”
Scalf said in an email Oct. 7 that “it’s a bittersweet time and the decision to leave the Chamber was a tough one, but I’ll be taking a position closer to home that will bring me better work/life balance.”
In her statement, she said, “Again, my deepest gratitude for the collaborative energy and hard work we have done together to forge a fruitful future for the Sequim-Dungeness Valley.”
“I will always have a soft spot in my heart for the rolling fields, historic barns, and the resilient small businesses in this community – and look forward to being your ally next door,” she wrote.
The COVID-19 pandemic overlapped a large portion of Scalf’s tenure, and Wright said Scalf was “instrumental in seeking out and writing grants keeping the (Visitor’s Information Center) and (Chamber) afloat and in the black.”
Scalf helped with Lifeboat grant disbursements too, Wright said.
She also helped establish a Small Business Relief Fund through the Chamber, and helped the City of Sequim vet and distribute funds through the city’s COVID-19 Small Business Rapid Relief Program.
“It was important to her to support the small businesses of Sequim,” Wright said.
Prior to Sequim, Scalf managed the Mountain View public pool in Port Townsend from 2010-15, and at Finnriver cidery in Chimacum for two years as manager. She moved to Sequim in 2016, managing Wind Rose Cellars.
Wright said the executive director position will be posted on Indeed.com for two weeks.
The Sequim chamber’s executive board is developing a hiring committee and no decision has been made on an interim director, she said.
Some of the position’s duties, Wright said, include managing the Chamber and Visitor Center’s budget, working with the City of Sequim on its lodging tax funds, being a presence in the community, and serving as a representative for merchants.
Wright said she does not anticipate any disruptions in service at the Chamber, 1192 E. Washington St., during the hiring process.
For more information, call the Chamber at 360-683-6197 or visit sequimchamber.com.
