Wayne Burns, New CEO of Central Palm Beach Chamber
After a several month search, Wayne Burns has been named Chief Executive Officer of the Central Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce by the Board of Directors.
Board Chairman Frank Gonzalez said of Mr. Burns, “He has considerable experience in Chamber leadership, finance and fundraising, expertise in small business services, and an award winning track record in economic development.” Mr. Gonzalez adds, “Our Board of Directors is excited to have Mr. Burns aboard and look forward to working with him to lead our Chamber to new heights of excellence and continue to drive value to our membership.”
Mary Lou Bedford, the Interim Chief Executive Officer during the search, will continue to serve the Chamber in an executive level capacity.
Prior to joining the Chamber, Burns was President for SGI Stratecon Global Institute, responsible for creating member value driven strategies and leading chambers of commerce through complex governance, fundraising, and financial challenges.
Formerly, Burns was Assistant Director of the Broward County Office of Economic and Small Business Development, responsible for all aspects of economic development and oversight of contract awards for County Certified small businesses and the federal Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program. He also served as Division Manager as Economic Development Coordinator in the City of Plantation where he was largely credited for leading the collaboration to accelerate redevelopment along 441 State Road 7. While in Plantation he won several awards and national recognition for negotiating over $1 billion in corporate attraction and expansion projects, and as Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance Board member (previously Broward Alliance) he was named economic developer Volunteer of the Year for his leadership of the 31 city Partner’s Council.
Mr. Burns graduated with Honors from FAU with a BA is Sociology / Psychology, and earned an MBA in International Business.